Dog Friendly Road Trips East Coast – Many people think we are crazy for long trips when we travel long distances with three children in one car. The same people thought I was
When I said we are now driving our Great Dane! Some people travel with small dogs, if we go we like big ones.
Dog Friendly Road Trips East Coast
Planning. Fortunately, our Great Dane Minerva is quite gentle and loves a good ride. This would be very different if you were tense or if you weren’t used to sitting in the car a lot.
Dog-friendly Arizona Road Trip!
Design wise… I have to give BringFido a thumbs up. I could never have planned this trip without using this amazing website and app. If you have a dog, download the app
. Since then, we’ve used it a lot to find local restaurants and dog-friendly places. I found almost all the hotels and restaurants on this trip with BringFida. Seriously, I could do a commercial for BringFida…it’s amazing!
It took us two days to drive to Florida and we decided to make a quick stop in Columbia, SC. We weren’t looking for anything special and the Red Roof Inn was definitely not a four star hotel. However, they are always relatively clean and most are dog friendly, so this was a decent stop on our trip. I will say that Minerva was not as soft as we thought when we slept in the new place. Since the rooms faced the outside parking lot, you could hear all the noise (and at the Red Roof Inn
Strange sounds). So that he wouldn’t get upset and bark, we adjusted and fell asleep with the TV on. It helped block out those weird sounds in the parking lot.
Tips For Taking Road Trips With Your Dog — The Markus Project
But we changed our habits a bit while traveling with the dog. We wanted to eat at several takeout restaurants so we wouldn’t leave it in the car. Using the BringFido app (did I mention how amazing this app is?) we found an amazing Mexican restaurant with an outdoor patio at one of our food stops. Something very important to remember when traveling with a dog – if you don’t want to limit where it eats or which places it visits, leave the pup at home. We planned this trip around Minerva on purpose so we were fine. Even when we were in Florida we stayed in the house and it was nice to be left in the house for a few hours. There will be many hotels and inns
Be okay – especially if your dog barks. Some AirBnBs are good with pets, but always
Our stay in Port Charlotte was wonderful and the rental house was wonderful. I wouldn’t choose this vacation spot, but if you have the chance to stay somewhere, why not go? The pool/paved yard of this house was beautiful and who wouldn’t love this yard:
While we were making a stop in Florida, Brian cut his leg badly in a fast food parking lot. He ended up going to the emergency room for a check-up. His treating doctor alerted him to the bacteria currently found on Florida’s Gulf Coast. We had heard about the bacteria but weren’t too concerned until Brian’s doctor sternly warned us not to go in the water. So much for my dream of enjoying the white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters of the Gulf. But we didn’t let that get us down. We are usually a family looking for something different, something positive. If you travel a lot with kids, learn not to let things like this get you down. You want this time to be enjoyable for everyone, and the kids will read your mood and respond accordingly. Okay, we couldn’t go to the beach. More… What other options do we have?
Must Haves For A Dog Friendly Road Trip • Where’s The Frenchie?
Most days we enjoyed the indoor pool at Port Charlotte and left Minerva for a few hours here and there to explore some of the local restaurants. As you can see the pool in the house was amazing and we certainly didn’t suffer during our stay!
In the summer, we usually only go to restaurants that offer outdoor dining. If you’re on vacation and you’re near water, get out
Alfresco dining on the waterfront?? Farlow’s on the Water in Englewood, FL was one of the nicest restaurants we ate at on this trip. After dinner, we took photos on the beach.
A restaurant we visited during Hurricane Charley in Punta Gorda with a really fun atmosphere and live music (always a bonus for us!). There was also a large park and shopping center nearby.
Two Most Scenic Dog Friendly Road Trips In Northern California
Since we didn’t get to explore the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, we decided to take a day trip and treat the kids to something special. We had tossed around the idea of Disney and Universal or a Disney water park, but we were there and decided to go somewhere the kids hadn’t been before. We decided on Sea World. Now I know there is controversy surrounding Sea World. Nevertheless, we looked into it. Sea World no longer accepts new orcas, but feeds and cares for those already in captivity. It also focuses on education and conservation. Animals are no longer forced to ‘perform’. If they don’t achieve the task, they simply try something else. Our experience here was wonderful.
In order to get through the day, drive to Orlando, etc., we had to take Minerva. We certainly didn’t expect him to be alone in the house for so long. We checked into Camp BowWow in Port Charlotte for a full day. The staff were excellent, they checked Minevera thoroughly and asked for vet papers (which should be done
Take it with you if you are traveling with a dog) and test on the spot whether it gets along with other dogs. It was a clean facility and they provided lots of activities for the dogs. It was Minerva
When we picked him up after a day of playing and socializing with other dogs. We wouldn’t plan a day trip if this option wasn’t available.
Gopetfriendly.com’s 10 Best Pet Friendly Road Trips For Fall
We thoroughly enjoyed the programs, tours and atmosphere at Sea World. After buying our tickets, Brian had a ridiculous meal deal that was super cheap. This allowed us all to have a full meal, side dish and dessert for the day. The only catch was that you had to wait an hour before the next meal. You could literally spend a day eating non-stop. Brian was up for the challenge, but after a while he too had had enough. Once he was looking for a snack and walked out of a steakhouse!
One of the most surprising and sweetest moments of our day was walking down Sesame Street at Sea World. Our kids have always been huge Sesame Street fans and it was great to see them get nostalgic and excited about some of our old favorite characters. Here is a side by side photo of kids at Sesame Place, PA and a photo at Sea World. As you can see, my photography skills have improved a lot. (Note: If you have small children, Sesame Place is a
On the way from Florida, we stopped at Apollo Beach Nature Reserve. We wanted to let the kids and the dog stretch a bit, it was a dog beach. We still didn’t feel safe enough to go in the water, and the area wasn’t completely clean either…there’s a lot of trash around. Still, it’s a good idea to let the kids and the dog out of the car every now and then!
We probably looked forward to the stop in Savannah, GA as much as we did in Florida. Brian and I honeymooned in Savannah and it was one of our favorite stops of the trip. Savannah has so much history and the city is so beautiful. Considered one of the most dog-friendly cities on the East Coast! We booked a hotel here because we knew we could always take Minerva with us. The hotel was also serious
Ideas For Dog Friendly Road Trips
If you haven’t checked out the link at the top of this post, check it out now: The Thunderbird Inn. They made me love this city
Dogs… free dog treats and a small grassy area for the dogs to run. I also love anything retro from the 1950s and this place is it
See more photos on their website. I wouldn’t have found this place either if I was
