Float On vs. Upstate Elevator vs. The High Bar: Which Burlington-Area Dispensary Is Right for You?

Burlington and its immediate suburbs have more than a dozen cannabis dispensaries, but three shops dominate the conversation for different reasons: Float On in downtown Burlington, Upstate Elevator in the South End, and The High Bar in Essex Junction. They are genuinely different operations — different ownership models, different product philosophies, different locations — and the right choice depends on what matters to you. Here is a real comparison.

At a glance

Float On — Church Street, late hours, community feel

Float On is at 136½ Church Street, right on the pedestrian mall between Red Square and Gaku Ramen — a location that makes it the most walkable dispensary from any downtown hotel, restaurant, or venue. It's a locally owned, independent, BIPOC and family-run operation that opened in 2022, among the first Burlington shops through the door when Vermont's adult-use market launched.

The standout feature is the schedule. Float On is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday — later than any other dispensary in the Burlington metro. Thursday closes at 10 PM. Every other day closes at 9 PM. For anyone who's left a show at Higher Ground, had dinner that ran late on Church Street, or is picking up on the way back to an Airbnb, Float On is often the only option still open. That alone explains a significant portion of their customer base.

The menu is full-spectrum: flower, edibles, concentrates, topicals, beverages, vapes, and accessories, with a mix of Vermont cultivators and regional brands. Prices display taxes-included (a small convenience that's rarer than it should be). Regulars consistently describe the in-store vibe as welcoming and pressure-free — Leafly reviewers compare the energy to "a lovely, chill music festival vibe." Staff give actual guidance rather than upsells. Online pickup ordering is available through the shop's own menu.

Choose Float On when: You're staying downtown and want something convenient without a car. You're visiting after a show or dinner. You need something past 8 PM on a Friday or Saturday. You prefer a locally owned, community-rooted shop over a brand-managed operation.

Upstate Elevator — South End flagship, Vermont-grown product line

Upstate Elevator at 699 Pine Street in Burlington's South End has one of the more interesting origin stories in Vermont cannabis. The company started as a hemp-derived CBD brand in the mid-2010s — one of the first Vermont companies selling legal CBD tinctures, topicals, and capsules before THC was legal for adult use. When Vermont's recreational program launched, they converted to a vertically integrated THC operator: they now grow their own cannabis, manufacture their own products, and sell through their own retail store.

That vertical integration is the shop's central differentiator. The in-house Upstate Elevator product line is broad — flower, pre-rolls, vapes, gummies, tinctures, and topicals, all grown and manufactured in Vermont. When you buy their branded products, you know exactly who grew and processed them. The CBD heritage also shows: their wellness-format products (tinctures, moderate-dose gummies, 1:1 CBD:THC options) are among the most developed you'll find on a Vermont recreational menu. If you're CBD-curious or looking for microdose edibles, this is the best-stocked shop of the three for that category.

Practically: hours run 8:30 AM–7 PM Monday through Saturday and 10 AM–6 PM Sunday. That 8:30 AM opening is the earliest among these three shops. There is dedicated on-site parking at the Pine Street location — the clearest car-friendly option of the three. The South End location puts it near the Burlington Farmers Market (Saturday mornings), craft breweries, and the waterfront parks, making it a natural stop on a South End afternoon.

Choose Upstate Elevator when: You want Vermont-grown, vertically integrated products and care about the supply chain transparency. You're looking for CBD-heavy or wellness-format cannabis products. You're arriving by car and want the easiest parking situation. You're an early riser — 8:30 AM is the earliest opening of the three.

The High Bar — craft-farm curation, credit cards, Essex Junction

The High Bar at 159 Pearl Street in Essex Junction takes the most explicitly curated approach of the three. The shop's thesis is small, independent Vermont farms — they stock a more selective menu than the other two shops, with the selection criteria tilted toward craft cultivators who grow at smaller scale, often at lower yield but higher terpene expression. If knowing which Vermont farm grew your flower matters to you, The High Bar's staff can typically tell you.

The most practically significant differentiator is payment. The High Bar is one of the very few Vermont recreational dispensaries that accepts Visa, Mastercard, and Apple Pay directly at the register. Most Vermont dispensaries are cash-only or debit-only, because federal banking restrictions make cannabis credit card processing complicated. The High Bar has figured out a compliant solution — meaning if you hate carrying cash and find the cannabis ATM experience annoying, this is your shop. For the full picture of which Vermont dispensaries take cards versus cash, see our Vermont dispensary payment guide.

Location note: The High Bar is in Essex Junction, not Burlington proper. From downtown Burlington, it's about 10 minutes by car. From South Burlington, the airport, or anywhere on the I-89 / Route 2 corridor, it may actually be closer than the Church Street or Pine Street options. The Pearl Street commercial strip has convenient lot parking. Hours run Monday–Thursday 10 AM–7 PM, Friday 10 AM–8 PM, Saturday 11 AM–8 PM, and Sunday 11 AM–7 PM.

The shop holds a 4.9/5 average across 53 Google reviews — the highest rating of the three on a meaningful review count. Customers consistently mention the focused, low-pressure service and the quality of the flower selection.

Choose The High Bar when: You want to buy from small Vermont farms and have staff who can talk about the cultivator. You prefer credit card or Apple Pay. You're coming from Essex Junction, Williston, Colchester, or the 289 corridor and don't want to go all the way downtown. You prioritize curated selection over total volume.

How to pick

Use this decision tree:

• It's past 8 PM? → Float On is likely the only option still open.
• You want to pay by credit card or Apple Pay? → The High Bar only.
• You want Vermont-grown products and want to know who made them, with an integrated brand? → Upstate Elevator.
• You want craft flower from small independent Vermont farms? → The High Bar.
• You're on foot downtown or near Church Street? → Float On is two minutes away.
• You're arriving by car and hate parking hassles? → Upstate Elevator (dedicated lot on Pine Street).
• You're CBD-curious or want wellness-format products? → Upstate Elevator has the deepest selection from their hemp-era roots.
• First-time buyer? → Any of the three. Float On's warmth and Upstate Elevator's educational background are both well-suited for first-timers.

What they have in common

All three are Vermont-focused, with genuine roots in the state — not outposts of a national multi-state operator. Vermont law requires all cannabis sold at any dispensary to be Vermont-grown, so the product origin is consistent regardless of which shop you choose. All three are required by Vermont's Cannabis Control Board to make Certificates of Analysis (lab test results showing potency, terpenes, pesticides) available on request — ask at the counter if you want to check terpene profiles before buying. And all three carry the full product format range: flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vapes, concentrates, and accessories.

If you're visiting more than one on a trip, the Chittenden County dispensary crawl guide covers how to do multiple shops efficiently. For the full list of Burlington-area dispensaries (there are more than a dozen), see the Chittenden County dispensaries guide.

See also: Float On full listing — hours, menu link, directions; Upstate Elevator full listing — South End location, parking, in-house product details; The High Bar full listing — Pearl Street Essex Junction, credit card details; Best Dispensary Near Me Burlington VT — all 12 Burlington shops by neighborhood and situation; Chittenden County dispensaries guide — the full metro area; First dispensary visit Burlington: what to expect; how to buy cannabis in Vermont (first-timers); best strains for anxiety in Vermont; Vermont Strain Match — find the right strain before you visit; full Vermont dispensary directory.