ReLeaf Spring/Summer 2013
Strains: 20 to 30
Top strain: Super Lemon Haze
Top edible: Chai High Tea
Canna Caregivers offers a one-stop-shop experience, growing more than 70 strains and selling a large variety of edibles and concentrates. The Canna Center, under the same ownership, also has copious glassware and accessories.
ReLeaf Spring/Summer 2013
Strains: 20
Top strain: OG Kush
Top edible: Mountain Medicinals' gummies
Green Earth folks say they specialize in higher-end medicines and edibles, but beyond that you'll find a full line of rubs and tinctures in a space with an art-gallery feel.
IndyPick • Best Of 2011: Hangout for Bagel Sandwiches, Local Music, Lattes and Libations
Follow Weber Street south to where it dead-ends in the historic Lowell School neighborhood, and you'll find Lofty's, a quaintly cool café/eatery that recently began offering well-chosen beer, wine and spirits. Opened by Rubbish co-founder Josh Kennard in the wake of the gallery's late 2010 closing, Lofty's captures the atmosphere of pre-Starbucks coffeehouses, where owners are on-site and, in the case of Kennard, culturally aware and conversational. In September, the venue celebrated its new liquor license and expanded hours (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) with 10 hours of live performances from some of our best local musicians. — Bill Forman
ReLeaf Spring/Summer 2013
Strains: 60
Top strain: L.A. Confidential
Top edible: The Growing Kitchen's brownies
"We've got great prices," says owner Ali Hillery, who adds, "All new members get an eighth." Members also enjoy a big selection of edibles, $199 ounces, and new strains released biweekly.
InSider 2010
Sometimes you just need to get your metal on without being around a throng of all-ages munchkins getting all hormonal. Much better, then, to watch a bunch of adults get all hormonal, lubricated in this case by free body shots for the women and hours of wholesome entertainment for those who just like to watch.
Drink 2010
Happy hour: Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The goods: Half-off wells, wine and drafts; $1 off all other drinks
Favorite pour: "Our Train Wreck. There's eight different liquors and it tastes like fruit punch."
If you're looking for a place to get your metal on without hordes of underage vermin trying to swig your drink while your back is turned Union Station is just like your own little Cheers. Except that instead of that creepy postman, they have free body shots. But just for the ladies. Frat-boy gets to watch.
InSider 2010
Making its InSider debut, Music Street Tavern recently featured an impressive performance by Cedric Burnside, grandson of the late, great R.L. Burnside. Also look out for the Sunday night blues jam hosted by Jeremy Vasquez.
Drink 2010
Happy hour: Daily, 4-7 p.m.
The goods: $1.50 draft PBR, $3 pitchers, everything else half-off
Favorite pour: "I'm the show bartender, so I make mixed drinks. I can make a Peppermint Patty that tastes just like a York."
ReLeaf Spring/Summer 2013
Strains: 19
Top strain: Bubba Kush
Top edible: incredibles
This family-owned dispensary offers member pricing for first-time customers, as well as punch cards for a variety of products.
InSider 2010
Well-above-average bar food and plenty of libations make this western getaway a great escape from the unrelenting urban intensity of places like Old Colorado City. You'll also find local microbrews, blues artists and jam bands in a laid-back setting.
Best of 2011: Bar Crowd
Walk into SouthSide Johnny's just once, and you probably wouldn't understand why the place would win this new category. That's because just one visit doesn't begin to tell the story. You have to go back, at different times, to get the full idea. SouthSide Johnny's has its regulars, but it also has its lunch crowd, its happy-hour crowd, its music-loving late-night crowd, its Saturday-Sunday brunch crowd and its "weekend warrior" motorcycle crowd, and they aren't the same people — though they do get along with each other quite well. You might see downtown attorneys, young and not-so-young professionals, or fans of Colorado College hockey (even CC head coach Scott Owens, along with former Tigers still living here). Put it all together, and that's how your bar crowd beats the rest. — Ralph Routon
Best of 2012: Local Venue for Live Music
Whether it's the yearly two-night run by Tech N9ne or shows by big-name artists like Foxy Shazam and Cannibal Corpse, the Black Sheep has earned its keep as Colorado Springs' perennial live music mecca. A non-stop winner in this category since 2006, the vaguely dungeon-like Platte Avenue mainstay is owned by Soda Jerk Presents, the Boulder-based company that also books Denver's Marquis Theater and Summit Music Hall. All of which makes this all-ages venue an attractive draw for national touring acts. "We regularly bring in bands that no one would ever expect to play here," says general manager Chris Huffine. "At least once a week, someone at a show will say to me, 'Wow, how did you get this band to come to Colorado Springs?'" — Bill Forman
Releaf Spring/Summer 2013
Strains: 40
Top Strain: Romulan
Top edible: The Growing Kitchen Fantastic Brownies
Eagle's Nest Wellness Center, located in the old Swiss Miss building, offers holistic and naturopathic medicines. There's also a dispensary, which the religion of Ho'ala Huna considers a natural offshoot of its practice. Strains rotate through about once a month.
ReLeaf Spring/Summer 2013
Strains: 40
Top strain: Grape Hash Plant
Top edible: Canna Punch Bold
The Healing Canna offers a spacious lobby, dispensary and patient-viewable flowering room. Find punch-cards that offer an eighth for $5 after 12 are purchased; a "reefer-a-friend" program, where both parties receive $20 eighths; and mobile specials by texting "THC" to 719/355-8211.
ReLeaf Spring/Summer 2013
Strains: 75
Top strain: Lemon Skunk
Top edible: Cheeba Chews
Levity Wellness is all about the discounts: On Mondays and Fridays, nonmembers get a joint with any purchase of an eighth (and the same deal applies Monday through Friday for members). There's also an eighth for those who refer patients, and 20 percent off on your first visit.