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! 

Great Places To Go With Your Dog: Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

Years ago we discovered beautiful Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire.  It's a resort area with a small town square, condos and other lodgings.  It's geared toward outdoor activities such as skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and other fun activities.  There's an indoor ice skating rink as well.  We had been there a few times many years ago when we didn't have a dog.  We always knew it was family friendly but until recently we didn't know it was also dog friendly.  

Town Square in Waterville Valley resort, NH

The absolute BEST part of taking our dogs with us to Waterville Valley is the dog friendly trail that runs along the back side of the resort.  It's actually a cross country ski trail, but dogs and foot traffic are allowed on this particular trail.  We took the dogs hiking each day.  It's a nice long trail, we had so much fun and it was just beautiful!

Icy pulls Phoebe in a sled along the dog friendly trail

We bought this adorable little sled for the trip and Icy had fun pulling Phoebe on it.  However, Phoebe didn't want to stay put in the sled, she kept jumping out!  It was a riot.

As we meandered along the trail, we took in all the crisp mountain air and the gorgeous scenery.  This lovely stream runs all along the length of the trail.  The soothing sounds of the stream and the birds chirping happily were so relaxing.  We desperately needed to relax and unplug from all the craziness of daily life, and this was the ideal place to do that!

A section of the lovely stream that runs along the dog friendly trail in Waterville Valley, NH

Icy and Phoebe pause to take in the beauty of the mountains during our hike

I wish I could lead into telling you we found a great dog friendly hotel to stay in, but that's not the case.  There are very few pet friendly lodgings in Waterville Valley.  Much of the lodgings are privately owned condominiums that don't welcome pets.  The few we did find were all booked up, you need to book those well in advance.  We found a dog friendly place to stay but it was pretty awful.  The place itself was older but it's a nice rustic lodge.  It definitely could use some updating but with a rustic feel it worked.  What didn't work at all was the dog friendly room!  When you travel with dogs you don't expect the Ritz for sure, but it should at least not be horrible!

The lobby area was one of the nicest parts of our hotel.  The giant scarf around the moose's neck was adorable!

I won't say the name of the hotel, I would never recommend it for travel with dogs or other pets, and I'm not one to badmouth products or places on my blog.  Suffice to say that the dog friendly room was super outdated, and by outdated I mean downright dingy!  Next time we travel to Waterville Valley with our dogs I'll look for a much better dog friendly place to stay.  Either that or I'll just leave the dogs home.  The only good thing about our room was the view of the stream from our window.

Phoebe stops for a photo by the stream along the dog friendly trail

I was amazed at how much Phoebe loved being in Waterville Valley!  She normally Hates the cold and doesn't even want to go out in the yard to potty.  But something happened to transform my fluffy delicate dog into a snow dog!  She was racing along the trail each day, and even during nighttime potty breaks she was happy to be walking around the village.  Who was this dog?!?  I guess there's a bit of magic in those mountains.

Here's a quickie video of us Icy pulling Phoebe on the sled:

John and I had some fun of our own too, we both had a chance to ski!  You may be wondering how we swung that with two dogs.  I like to downhill ski and John is a cross country skier, so we ski separately anyway.  I got to go skiing while he watched the dogs.  When it was his turn to ski I stayed with the dogs.  The cross country trails are right at the resort and the downhill trails are a quick shuttle ride up the road so it worked out great!  

We each had some fun bonding time alone with the dogs out on the trail and we both got a chance to ski.  The skiing was terrific, and being mid week the slopes & trails were practically empty, I felt like I had the whole mountain to myself!

Despite the crummy accommodations, it was an awesome trip!  I would definitely recommend a trip to Waterville Valley Resort, just be cautious about where you stay if you brings your dog or cat along.  Happy Trails!

What would you think about a trip to Waterville Valley?  Leave us a comment, we always LOVE hearing from you!

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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You might also enjoy:

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!

100 Places To See With Your Dog: SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

New Mexico is such a beautiful and diverse state.  You've got artsy Santa Fe to the North, quirky fun Roswell to the South, and culturally rich Albuquerque in between.  New Mexico is nicknamed "Land of Enchantment" because of it's stunning beauty and rich history.  There's so much to see and do in this lovely, dog friendly state!



New Mexico, dubbed " Land of Enchantment", has so much to offer.

Santa Fe is a culturally diverse, artsy town.  It's interesting that the historic place so many artists are attracted to is the capital of the state.  Founded around 1610, it's the oldest state capital in the United States.  The legendary artist Georgia O'Keefe spent Summers in Santa Fe for several years, inspired by the rich, stunning landscape.  Santa Fe has quite a diverse art scene.  It's not all Southwestern, much of it is quite contemporary. 

100 Places To See With Your Dog: NEW YORK CITY

After working long hours, commuting, and making their way through the hustle & bustle of the city each day, city dwellers love to come home to their adoring pets.  Nowhere is this more evident than in New York City where you have crazy commutes, stress, and hustle & bustle in spades!  New Yorkers cherish their pets, and New York City responds by providing all manner of dog friendly places and activities.  You'll find lots of pet friendly places in New York City to welcome your dog. 

One of many dogs walking their owners in New York City!

New York City truly is the city that never sleeps.  All day and all night long you'll find people on the streets.  You'll also find them walking or hanging out with their dogs at all hours! 

New York City is super dog friendly!

One of the best places to take your dog in New York city is the infamous Central Park.  The park is alive with activity every day of the week!  That activity usually includes dogs.  Dogs in the enclosed dog park, dogs walking or bike riding through the park with their owners, or just sitting out on the Great Lawn, people-watching and taking in the fresh air - well, as fresh as the air can be in over crowded, traffic riddled New York City!

Icy posing for a photo in the famous Imagine Circle. Icy imagines a world where all dogs have a peaceful, loving home.  What does your dog imagine?

Strawberry Fields is my favorite section of Central Park, where I spent countless hours when I lived in NYC.  Strawberry Fields is an area of Central Park that pays tribute to the late John Lennon, of the legendary music group The Beatles.  It's named after their hit song Strawberry Fields Forever.

At the center of Strawberry Fields you'll find the famous Imagine Circle, named after the famous song Imagine, which John Lennon wrote.  He lived in the Dakota apartments close to the park, where he loved taking walks with his wife, Yoko Ono.  This beautiful mosaic honors his life, music, and peace advocacy.  The dedication of Strawberry Fields and the Imagine Circle followed his tragic death in 1980, where he was gunned down outside the Dakota apartment building.



Icy poses with the statue of her idol, Balto.

On the East side of Central Park is a bronze statue of the hero dog, Balto.  Balto was the lead dog in the last relay team of sled dogs that saved the town of Nome, Alaska from a deadly Diphtheria breakout in 1925.  

Nome didn't have enough antitoxin serum to treat all the children and adults infected by the disease.  The only way to get the life saving serum to Nome was via sled dog.  20 relay teams of sled dogs delivered the serum over treacherous terrain to the desperate community of Nome.  Balto was the lead dog of the last relay team to deliver the serum, saving the town of Nome.  

The dedication plaque beneath the statue of Balto reads:

Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the Winter of 1925.  

* Endurance * Fidelity * Intelligence

Other fun things to do with your dog in NYC include visiting the many sidewalk cafes, a walk across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, or a stroll along the waterfront downtown.  From Battery Park at the tip of lower Manhattan, you can see the Statue of Liberty in the distance.  There are a number of fun dog parks scattered across the city as well, just search for them online.

Dogs aren't allowed at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, or the ferries that take you there, but they are allowed on the Staten Island Ferry.  You'll get a lovely view of the NYC skyline from the Staten Island ferry. You can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from the ferry as well.  Dogs must be in a carrier or muzzled to ride the ferry.  You can find a few pet taxi companies online that will take you and your pet anywhere in the city with advance notice. And of course, some Uber drivers will welcome your pet as well if you follow their individual instructions and requirements.

One thing to watch out for in New York City is the LOUD noises and heavy traffic that go along with NYC.  If your dog is very sensitive to loud noise, Sunday may be the best time to see the city.  Icy doesn't like the noise of the city so we take her to central park on a Sunday.  The park is so huge, traffic noise isn't an issue there. 

There are plenty of dog friendly accommodations in NYC, just do a Google search!  Plenty of stores are dog friendly too, including Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, and Ralph Lauren!  There are dog friendly boutique pet shops all around the city, and there's an Orvis store on 5th Avenue that is, as expected, dog friendly.  Bring plenty of Money & your credit card to Shop Til You Drop!! 

If you & your pooch do decide to visit, I hope you have fun in the City That Never Sleeps!!

TELL US!  If you've been to New York City with your dog, what was your favorite thing to do?   Share any tips or advice you have for traveling to NYC with dogs.

If you're traveling by air, click here to read my post on essential Tips For Air Travel With Pets   

Find other great Dog Friendly  travel destinations and Pet Travel tips in the PET TRAVEL tab on my blog's home page!