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The average rate for a vacation rental in the USA is usually between $315 and $428 per night.
House rental in the USA may fit 8 guests.
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Where are the most dog-friendly getaways in the U.S.? This year, many Americans welcomed a new four-legged family member into their homes and as a result, searches on HomeToGo for pet-friendly accommodations jumped by more than 30 percent*
To help travelers not wanting to leave their furry-companions behind, HomeToGo fetched the top dog-friendly destinations in the country by comparing hundreds of top travel destinations on their pet-friendly options for accommodations, restaurants, outdoor activities and health services. So grab your leash and pooper scooper—These 12 cities are the best places in the country for traveling with your dog!
Ranking the Top Cities for Travelers with Dogs
Mapped: America's Best Cities for Dog-friendly Getaways
Sniff Out This Year's Top Destinations
Otherwise known as the City of Lakes, Lake Mary is nestled in the greater Orlando metropolitan area. With plenty of dog-friendly restaurants to choose from, visitors can take pleasure in dining with their furry best friend outdoors, then pay a visit to Woof Gang Bakery and Grooming for a large assortment of freshly made treats. In addition, dog owners can take their pup for a walk on the Seminole Wekiva Trail, a 14-mile “rail trail” which was built over the former Orange Belt Railway.
Just six miles northeast of Atlanta, Decatur, Georgia is a hot spot for dog lovers. At the Little Shop of Stories, people and their pups gather for story time and good vibes. Known for its food scene, Decatur invites visitors to enjoy many of its pet-friendly restaurants, such as Universal Joint – a gas station turned neighborhood pub with an outdoor patio.
Known as the “Sailing Capital of the United States,” Annapolis, Maryland is a great place for people and their pups to create memories on or beside the water. Harbor Queen hosts summer dog-friendly cruises where well-behaved pals can soak up the sun in the top-deck doggie pools while their owners lay back and relax. Those who prefer splashing around in the shore often visit the off-leash Dog Beach at Matapeake Park.
No matter the time of year, Wilmington, North Carolina is a perfect place for pet-friendly travel. This beach town invites furry friends to indulge in all the excitement at a variety of dog parks, dog-friendly restaurants and two year-round dog-friendly beach parks. Owners are destined to enjoy their time as well while strolling through Historic Downtown and the Riverwalk along Cape Fear River.
Burlington, Vermont is a vibrant small city located on the eastern shoreline of Lake Champlain. This diverse town offers lakeside hiking, outdoor eateries and plenty of recreational opportunities. Visitors and their dogs can stop by Foam Brewers to sip on brews from a rotating collection of seasonal beers and pay a visit to Oakledge Park for a walk along Lake Champlain.
Named one of America’s “Best Small Cities of 2020” by BestCities.org, Lansing, Michigan creates memories that will last a lifetime for dog lovers. As Michigan’s state capital, visitors and their pups can explore historic landmarks or take ghost tours around the city. Dogs and owners alike enjoy kayaking along the Grand River with River Town Adventures and are often found enjoying doggy ice cream alongside riverfront views at Waterfront and Grill.
Located in the heart of California, Modesto is a vibrant city that welcomes travelers and their furry friends with wide open arms. By signing up for the Modesto Loves Dogs passport through Visit Modesto, dogs are gifted with special swag and owners gain instant access to a curated collection of pet-friendly locations around the city, such as Barkin’ Dog Grill and the Modesto Dog Park.
Nicknamed “The City in the Park”, Bellevue, Washington is home to 2,700 acres of parks and over 90 miles of hiking trails. Travelers looking to enjoy the great outdoors can marvel in the open space and spend time walking their dog around the 20-acre Bellevue Downtown Park. Nestled within the city and offering plenty of green space, this park is perfect for travelers and their furry friends to plan a picnic or try out dog-friendly foodie destinations like Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub.
With a deep history and small-town feel, Columbia, Maryland attracts travelers from all over the country who want to experience the charm of its historic downtown and welcoming environment. Conveniently located between Baltimore and Washington, there are plenty of options for dogs and their owners to have fun, such as playtime at the Columbia DogPark and the Worthington Dog Park.
Just outside of Houston, Texas, The Woodlands makes traveling easy for owners and their pooches. The city encourages travelers to bring their four-legged friends on vacation to peruse through the open-air Market Street square or meet new friends at its number of dog parks. There are also unique experiences, such as The Riva Row and Lake Edge Boat Houses, where travelers can kayak with their pups along The Woodlands Waterway (dog life vests are conveniently available through the Woodlands Dog Park Club).
Everett, Washington is a bustling business epicenter with a majestic natural backdrop. As the largest city in Snohomish County, travelers and their pups will never be bored with its lively arts, culture and music scene – plus an abundance of delicious dining locations and breweries. Everett welcomes owners and their furry friends to take part of the fun at local dog parks, the downtown Farmers Market held every Sunday, and Middleton Brewing, which has their own resident Tavern Dog named Kona.
Setting the record as the largest city in Maryland, Baltimore is historically nicknamed “Charm City” for its lively, friendly atmosphere. Travelers and their pups can visit a handful of dog parks or head to the city’s historic public park, Federal Hill Park, to wander along the south shore of the Inner Harbor while admiring the downtown views.
We examined HomeToGo’s vacation rental inventory to identify the top 100 cities with the highest percentage of pet-friendly accommodations. Next, we created a shortlist of 12 cities based on those with the highest number of travel searches in the last year on HomeToGo. The finalists were then examined across four categories: 1) Percentage of pet-friendly accommodations, 2) Number of pet-friendly restaurants per capita, 3) Number of pet-friendly activities per capita, and 4) Number of pet services available per capita, including veterinarians and groomers. After obtaining the raw data, we assigned each data point a representative numerical value between 5 and 10, with 5 representing the lowest data point and 10 representing the highest data point. The hypothetical "perfect score" would be 40 out of 40. We used the following equation in order to calculate this for every factor:
Score(i) = 5 · (x(i) - xmin ) / (xmax - xmin ) + 5
The data used to create this index was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, Yelp.com, BringFido, Google Reviews, and HomeToGo.com
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Other Footnotes:
* Increase in pet-friendly searches is based on HomeToGo internal data measuring the number of US searches with accommodation filters for “pet-friendly” between Jan 1 - Aug 19, 2021 compared with the same period in 2020. Data collected on Aug 20, 2021.
