I have lived my entire life in Oregon, and one of my favorite places to visit in my home state is Lincoln City, Oregon. Lincoln City is located along the Oregon Coast and is a top tourist destination, at least by Oregon standards. I tried locating some tourist numbers but struck out (feel free to add some in the comments if you find them). The town itself has a population of fewer than 9,000 people, which increases to 30,000 people during the summer.
Whenever I have visited Lincoln City, which is more times than I can count, it seems like most of the people there are tourists. Locals are out and about too, but in all the times I have been there locals are the exception versus the rule. That’s not exactly the most official measurement, so take it for what you will. In years past the conversations with others in Lincoln City revolved around the weather. But in the last couple of years the conversations have focused on a new topic.
Everyone I talk to at the stores, restaurants, and everywhere else in Lincoln City always has the same question eventually – where is the best place to buy cannabis? For so many years one of the mandatory items to pack was the ‘cannabis kit.’ In the kit would be one or more consumption devices, a regular lighter and a windproof lighter (the Oregon Coast is windy!), and some of the finest cannabis you could locate.
Determining how much to bring always turned into a lengthy internal debate. On one hand you didn’t want to bring too little and run out, but on the other hand you didn’t want to bring too much and have to deal with the hassle of potentially getting caught by a cop or having someone try to steal it from you. Thankfully those days are over and have been for a couple of years.
Lincoln City is now home to 8 dispensaries from what I counted driving down Highway 101 today, and that doesn’t include dispensaries in smaller surrounding towns like Otis and Depoe Bay (which have their own). There could certainly be more than that, but that was my visual count. Lincoln City stretches roughly 7 miles along Highway 101 to put into perspective how close dispensaries are to each other.
This weekend I am vacationing in Lincoln City and prior to coming here I posted a question on my Facebook page, ‘what is the best cannabis dispensary in Lincoln City, Oregon?’ A grower that I respect at the highest level tagged another grower who was in the area and asked him what he thought. The dispensary that was offered up was the T.E.R.P. Collective. I had never been there prior and decided to do a little ‘secret shopper’ purchase. For the record, I have never talked to anyone even associated with the dispensary prior to my visit this evening.
The dispensary itself is ideally located at the very north end of town. It’s literally one of the first things that you see when entering Lincoln City if you are coming from Salem or Portland. The location is extremely convenient so you can grab your desired cannabis items before you navigate through the busy shops and crosswalks full of tourists and check in to your hotel.
Right when I walked into the place I knew it was the type of dispensary that I like. The selection was ample, but not overkill. Everything is quality without all of the fluff. It was also super organized. So many dispensaries that I have visited have jar after jar of flower and everything else seemingly scattered randomly in display cases and shelves that are too far away to know what is what.
Those types of dispensaries result in an overwhelming, time-consuming purchasing experience which almost always ends up with me giving up on what seems like a never-ending search and I just settle for something that is OK but nothing to write home about. The T.E.R.P. Collective had something for everyone when I went in there tonight, from gummies and chocolates to clones and moon rocks.
The prices were solid with options for all budgets. I started following them on Instagram yesterday and they had $3 grams ($2 for medical patients) of OG Kush. 18.84% THC, lab tested, not a leaf on the nug, for $3/gram. That’s crazy! I opted to go with 2 grams of Dr. Who flower from Geek Farms. Expect a review of that soon. I also purchased some 1:1 Wana Brands strawberry lemonade gummies for my wife. I have never tried that particular brand, but have heard good things from others that have.
It was near closing time so I was the only customer in the place at the time. Someone pulled out of the parking lot as I pulled up, and someone else was entering as I was leaving the parking lot. I don’t know how many people visit the dispensary on any given day, but I would imagine that even at its busiest times the flow is fairly quick because of how it’s set up. The budtender was very helpful and not pushy in any way. He just let me take my time and answered all the questions I had.
I would definitely recommend this dispensary to anyone in the Lincoln City area. If you feel that there is a better dispensary in Lincoln City and can elaborate as to why you feel that way feel free to sound off in the comments but the T.E.R.P. Collective is definitely going to keep getting my dollars when I come to the mid-Oregon Coast. You can find out more about the place on WeedMaps, Facebook, and Instagram and check it out for yourself!