Dog Friendly New England town Portsmouth, New Hampshire

I love quaint New England towns, especially around the holidays.  They always decorate so beautifully, it makes me think of a Charles Dickens story.  Portsmouth, New Hampshire is no exception!  It is a quaint and wonderful New England town, and it's dog friendly!

With Icy and Phoebe on the water-front in Portsmouth, NH along the Piscataqua River

People are often confused as to what "New England" actually is.  New England doesn't refer to any one state in the U.S., it is actually an area of the Northeastern United States that's comprised of 6 different states; Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.  New England is well known for it's historic past, it's quaint old world look and feel, and it's many shipping ports.

The town square, known as Market Square in downtown Portsmouth.  I love all the unique shops and restaurants in this area!

The New England region was one of the first English settlements in America after the Pilgrims arrived in 1620.  These early settlers came first in search of religious freedom, and evolved to have ambitions of independence from the British Crown of England.  

America's Declaration of Independence was eventually signed in 1776 in Pennsylvania, which is not part of New England.  The signers of the Declaration of Independence came from New England states, as well as Pennsylvania and other states.  They all gathered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the signing.

One of the things I love about New Hampshire is their state motto, celebrating the spirit of freedom:  LIVE FREE OR DIE  You'll see this motto all around New Hampshire on their license plates, on t-shirts, and on merchandise of all kinds.  The full original saying was "Live Free Or Die: Death Is Not The Worst Of Evils" coined by American Revolutionary War General, John Stark.   You can read more about the origin of this motto in a Wikipedia post on Live Free Or Die.

Of course, our favorite part of the trip was finding dog friendly parks and shops to visit!  At first I was getting worried. As we walked through town looking for a park to take the dogs to, we passed a seriously UN-friendly park with No Dogs Allowed signs like every 3 feet!  I thought, Oh great, another town that hates dogs.  I should have had more faith....

Just a little further was a fabulous dog friendly park called Haven Park!  You can even let your dog off leash as long as they remain under "voice control" at all times.  It's a good size park, perfect for a romp with the dog.  It overlooks a lovely lake, too.  There is also a secured dog park on the other side of the road behind a kids playground if you prefer a secure off leash park.

The lake that runs in front of dog friendly Haven Park

Icy standing near a Statue in dog friendly Haven park

How fitting that this park is located on a street called Pleasant Street.  'Cause it's always so pleasant when you come upon a dog friendly park when visiting a new place, isn't it?!

Even Better than Haven Park though, was our walk across the WWI Memorial Bridge into Kittery, Maine!  In downtown Portsmouth the memorial bridge crosses over right into the state of Maine - how cool is that?  Just a walk across a bridge and you're in the next state.  The best part was that we could bring the dogs with us as we walked across the bridge, so we had to take a side trip to Maine!  

The bridge crossing was a great walk with the dogs.  It was great exercise for all of us and the view was terrific.  To our delight, on the other side was John Paul Jones memorial park, which allows dogs.  It's a small park, but we loved walking around in it and taking photos with the dogs.  The park honors American Revolutionary War Naval Hero, John Paul Jones.   The sculpture depicts John Paul Jones and commemorates the site near where the U.S.S. Ranger was build and launched in 1777.

A beautiful monument in John Paul Jones park, located just past the bridge on the Maine side of the bridge in Kittery. 

We stopped at the foot of the bridge, on the Maine side, to have some coffee & hot chocolate at a wonderful little cafe called Kate's Bakery & Cafe.  They had some tables in the back overlooking the Piscataqua river, which was perfect for us and the dogs.  We really enjoyed our little journey into Maine!

Phoebe posing on the flip side of the memorial in John Paul Jones Memorial Park, Kittery, Maine.  This crest depicts Maine's Coat of Arms. The arms shows a Shield, Pine Tree, and a Moose-Deer at the foot of it.

OK, ready for New England quaintness overload?   The streets of Portsmouth have lots of brick and cobblestone walkways that run past unique and wonderful shops and restaurants.  I loved popping in and out of all the wonderful shops - I love to shop for unique items!

I loved exploring all the unique little shops around Portsmouth

Every shop has beautiful holiday decorations both inside and out.  Window boxes, flower pots, and urns are filled with holiday greenery and/or lights.  It's so festive!!

I had to photograph a couple of these store decorations, they were just so pretty.  There are lots of white birch trees in that area and many people incorporated birch tree branches in their decorating.  It looks gorgeous.

There are a lot of great places to eat around downtown Portsmouth.  We loved breakfast at the hip, funky eatery, The Friendly Toast.   It's such a cool place & the food was great.

The Friendly Toast, a hip funky restaurant in downtown Portsmouth, NH

For a more traditional looking restaurant we loved the British Beer Company.  It has a wonderful traditional look and feel and great food!  I had a delicious Beef Wellington, one of my faves.

The British Beer Company restaurant in Portsmouth, NH

In the center of any quaint New England town there must be a church with a beautiful tall steeple!  North Church is a historic church located in Market Square in downtown Portsmouth.

The holiday tree in Market Square, Portsmouth NH.  You can see North Church in the background.

Below is North Church lit up.  It's really beautiful, especially at night.  We were disappointed we couldn't see the inside, the doors were locked at the time.

With or without pets, and in any season, Portsmouth New Hampshire is a great getaway!  We really had fun and will definitely go back again and again.

If you enjoyed this post, you'll probably enjoy this one too: Looking For Pet Friendly Vacation Spots?

Have you ever been to Portsmouth NH?  Tell us about it in the comments, you know how much we LOVE hearing from you!

LOOKING FOR PET FRIENDLY HOLIDAY VACATION SPOTS?

Want to get away for the holidays?  We always love getting away right before Christmas, before all the holiday parties start and the house guests arrive.  Even if it's just a simple long weekend, it helps us recharge and get ready for the crowds and chaos that typically starts by the 15th of December.  It also gives us some fun alone time with our dogs!

Here are a few of my favorite pet friendly getaways for the holidays.

Historic, Educational, and Fun Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

During the American Revolution, which lasted the from 1775 - 1783, ordinary citizens living in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia helped shaped our history.  At the heart of Colonial Williamsburg is the area known as The Revolutionary City, a historic and educational re-creation of life in Colonial Williamsburg during that volatile time in our history.  

Phoebe and I explored the Revolutionary City, a historic re-creation of life in Colonial Williamsburg during the American Revolution.

Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite holiday destinations in the Northeast.  History comes alive in a fun way in the Revolutionary City!

Christmas in this historic place is a beautiful sight.  The decorations are gorgeous, most of which have a traditional and natural theme.  One of the unique holiday decorations they are most known for are the beautiful, festive wreaths.  These handcrafted wreaths often feature shells, dried native plants, and fruits such as pineapple, apples, oranges, cinnamon sticks and dried quinces.  I'm getting hungry writing this!  

These ingredients may not sound spectacular when fashioned into a holiday wreath, but I can assure you these wreaths are a sight to behold!  The artisans that create them are so talented and resourceful. Every wreath is totally unique.  You can even buy one as you stroll through the city's re-creation of late 1700's life.

Colonial Williamsburg was named Best Town in America for Christmas Celebrations by Architectural Digest!

The Revolutionary City looks and feels so authentic.  American “Colonists” not only dress in period costume, they wander the town in full character, re-enacting scenes of daily life during the period of America's Revolution.  You may see someone standing on a wooden crate in the middle of the city, pontificating about the issues of the day.  They will often engage with tourists in 1700’s conversation as well!  

One gentlemen approached us, eyeing our Siberian Husky, Icy, curiously. “That’s a fine looking animal you have there, sir!” and proceeded to make us an offer to purchase her for 100 quid!  We had some really fun banter with him, explaining that our precious FurKid was NOT for sale, not even for a million quid!  

When I visit historic towns, one of my favorite things to do is take guided tours.  Colonial Williamsburg has quite a few tours, one of them being a Tavern Ghost Walk.  The last time we were there, a small group of us met late in the evening for a guided Ghost Walk tour.  We gathered in front of a historic tavern to begin the tour.  Our guide fascinated us with bizarre ghost stories, where people have sworn they’ve seen and heard ghosts that still haunt the old buildings.  It turns out the historic Revolutionary City, with many of it’s original buildings still in tact, has quite a haunted past!  

Icy got chummy with this statue of a 1770's Colonial Williamsburg man!

It was wonderfully eerie as we walked thru the dark streets of the Revolutionary City by candlelight, while our guide recounted fascinating ghost stories. I highly recommend going on a Ghost Walk!  

If you're not up for ghost hunting by candlelight, there is lots more to do within the Revolutionary City.  There are guided historic walks, decoration walks, and workshops you can attend.  You can take an enchanting carriage ride through the City as well.  There are several historic taverns to dine in and a cheese shop we loved! 

It's a great trip.  It's historic, educational, and FUN!  There are a couple of pet friendly hotels within the Revolutionary City.  Dogs can stroll around the city with you and grab a bite to eat at the cheese shop - their outdoor patio is dog friendly.  Dogs are not allowed inside most of the places especially since most are historic.

Christmas In New York City Is Spectacular!

What can I say about New York City during the holidays?!  It is truly spectacular, pretty much everywhere you go in the city.  

The most popular sites are the amazing holiday window decorations at Macy's, Sak's, Lord & Taylor, and other famous retailers.  And of course THE Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.  The massive tree with ice skaters and the festively decorated plaza surrounding it is a sight to behold.  There's a reason why the sights of NYC at Christmas time appears so frequently in movies and TV shows!

The most popular things to do in the city during the holidays are gazing at all the decorations of course, seeing the Rockettes, attending a Broadway show, and visiting  Central Park (but NOT after dark, please! It's not safe)  Take a photo with your dog at the famous Balto statue in Central Park.

Believe it or not, New York City is very dog friendly!  You wouldn't think so with all the crowds, traffic and expensive stores, but NYC actually loves dogs.  They can't accompany you to a Broadway show, but there are lots of pet friendly hotels and stores all around the city.  And Central Park is like a giant amusement park for dogs!  Don't be afraid to take your pet along with you on a holiday trip to New York City, just be careful of massive holiday crowds, like in Rockefeller Center.  Bring along a stroller for smaller dogs or carry your dog in these areas.  Be mindful of your dog's tolerance for crowds and decide whether to even bring the dog along or not! 

Santa Loves The Southwest too, Especially Sedona, Arizona!

I say this a lot and it's true, Arizona is the most dog friendly place I've ever been to!  We lived in Phoenix for nearly 10 years and during that time we visited Sedona often.  They don't do it up too much for the holidays, their decorating is a lot more subtle than New York City or Phoenix.  Sedona, in the Northern part of Arizona, is all about the natural beauty of their stunning red rock region, and they don't like anything to take away from that.

Icy on one of the many beautiful dog friendly hiking trails in Sedona, AZ

It's still a wonderful place to visit during the holidays.  It doesn't get swamped with people and there isn't any "hype".   The weather is great in December, you can hike endlessly on hundreds of miles of dog friendly hiking trails and stop for lunch at an outdoor dog friendly cafe!  You can take a Jeep tour or rent a Jeep yourself and go exploring in the desert.  Some of the Jeep companies will allow your dog to accompany you!

You can get some holiday shopping done too, finding lots of unique gift items to bring home.  I absolutely love the little candle shop in town, where they craft beautiful unique candles, many in elaborate shapes and styles.  

There are a lot of terrific art galleries in Sedona as well.  The Tlaquepaque (pronounced Ta-Lok-A-Pok) arts & crafts village has lots of unique specialty shops and a few art galleries.  It's a dog friendly village with several outdoor places to eat that welcome dogs on the patio. Dog friendly Sedona is one of my favorite places to be!

From the slopes to the seaport, New Hampshire is a Winter Wonderland

We love New England, and New Hampshire is one of the prettiest places to visit pretty much any time of the year.  There are so many quaint little towns all up and down the New England coastline, most are decorated beautifully for the holidays.  

Dog friendly hiking trail in the Waterville Valley ski resort area, New Hampshire

There are quite a few places to ski or snowboard in New Hampshire, mainly in the White Mountain region.  You can stroll through quaint villages with your dog or hike along many dog friendly trails.  

We loved the dog friendly cross country ski trail in the Waterville Valley ski resort.

Well, there you have it, some of my favorite places to spend time with our dogs at Christmas time!  I hope you enjoyed reading about these dog friendly places.

Check out our Travel With Dogs page for more fabulous Dog Friendly Destinations Icy and Phoebe recommend.  I've included some tips for road trips with dogs and air travel with pets as well.

Do you like to take a little downtime for yourself and your pets during the holidays?  Tell us about it in the comments, we Love hearing from you!

Dog's Excellent Beach Adventure!

This week's big adventure was a trip to dog friendly Gardiner County Park and Beach in Bay Shore, Long Island.  Bay Shore is also the town where you can take the ferry boats to Fire Island.  We love Gardiner's, it's a beautiful neighborhood park that allows dogs.  It's a real hidden gem for dog lovers on Long Island!

We're Off on an Adventure!

The park itself is lovely, with an open grassy field and several short trails to walk along, but the real draw of Gardiner Park for dogs and their people is the fabulous dog friendly beach at the end of it! 

A SPOOKY DOG FRIENDLY HALLOWEEN IN SALEM, MA

What better place to spend a spooky Halloween than Salem, Massachusetts, or "Witch City" as it's been nicknamed!  Salem gets it's Witch City moniker from the infamous Witch Trials that occurred in Salem in 1692, when witchcraft accusations occurred throughout New England.

The Coven's Cottage,  just one of the many interesting shops around Salem, Massachusetts.

I learned that there are actually practicing witches who reside in Salem today!  Several of the village stores are "witch shops" that even carry paraphernalia that might be used in practicing witchcraft.

An entire season of the popular 1960's TV show BEWITCHED was filmed in Salem.  Sometime later, this beautiful statue was erected in honor of Elizabeth Montgomery, the show's star.

Although Salem is a pretty dog friendly place, there appear to only be two pet friendly hotels in the town of Salem.  We stayed at The Salem Inn's West House, a lovely quaint B&B across the street from the historic Witch House.  Their location is perfect and they're very welcoming to dogs.

Relaxing in our room at The Salem Inn's West House.

Our favorite place to eat was the Gulu Gulu Cafe.  They have the best Goulash and an awesome, unique Mac 'n Cheese.  The food was delicious and they were so friendly to us and our dogs on the outdoor patio!  The hot chocolate was to die for, and according to John so was the beer.

Our favorite Salem restaurant, Gulu Gulu.  "Do You Gulu?"

I thought our trip to Salem would be interesting, fun, and mostly kind of hokey.  It was all those things, but a large part of it was more sobering.  The witch hunts and Salem Witch Trials were real.  It wasn't some scary movie or novel, these horrific events actually took place.  Innocent people, real people, were subjected to horrible accusations and torment, and suffered even more horrible deaths.

The Witch House, the gabled house on the right, in Salem Massachusetts where initial examinations of the accused witches were held in 1692.

Inside the historic Witch House in Salem, owned by the wealthy Jonathan Corwin from the late 1600's to mid 1800's.

The table where accused witches were confronted and questioned by Jonathan Corwin  and John Hathorne.

This plaque hangs in the gift shop just outside the Witch House.  It lists the names of each of the 25 falsely accused victims of the Salem Witch Trials.

Plaque bearing the names of the 25 victims accused of being witches during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

Far more important than the house itself are the people who were falsely accused of witchcraft and subsequently condemned to death.  Most of the accused were women, two of them being elderly. Contrary to popular belief, the accused witches of Salem were not burned at the stake.  Most were hanged, one was pressed to death with stones, and the others died in jail awaiting their fate.  Burning at the stake had been outlawed many years before by British rule.

Salem Witch Trial Memorial that remembers and honors those accused of witchcraft and condemned to death in 1692. 

A memorial was erected in Salem to remember and honor those falsely accused of witchcraft and to reflect on the tragedy of the witch trials. The accusations lasted barely a year, but the horrific incident lives on in the hearts and minds of Americans.  This large grassy area has stone benches all around it, each one dedicated to the memory of one of the 25 condemned victims.  Here is an up close photo of one of the benches, this one dedicated to Wilmot Redd, condemned and hanged for using witchcraft:

Salem Witch Trial Memorial stone bench dedicated to accused witch Wilmot Redd.

The fear of witches and witchcraft was a very real threat in the minds of the early settlers, especially the Puritan Pilgrims.  It was one of the things that caused the community and it's leaders a lot of stress and anxiety.  There were even books written about how to judge whether a person was a witch and how to guard against witches and witchcraft.

One of the early books written about witchcraft and how to ward off the evils of it.

I found one of the strangest ways the Puritans judged whether or not a person was a witch involved dogs.  They would bake a "witch cake", containing rye flour and the urine of the person believed to be bewitched, or tormented by a witch.  They fed the cake to a dog and if the dog showed the same symptoms as the afflicted person, they believed witchcraft was to blame.  The dog was then believed to have the ability to point out the witch responsible for the afflicted person's torment.  

In addition to cats and other animals, they also believed that dogs could be a type of familiar associated with the devil and witches.  As such, at least two dogs were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials.

Seriously??  Dogs doing the devil's bidding!?  Ridiculous!

It all started with 3 Salem village girls who claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft.  It was largely fear and suspicion that led to the hysteria and subsequent witch hunts.  Greed also appeared to be a cause of people accusing each other of practicing witchcraft. You could accuse a land owner of witchcraft and ultimately end up taking possession of his property. 

I was greatly moved by the following words, which I saw mounted on the wall as I was touring the Witch House:

"Throughout history, when one group perceives a danger or threat from another group, mankind is capable of great cruelty in our effort to nullify or remove that threat.  We consent to acts that bring dire consequences in our attempts to control our circumstances, our fortunes, and engineer their improvement.  From the ongoing persecution of "child witches" in Africa to global terrorism, to classroom and cyber bullying we are still surrounded with events that marginalize the group or individual through acts of violence or domination."

Although these accusations and subsequent hysteria seem ridiculous to most of us, it's important to remember and reflect on events like the Salem Witch Trials.  We must be careful not to let fear and suspicion convert sensible people into terrified beings that commit acts that chip away at our humanity.

In addition to discovering it's rich history, there are SO many fun and interesting things to see and do in Salem Massachusetts. There are museums, Witch Trial re-enactments, historic places, ghost walks, historic walks & lectures, harbor tours, a trolley tour, some great restaurants to eat in and more!  Start planning your Salem, Massachusetts trip by visiting the Salem visitors site.   We stayed only 2 nights, but I'd love to visit again to see and do all the things we didn't get to on this trip.


Of course, no trip to Salem Massachusetts would be complete without a visit to the House of the Seven Gables, on which the 1851 novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne is based.  The home was owned by his cousin and Nathaniel spent much of his youth at the house.   His ancestors were involved in the 1692 Salem witch trials.  His novel makes references to the supernatural and witchcraft.

The gardens at the House of the Seven Gables in Salem Massachusetts are lovely and overlook the harbor.

On our way to the House of the Seven Gables we passed lots of fun little shops and attractions.

I popped into a place called WITCH WAY GIFTS.  Lo and Behold, I found the adorable Halloween flag I'd seen a year ago but didn't buy!

I'd been searching for it for 2 months in stores and online.  How fitting that I finally found it in SALEM MASSACHUSETTS days before Halloween!  Coincidence?  Hmmmmm.....

What spooky or fun Halloween places have you taken your pet too?  Leave us a comment and share!

Visit my ETSY store, Nature and Critters for one of a kind items. Printables, Wall Art and Products like this beautiful OWL MUG!

Have you ever visited Salem, Massachusetts?  Please tell us about it in the comments!

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Have a spooktacular Halloween in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

100 Places To See With Your Dog: Eureka Springs, Arkansas

They call Arkansas THE NATURAL STATE for a reason.  The natural beauty throughout the state is simply gorgeous!  Arkansas happens to also be a very dog friendly destination.  When we first discovered Arkansas, it was just a place to stop over on our cross country route with our dogs.  What a surprise when we discovered all the natural beauty and all the places you can bring your dog!  That's when we fell in love with The Natural State.

One of the many cool springs in Eureka Springs,  in Northern Arkansas

 

When I started researching dog friendly places in Arkansas, I learned about all the wonderful areas to visit with your dog throughout Arkansas.  Eureka Springs, located in the Northwestern part of the state, lies deep in the magnificent Ozark Mountains.  It's a beautifully quaint, historic town and perfect for a holiday with your dog!

One of the quaint little landscaped nooks around the town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas

There's lots to do in Eureka Springs, most of it centering around historic places and outdoor activities.  There are over 25 miles of deep woods trails or paved paths, easily accessible
from the town of  Eureka Springs.  Visit their web site for more information and maps.



The central "Square" in the town of Eureka where people gather to relax or listen to some street music.

We really enjoyed the Historic Loop Walk that traverses around the town of Eureka Springs.  There are dozens of beautiful historic homes to see along the walk, as well as many natural cool springs. 

Steps leading down to Eureka's central gathering place.

As you walk through the town and around the Historic Loop, stop to enjoy some of the beautifully landscaped cold spring areas.  As you can see, the town has landscaped these spring areas beautifully!


If you still have some energy left after the Historic Loop, visit Lake Leatherwood.  It's a 1610 acre recreation area with over 25 miles of hiking and biking trails around a spring fed lake. 


Black Bass Lake is another area to visit.  It's got 2 miles of trails and bluffs surrounding it, and includes a half mile trail that is handicapped accessible.  This is great because not all areas of this mountain town are accessible.

After taking in all the beauty and nature Eureka Springs has to offer, give your dog an extra treat by taking him to Bark Park, located in Harmon park.  

Note that There are no Wolf Hybrids permitted in the dog park and there’s a limit of 2 dogs per person.  They also don’t permit prong or choke collars (YAY!), nor do they permit collars with spikes on them. 

One of the sunken spring areas, so lovely!

There are plenty of dog friendly hotels and B&B’s in Eureka Springs, as well as dog friendly places to eat (on outdoor patios). 


I found a fantastic dog friendly Inn in the center of Eureka Springs called the Peabody House.  I couldn't believe this beautiful B&B was dog friendly!  We had a separate little cottage behind the main Inn that I just loved.  For some weird reason, it reminded me of a Sea Captain's house.  I honestly don't know what made me feel like that, LOL!


Our cottage at the Peabody House was a quaint two story house with a deck off the bedroom upstairs.  The deck was literally RIGHT next to the mountain - I swear you could practically reach out & touch the mountain!  We loved that, and we enjoyed sitting out there each morning and evening with our dogs.  I was so comfortable in the Peabody House, I didn't want to leave at the end of our stay! 

The main Inn at the Peabody House.  We stayed in one of the cottages just behind the main house.

When I booked our stay at the Peabody House over the phone, the Innkeeper kept warning me that the house we were staying in, directly behind the main Inn you see pictured here, was "really tiny".  "Oh don't worry!" I said, I'm from New York and I lived in Manhattan for a few years - I'm used to tiny apartments!"  Well, it didn't seem tiny to me at all - not by NY standards anyway.  It was perfectly cozy.  In fact, I loved staying there so much, it was hard to get me to leave in the morning to go out and explore!


If you're looking for a wonderful dog friendly trip, I highly recommend a trip to The Natural State, especially to Eureka Springs!


If you enjoyed reading about Eureka Springs, you'll enjoy my post on Hot Springs, Arkansas, which is in the Southern part of the state. There's a bit of baseball history here too, but it's not exactly PG rated LOL!!


Check out some of my other dog friendly travel posts.

Have you ever been to Arkansas?  Leave us a comment and tell us about it!  We love hearing from you!