If man’s best friend is your travel buddy, Orlando is becoming a great destination for you and dog. While the city offers canine owners several dog-friendly hotels (including Grand Bohemian Orlando, Autograph Collection and Aloft Orlando Downtown), finding things to do with your pet outside of your room can be a little more challenging.
Below are fantastic dog-friendly places in Orlando. As always, check for travel guidelines and closures before planning your trip.
Grab a Cup with Your Pup
Your dog needs a morning walk. You need your morning caffeine. You’re in luck, since many Orlando coffee shops have outdoor seating that welcome four-legged friends. Among the best are Stardust Video and Coffee in Audubon Park, where hipsters come to heel, and Barnie’s Coffee Kitchen on Winter Park’s Park Avenue.
In downtown Orlando, Craft & Common welcomes dogs both inside and on its patio. Order your favorite coffee drink — or mix it up with something fun, like the popular espresso milkshake.
Find a Pint
The Florida heat can provoke thirst at both ends of the leash, but the pair of you won’t have to walk far in Orlando to find refreshment.
The trail around Lake Eola (crowded with both joggers and swans, so keep the leash tight) is Relax Grill, Orlando’s best lakeside casual spot. The place is crowded with canines, and they aren’t there for the peel-and-eat shrimp. (Well, no one is there for the peel-and-eat shrimp — but the beer is cold.)
Due north is Ivanhoe Village’s GB Bottle Shop & Tasting Bar. Find a comfy spot inside or out on the patio with your pup, and choose from 20 rotating taps and fridges full of craft beer cans. If you prefer wine, you’ll find a curated selection of vino here, as well. Nearby, The Caboose Bar offers hole-in-the-wall dive bar vibes. This is a spot to grab a pitcher with locals, shoot some pool, and enjoy the jukebox tunes.
In the SoDo district, dog-friendly RockPit Brewing & Distilling serves up a creative craft beer menu alongside small-batch, in-house spirits. Don’t miss the selection of flavorful moonshines.
Fetch Some Dinner
In most Florida cities, it’s legal for dogs to sit with their owners in outdoor dining areas. And we have a lot of those, from a few tables on a sidewalk to a field full of picnic tables.
At its original location on North Mills Avenue, Pig Floyd’s offers great barbecue and a big dog-friendly patio. The whole of Winter Park’s Park Avenue is cheek-by-jowl with sidewalk tables, and a rescue pooch is a coveted accessory at any of them.
Buried in low-traffic neighborhoods, you can find gems like Maxine’s on Shine and 903 Mills Market. The latter, a sandwich shop, is just a half block from great walking trails at Lake Davis and Lake Cherokee.
Bark in a Park
Unless we’re talking about Pluto or Goofy, pets are not welcome at the Orlando theme parks, although Walt Disney World offers a rather incredible day care program.
But you can find plenty of parks made just for dogs in the city and the surrounding area, including sprawling areas with lakes and forests to enjoy. In Winter Park, for example, Lake Baldwin Park boasts 23 acres — make sure to check out the sandy beach — where your dog can romp, dig, and splash off-leash.
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