When you're traveling with the family's best friend, it's important to find a dog-welcoming location that makes daily walks as much of a vacation for Spot as for the kids.When you're traveling with the family's best friend, it's important to find a dog-welcoming location that makes daily walks as much of a vacation for Spot as for the kids.
Summer means "surf’s up, leashes off!" according to the pet advocates at Petside.com, the popular online destination for pet owners and pet enthusiasts. “At Petside, we know that a day at the beach is even better when you can bring your four-legged companion, so we looked far and wide to identify America's friendliest dog beaches,” notes Joshua Fried, Director, Petside.com about their July 2009 picks.
Of course, beach walks with your family and pets are fun at any time of year and, in fact, easier and less crowded almost any time other than summer. And budget watchers should remember that walking along a beach is healthy, scenic and absolutely free.
America's Top 10 Dog-Friendly Beaches
What follows is Petside's choice of top beaches, in order of preference, selected mainly for their year-round, leash-free policies. Drop by their website and check out the many nominations suggested by other pet owners in case you're not traveling to any of these beaches. But if you are, note that Family Travel Forum has also ranked many as top family beach getaways with endless activities for kids… once pooch decides to take a nap.
1. Cape San Blas (Port St. Joe, Florida) has a sailing program that welcomes dogs aboard and many pet-friendly restaurants nearby to please masters and mistresses. Read more about Port St. Joe's family activities and attractions.
2. Quiet Waters Park (Annapolis, Maryland) reserves a fenced-off area as a special beach just for your pooch. Moreover, the beach sponsors the annual “Howl-O-Ween Barkin Bash” costume parade for dogs and their owners and is near the many pleasures of the Chesapeake Bay Canal area.
3. Block Island (Rhode Island) is a small dog-friendly island open year-round. The beach has a relaxed leash policy, and bans all motor vehicles, making it a safe haven for your furry friend to roam around. Learn more about Rhode Island's family attractions here.
4. Cannon Beach (Cannon Beach, Oregon) is a four mile stretch of beach along the Pacific conveniently located near a town filled with dog-friendly hotels, restaurants and shops. Dogs must stay on-leash, but the view is worth it and there are a lot of family attractions on the Oregon coast.
5 More of America's Top 10 Dog-Friendly Beaches
5. Fort De Soto Park (St. Petersburg, Florida) has the unique “Paw Playground,” consisting of fenced-in areas for both big dogs and small dogs. The park provides dog showers, a dog beach and fresh drinking water and is convenient to many of the two-legged St. Petersburg family attractions.
6. Carmel Beach (Carmel, California) is a picture-perfect, half moon cove on the Pacific whose pine-covered dunes slope dramatically down to a fine sand beach. The nearby city of Carmel (read more about Carmel California family attractions) has many pet-welcoming cafes and shops, too.
7. Jekyll Island (Georgia) is the Georgia family beach vacation destination where the lack of crowds and commercialization guarantee an eco-friendly getaway for your pet along its 10-miles of Atlantic Ocean beachfront.
8. Coronado Beach (San Diego, California) is one of many in the area that local dog owners enjoy off-leash early in the morning, but it's Imperial Beach that hosts the Loews Coronado Bay Hotel's crazy annual Surf Dog competition, a fund-raiser for local animal shelters.
9. Stewart Beach (Galveston, Texas) is one of Galveston's favorites for families (read about Galveston Texas family attractions), with the Gulf's signature calm water and pebbly sand. Leashes are a must as it gets very crowded midday and lots of brown bag lunches are left unattended.
10. Montrose Dog Beach (Chicago, Illinois) is the only one for miles, but this Lake Michigan romping grounds welcomes dogs (even off-leash) and their owners to frolic in the chill waters, within view of the city's skyscrapers and Chicago Illinois great family attractions.
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Great advise and said in very simple language in order for a range of readers to process. I must add that the symptoms and solutions are equally as important in adults who suffer from abdominal illness.
the family market is indeed very important and very lucrative. Focosing on the Family market is what Wal-Mart made big.
Thank you for posting this comparison. I've been looking for something like this but so far I've found only comparisons of individual plans not family ones. This will help me a lot while I'm budgeting for next year's gap holidays.
This place is awesome. We have delivered baby equipment rentals there a couple times and love it. It seems to work great for families traveling with young kids because the age range is usually between 2-8 years old when we deliver. Great beach and location. Thumbs up!
I am planning for a visit of Columbia …. Lets see When i wills be able to visit the same scene..
Orlando, is a perfect place for the kids to explore about Disneyland. A good feature post.
Love your brother in law! Would love to drive cross country with him and his brood!
Another great travel search engine is http://www.travelmarket.com/ it gives you a list of the cheapest flights and hotels. Try it and see what you think.
Good tips all – they sure beat my brother-in-laws advice for dealing with kids on long haul drives, which was, "Tie em to the roof!"
I too would be interested in viewing a list of apartments for the budget traveler.
Great article. I always, and still believe, if you feed a cold you will starve the fever.
I through my own experience, would advise against air travel with any ear, throat or nose infections. It is difficult to move through the change of air pressure, without adding a cold to it.
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It's a shame more airports don't take steps to make travel for families more convenient and fun. I'm sure they are focused on the core income stream of business travelers, which makes sense. Still, why not try and appeal to both?
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I would like to visit every day, thanks for your sharing.
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really a great info which much more useful to lot of them
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That place totally awesome. A perfect place for family vacation. That waterfall really make me jealous. It shall be refreshing to soak up under that waterfall. The beach also really charming, I wonder how much it cost to go there?
I want to go their. Really that is a great place.
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I like the way of your writing.!
You are so right Banfos, thanks for the heads up. Mystic CT is quite remarkable and has much to see besides the aquarium. We have made the change.
Thank you for such a fantastic blog. Where else could anyone get that kind of info written in such a perfect way? I have a presentation that I am presently working on, and I have been on the look out for such information.
Mystic Seaport is a world-renowned maritime history museum. It is not an aquarium as stated in your article.
Jennifer:
There are enough fun activities for the whole family to spend either as a day trip or overnight.
I wish I could have went to the play lab – sounds like Fisher Price is really doing a great job of keeping up with today's trends – and of course smart kids! Great update!
Wow…cannot wait to have a visit there!
Well, I think kids can enjoy some special joys there….
hey this is a great source for my cousin…..
How long would you allow for this excursion? It sounds like a fun side trip while visiting San Diego.
thanks for the <a href="http://ecoblublog.com/2011/02/10/ecotourism-green-vacations">eco vacation</a> ideas. don't know if i'll be able to afford overseas yet but always good to know the options 🙂
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It is bound to be more scenic than the A1,
Nice post,
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Really? That idea sounds pretty amazing….
Wow..I really cannot wait to make a trip to Italy…sounds very great!
hey thanx for the top 10 resorts…I will Surely look forward during my last visit.
When you mentioned "flashes" that people were starting to see, I first thought that you were gonna say that you were experiencing the northern lights! But what amazing "flashes" you did see! The whales are one of my favorite parts of Alaska.
Nice points but my baby is too much stubborn.
You gave great points here. I found nearly all people agree with your blog.
Just wanted to drop a comment and say I am new to your blog and really like what I am reading. Thanks for the great content. Look forward to coming back for more.
Holidays are managed mostly for kids. They get know new places with different weather and cultural attractions. It is good.
wow, this would be a great journey..
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It is admirable that this hotel employs locals and also promoting the local culture. This is something that is lacking in many big name hotels today.
Sounds very romantic. I was thinking about a trip with family for a long time but when I landed here my problem is solved.