Tag Archives: pet-friendly travel

It’s Flag Day – beautiful flags on dog-friendly South Bass Island | thepupdiary.com

14 Jun

Today is Flag Day, the anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official US flag back in 1777. Mom just googled “flag day” to find some historical details. She found an article posted today on 6 Things You Probably didn’t know about Flag Day. (Today is also the birthday of the US Army, which explains the big Army event in Times Square this morning!)

Flag at sunset on Put-in-Bay

Flag at sunset on Put-in-Bay

One of our favorite places to see flags is on South Bass Island, a small island in Lake Erie. There must be a lot of patriotic pups on the island because there are flags everyone – on boats, monuments, and homes! Mom spent her summers on the island growing up and she loves to go back!

Getting there: It is about an 8-hour drive from Midtown Manhattan to the boat dock in Ohio. We take the dog-friendly Miller Boat Line ferry from Port Clinton, Ohio to Put-in-Bay. Adult fare is $14 RT. We don’t bring our car because they have golf cart rentals all over the island.

What to do: You can tour most of the island in a day trip. (The island is approximately 3.7 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.) The annual island pooch parade is this Saturday, June 15 in downtown DeRivera Park. We were welcome on some outdoor patios for dining (it is hit or miss) and we were welcome in most of the downtown shops. Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial grounds are open to leashed dogs. (Dogs are not able to enter the actual monument.) This year there will be many special events to commemorate the bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. During the summer high season, it is fun to people and pup watch! Put-in-Bay tends to have a big party scene.

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial

Where to stay: Dogfriendly.com lists many hotel and camping options in the area. (We stayed with relatives.)

Day trips: Kelleys Island, another island in Lake Erie, is a fun stop in the area. While more family oriented, it does feature dog-friendly parks, beach areas, and wineries. The Erie County Humane Society is hosting a doggy event on Kelleys Island this weekend.

Put-in-Bay – South Bass Island

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Dog-friendly vacation on Martha’s Vineyard | thepupdiary.com

7 Jun

Martha’s Vineyard is a pawfect location for a long-weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of New York City! We especially like the two words – “off season” – when things on the island are a bit relaxed and not as crowded. The Martha’s Vineyard high season begins the end of June through Labor Day. Here’s how we spent a few days on the island!

On the Steamship Authority Ferry to Martha's Vineyard

On the Steamship Authority Ferry to Martha’s Vineyard

Getting there: We rented a car and drove 4.5 hours from Midtown Manhattan to Woods Hole, MA for the 45- minute dog-friendly Steamship Authority ferry to Vineyard Haven. Leashed dogs are welcome in all areas of the ship except the food stands. The vehicle fare is expensive ($137 round trip!), but having a car on the island is pretty much a necessity if you want to visit all the sites. Book your car ferry reservation in advance. Spaces are limited and it sells out!

Where we stayed: We stayed in the Mansion House hotel in Vineyard Haven for one night. They are conveniently located near the dog-friendly Vineyard Haven beach areas, shopping, the ferry, but they do charge a non-refundable $50 pet fee per dog per stay. Our hotel room rate and pet fee combined was over $400 for one night- yikes! Dogfriendly.com lists some other options. If you have a group of people or are staying for a longer period, check VRBO for options – they do have a filter for pet-friendly homes.

Nancy's walk-up snack stand in Oak Bluffs

Nancy’s walk-up snack stand in Oak Bluffs

Dining options: There are seafood “shacks” with walk-up windows in most of the towns. Other than that, we did not find any restaurants where dogs were welcome on outdoor patios. We were offered to keep the dogs on a leash just outside the patio, but that is not an option for us. We had yummy food at all of the walk-up stands and then just ate at benches which were plentiful in most areas.. Nancy’s in Oak Bluffs had a nice patio by their walk-up stand and did allow the dogs. We ate at Quarterdeck in Edgartown and The Galley in Menemsha.

Aquinnah Cliffs

Aquinnah Cliffs

Activities: Shopping, exploring, walking, beaches — there are lots of fun activities! We were welcome in all of the shops and there are “main street” shopping areas in Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown. We especially loved The Black Dog stores! There are several beach areas and many do not allow dogs at any time. We found the Vineyard Haven beach area to be the most dog friendly. The Oak Bluffs area allows dogs at certain times depending on the season. The state beaches did not seem to allow dogs at any times. Signs are clearly posted at most beach areas with their dog policy. We loved visiting Aquinnah and seeing the Aquinnah Cliffs, but dogs are not allowed on those beaches. They do have walk-up snack stands with picnic tables, so it is a nice stop for lunch and a gorgeous view! Menemsha is a cute little salty stop with a few shops, pretty water views, and walk-up snack shacks. Once again, no dogs on those beaches! We loved walking through the Campmeeting Association campground area in Oak Bluffs! We stopped in Good Dog Goods, a cute dog boutique in Oak Bluffs, and they had tips for us on off-leash dog areas and beaches.

Oak Bluffs Beach Rules

Oak Bluffs Beach Rules

Day Trips: Provincetown on the end of Cape Cod is extremely dog friendly and a great place to visit if you are out on the Cape.
It is about a 2-hour drive from Woods Hole, MA (Steamship Authority ferry terminal). Gopetfriendly.com has a nice review of the P-town area.

You can definitely tour most of Martha’s Vineyard in two days! It really is a beautiful place for a dog-friendly getaway! Have fun!!

Martha’s Vineyard

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Hundreds of gingerbread cottages all in a row | thepupdiary.com

6 Jun

A fairy tale land came to life! That is how we felt in the Campmeeting Association campground in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard. Over 300 beautiful cottages – some dating back to the 1800s – are home to year-round and seasonal residents. The colorful cottages, now listed in the National Register of Historical Places, are a short walk from the dog-friendly Steamship Authority ferry.

What started as a religious tent settlement back in the 19th century has turned into an interdenominational community. Some of the cottages have remained in the same family for generations. (Mom said we probably can’t live there since we are so noisy!) But we did meet a cute Westie who was sitting on his porch as his parents did some renovations around their house. They stopped their work when they saw us and came to meet us. They love terriers as much as mom does!

A little Westie on the porch

A little Westie on the porch

Campmeeting Association on Martha’s Vineyard

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Dog-friendly weekend getaway to Washington, D.C. | thepupdiary.com

22 May

We love to travel and explore! Whether we have a week, a weekend, or even just a day, there are plenty of dog-friendly places to visit!

At a distance of about 4 hours by car, Washington, D.C. is the perfect location for a weekend getaway from New York City. Here is how we do it!

At the dog-friendly FDR Memorial in DC

At the dog-friendly FDR Memorial in DC

Getting there: We always rent a car since there are 2 of us and we have a lot of stuff! Too bad Amtrak does not allow pups because that would definitely be our preferred way to travel! The car ride down to D.C. takes about 4 hours from Midtown Manhattan. Beware of the tolls! The round-trip fee is over $50 and an easy pass is pretty much a necessity to avoid the toll lines. We use our Kurgo booster seat to keep secure in the car.

Where to stay: There are dozens of pet-friendly hotels in the Washington, D.C. area. Most recently we stayed in the Tysons Sheraton in Virginia. We were hooked with the free parking, easy commute into the city and low hotel room rate! We tend to stay in Starwood properties when we travel on the east coast so we can get travel points and rewards. Trip Advisor has a great list of dog-friendly hotels. We also love Bringfido.com for travel and hotel information.

The Washington Monument is in the background

The Washington Monument is in the background

What to do: We like a combination of social events, outdoor activities, and city viewing and touring. When we travel to Washington, D.C. we always check Novadog Magazine event listing to see what dog events are taking place in the area. Washington has a big doggy social scene with black-tie events, baseball games, outdoor festivals, and more! The National Mall is dog friendly and is a great place for an (on leash) stroll to see the sites and monuments. The Eastern Market outdoor farmers market (Saturdays and Sundays) is a fun place to stop for snacks. Also check out some of the local pet boutiques. We love Howl to the Chief near the Eastern Market. Some of the Virginia wineries are dog friendly. We visited Barrel Oak Winery about 45 minutes from the city and loved it! Leashed pups are welcome at Arlington National Cemetery. Capital River Cruises welcome pups. And Potomac Riverboat Company in Alexandria hosts Canine Cruises. Annapolis, Maryland is a beautiful place to visit if you have more time.

Resources: A recent article in The Washington Times has some great tips. BringFido.com lists restaurants and other sites to visit in the area. Dogfriendly.com has a Washington, D.C. city guide for pups.

Washington DC weekend dog-friendly getaway

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Dog vacation on Hilton Head Island | thepupdiary.com

8 May

We love it when a vacation exceeds our expectations. And that is certainly true when it comes to our week adventure on Hilton Head Island! We thought the island was one big golf course. Instead we found dog-friendly beaches, great restaurants (some allowed dogs on their outdoor patios), beautiful scenery, hiking paths, lots of animal viewing (alligators- yikes!), and very friendly people. Oh, very beautiful sunsets, too!

Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island

Getting there: We drove from NYC . . . it took about 14 hours and we stopped in DC along the way. We loved the Kurgo Booster Seat we used as a safe car seat.

Where we stayed: We rented a house in the Land’s End area of the Island in the Sea Pines Plantation — the very end of the Island on a rustic beach with great animal viewing. The house was listed on VRBO, but is now for sale so no longer available . . . There are several dog-friendly hotels. We toured the beachfront Omni and it was nice.

Land's End House on HHI

Land’s End House on HHI

When we traveled: We traveled in the off season so we would have fewer doggy beach restrictions and fewer tourists, too! Dogs are not allowed on the beaches from 10 am to 5 pm during peak season which is Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. We also did not want the really HOT summer heat. Our May weather was pleasant and around 70 each day.

Activities: We hit the beach every day- HHI has over 12 miles of sandy beaches! Dogs were allowed around the clock since it was the off season. HHI has the ocean beaches and also more rustic Calibogue Sound and Intracoastal beaches. We watched the dolphins swim by several times each day. We saw the horseshoe crabs crawl back to the water each day. We saw alligators, crabs, jelly fish, and many other small critters. The Sea Pines Plantation has a beautiful nature area where leashed dogs are welcome to hike with their owners. Many shops on HHI allowed the dogs and we found a few restaurants where dogs could dine with us outside. We love Hudson’s on the Docks and ate there 2 times for great seafood! We were also lucky to visit with our doggy friends, Millie LaRue, Tulip, Addie Mae, and Katie at their house on the Island!

Meeting up with Millie LaRue!

Meeting up with Millie LaRue!

Day trips: Savannah, Georgia is about an hour drive from HHI and seemed very dog friendly. Shopping, walking tours, boat excursions, outdoor restaurants . . . Savannah is a beautiful city to visit for a day trip.

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