Best Dog Friendly Spots To Visit In Florida

If you love to travel but hate leaving your dog at home, Florida is the perfect destination for your next vacation. The state offers a wide variety of dog-friendly accommodation and activity options which will allow you to have a fantastic time with your whole family. These are a few of our favorite places to visit in the state with your four-legged friend.

Dog-Friendly Beaches

Throughout the state, you’ll find some excellent dog-friendly beaches. One of our favorite spots is the Davis Islands Dog Beach, which is located south of downtown Tampa. It’s a 1.5-acre beach with fenced-in areas for dogs to play without their leashes on. After their playtime, you’ll be able to rinse them off at the water stations, so you don’t have to worry about your car getting too sandy. Another great spot is the Bonita Beach Dog Beach which is located near Fort Myers. It’s ideal for dogs of any size, and they’ll enjoy paddling in the shallow waters here. You’ll appreciate the free parking here, making this a cheap and fun day out for the whole family.

Dog-Friendly Parks

Your dog will be spoilt for choice by the parks in Florida, and one of the best options is Dog Wood Park in Jacksonville, which offers 25 acres of fenced park that dogs will love exploring. There’s an area for ball throwing, a swimming pond, a swimming lake and even exercise equipment for your dog here! There is a small admission fee of $11 to enter, but it’s well worth it for the incredible facilities on offer here. Paw Playground in Fort De Soto Park near St. Petersburg is another top option in Florida and has fenced-in areas for dogs to run free as well as a dog beach. There’s plenty of great facilities here to ensure your dog is hydrated and clean after their visit, and you’ll appreciate that there’s no entry charge to visit this park.

Hotel Options

You might worry about having limited choices for hotels and apartments if you are bringing your dog on your next trip to Florida, but that’s not the case at all. Jacksonville has the Aloft Jacksonville in Tapestry Park, which doesn’t charge you to bring your dog with you. On Amelia Island, enjoy luxury accommodation at The Ritz-Carlton, which also won’t charge a fee for your pet. Although pets aren’t allowed in the Orlando area theme parks, you can still bring them along to many of the hotels in the area such as the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando and the Rosen Shingle Creek, although you may be subject to a small fee for each night of your stay.

Throughout Florida, you’ll find endless restaurants and cafes that will happily welcome your four-legged friend, so you won’t feel like you are missing out on anything during your next trip. Remember there are always centers you can leave your dog in for a day or two if you do want to enjoy anything else in the area, such as escaping to the waters with a half-day or full-day inshore fishing charter with BLFishing. This will give you the perfect chance to explore a little more of what Florida has to offer to visitors and then after your day out, you’ll be reunited with your dog for more fun and adventures together.