Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Key Takeaways
- Many tourist attractions in the USA and Canada are dog friendly, offering amenities for your pets.
- Walt Disney World’s Best Friends Pet Hotel offers dog accommodations, playtime, and monitoring webcams.
- Dollywood’s Doggywood provides daycare for dogs whose owners are enjoying the park, with temperature-controlled environments.
- Carmel By The Sea is the top dog friendly destination in the USA, featuring a sandy beach and various activities for dogs.
- Explore hundreds of dog friendly attractions, restaurants, and activities across North America with your four-legged friends.
Bring Your Dog! Dog Friendly Destinations That Welcome Furry Family Members
Exploring just wouldn’t be the same without a dog. If you’re like me, your dog is included in nearly all of your epic adventures. After all, If you can’t see it with your best friend, can it really be called “an epic adventure”? With that said, traveling with dogs can prevent challenges. No one wants to leave their dog behind in the RV while they check out attractions. But then not everywhere allows dogs. And then there’s other factors (like activities and weather) that can make sightseeing miserable for dogs. However, that doesn’t mean RV travel isn’t dog-friendly–– some of the best destination attractions in both the US and Canada are dog friendly.
Some of these allow leashed dogs to explore with their humans. Others offer cool amenities like air conditioned doggy daycare where you can park your dog to play or relax for a few hours while you take in the sights. These dog friendly attractions not only welcome dogs, but they go out of their way to make sure your dog is comfortable and safe. Let’s have a look at some attractions that have garnered top reviews from travellers with dogs.
Dog Friendly Attractions In The US
Like everything else, when it comes to dog friendly attractions, there’s a lot to choose from in the USA. Here are 4 of the top US attractions for dog lovers.
Walt Disney World: Best Friends Pet Hotel
Address: 2510 Bonnet Creek Pkwy, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, United States
Although dogs aren’t allowed in the Disney World theme park, Walt Disney World is definitely a dog friendly attraction. The park boasts 4 dog friendly resorts where your four-legged friends are welcome. More importantly, there’s also a dog hotel that offers guest accommodations by the hour, the day, or overnight. Any guest staying at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort can take advantage of transportation service to and from the pet hotel too
Guests can enjoy one-on-one playtime and social group interactions to bedtime stories and special snacks, activities. Reviewers rave about the clean facilities, attentive staff and the webcams that allow you to check on your dog at any time on your phone.
Amenities
- 17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space
- 10,000 square feet of covered outdoor runs and play areas
- A 25,000 square-foot dog park
- Add on services include ice cream, group playtime, and storytime
- Round trip resort transportation for an additional fee
Requirements
- Bring food, bedding and toys.
- All pets visiting Best Friends Pet Hotel must be up to date with their vaccines. Written proof is required from your veterinarian.
Learn More At The Website: Best Friends Pet Hotel
Dollywood: Doggywood Doggy Daycare
2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd, Pigeon Forge, TN
For humans there’s a lot to do at Dollywood. This massive park offers over 50 world-class rides (including award-winning roller coasters), authentic live entertainment, demonstrations from master Appalachian craftsmen, renowned Southern dining (especially the famous Grist Mill cinnamon bread), and festive seasonal festivals. Only ADA service dogs are allowed in the park. For dogs, Dollywood offers kennel-style doggy hotel, aptly named “Doggywood”.
Doggywood offers daycare accommodations in either kennel runs or pet cottages.
Amenities
- Temperature controlled environment
- Fresh water
- 12 kennel runs $25/day
- 5’x5′ Cottages for dogs under 19 lbs $35/day
Requirements
Dogs have to be healthy and be up to date with vaccines (including Bordetella) to stay here. Another important thing to know is that this daycare is only for dogs whose humans are visiting Dollywood or the adjacent splash park. That means you can’t just drop your dog off and go sightseeing.
It’s a good idea to reserve ahead, as Doggywood’ 12 kennels get booked up fast.
Learn More At The Website: Dollywood.com
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad
306 American Avenue
Garibaldi, OR 97118
All aboard for a scenic train ride where dogs are welcome! This famous excursion down Oregon’s Tillamook coast is a fun way to take in jaw-dropping views while you enjoy some quality time with your best friend. The train leaves from Garibaldi.
Amenities
- Dogs share the views with their humans on open air cars on these train rides. Cars are equipped with bench seats.
- Wheelchair accessible via a Portable Wheelchair Lift at the Garibaldi station, but there is no lift at Rockaway Beach for boarding or departure during the layover. Please arrive at least 30 minutes before departure time if you will need the lift.
Learn More At The Website: Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad
Carmel By The Sea And Carmel Beach
Dogs are welcome to run and play on this beautiful sandy beach and humans love the laid back, dog friendly vibe of Carmel By The Sea! Aside from the beach, this California town has plenty of other activities you can enjoy with your best friend. After all, Carmel By The Sea bills itself as the #1 dog friendly destination in the USA. With that said, your friendly dog can join you for whale watching, wine tasting, and you can even rent a bike with a sidecar to tour this charming town.
Learn More At The Website: Carmel-by-the-sea
Dog Friendly Attractions In Canada
Canada has hundreds of dog friendly attractions that are fun for both humans and dogs to explore and enjoy together. It makes planning a dog friendly vacation fun!
Black Creek Pioneer Village In Toronto
1000 Murray Ross Pkwy, Toronto, ON, CA, M3J 2P3
Bring your dog along for a step back into yesteryear at Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto, Ontario. The Village at Black Creek is a living history museum, where you and your best friend can explore historic buildings, and take part in immersive experiences (like needle felting and cold process soapmaking) together.
Learn More At The Website: The Village at Black Creek
Fisherman’s Cove Heritage Center, Nova Scotia
4 Government Wharf Rd, Eastern Passage, NS, CA, B3G 1M7
Fisherman’s Cove Heritage Center is an ultra-quaint, 200 year old seaside village in beautiful Nova Scotia. Leashed friendly dogs are welcome to explore the buildings and many of the shops with their humans. When you’re done exploring the boardwalks together, grab an ice cream at the old fashioned ice cream parlour and stroll down to the dog-friendly beach for some swimming and beach-combing.
Learn More At The Website: https://www.fishermanscove.ns.ca/
Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg is just one of many dog friendly places to explore in and around Winnipeg. One of my favourite things about Winnipeg are it’s huge (40 acres and up) dog parks, complete with off leash, treed walking trails and fields for playing fetch. But I digress. Assiniboine Park offers miles of walking trails and walking paths through beautiful gardens filled with lush beds of flowers. Be sure to check out the mind blowing Leo Mol sculpture garden, where you and your four legged bestie can take in sculptures created by one of Winnipeg’s renowned artists.
Learn More At The Website: https://www.assiniboinepark.ca/
Bring Your Dog With You!
Dogs make the best travel companions. To me, that’s because my dogs love to explore new places and have no qualms about stopping to smell the roses with us. It’s great to be able to include them in our travel plans, and the options I’ve mentioned are just a chip of the biscuit (so to speak!). There are hundreds of dog friendly attractions throughout the USA and Canada, along with restaurant patios, wineries and brew pubs. The hardest part might be choosing which ones to try first.
Read More About Travelling With Dogs
- Must Have Dog Gear
- Boondockers Welcome
- Published Writing – RV Life Magazine
- RV Destinations
- A Dog Gone Eulogy for Fabulous Earl
Lynne Fedorick is an RV expert and experienced outdoor author who has written hundreds of articles for RV Life, RV Trader, and other leading publications. She evaluates RV gear, portable power systems, and emergency preparedness equipment for real-world RV travel. Lynne is the founder of RVAdventureGuide.com, offering RV travel tips, reviews, and destinations from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
