Pet friendly historic places

[Cerevisaphile]

We just finished our first trip in the RV and the best of it was that the dogs loved being with us. On the way back we had a pillow between us where they took turns sleeping between us or enjoying the scenery.

As an immigrant i am interested in seeing sites with historic value...gettysburg, desert of maine, williamsburg etc...unlike europe where most public outside places are accessible with pets I noticed that america is not very dog friendly.

What experiences do you guys have traveling with dogs ? Do you know of any good historic places that allow dogs ? Specifically in the north east...or on the east coast in general..

[Crowe]

In a nutshell, after my first visit to Europe (Scandanavia), your culture is a little more "live and let live" than ours. There's a lot less "political correctness" in European culture, which makes life a little more laid back and allows for more tolerance. Less lawyers, too, maybe? And keep in mind our society is much less homogenous than some. Did see my share of uncontrolled kids while there (yes, locals) but in Denmark people were surprised and almost fearful if we asked to pet their dog.

I would not call America dog-unfriendly in the least. There are places that are but lots of areas in New England LOVE dogs. Ours ate with us yesterday at an outdoor eating area in Kennebunkport, ME. They get to run free on the beaches in the off-season. Many of the stores in the coastal towns of the N. Shore of MA like Newburyport, Rockport and Gloucester welcome dogs into their stores. The websites recommended will help you find places to take your dogs.

[Cerevisaphile]

Thanks for bringing us back on topic.. I got the online subscription for FIDO..interesting articles in it. I also found gopetfriendly.com which has nice blogs about good places to visit. One article showed that Stowe,VT even allows the dogs to ride the gondola up.
Alot of these online resources depend on responsible dog owners to add and review places when they visit and had a good experience

[pasco1215]

Back on topic-
try bring fido.com or pet friendly.com. I use these sorts of sites to find beaches, hotels, tourist sites that allow our very well mannered FurKid. He has even been on the ferry with 100's of people. And rode with us on a carriage in Charleston,NC.

[Cerevisaphile]

We agree to disagree, 26 years living in germany traveling europe always with dogs..seeing dogs visting everywhere..within reason of course i am not bringing them in the castles in potsdam but i like to walk the park areas around with them. If a person wants to go inside one waits outside..if all want to go inside at the same time dont bring your dog.

Now 16 years living in america where dogs dont seem to be welcomed at most places, not sure what damage a dog can make by walking on the grounds of and old fort ,battleground or any other place of interest...its pretty simple..you , your child or dog damages something ...YOU are responsible for it...don't ruin it for others, live and let live...dont punish me for bad dog owners.

As to kids...there is nothing wrong with them asking question...what is wrong if i go to a place pay 30 bucks for a steak at a place thats clearly meant to be for adults just to have screaming and running kids cause they are bored and daddy is too lazy to do some parenting...there are also well behaved kids and good parents but like usual you remember the bad ones the most.

There are bad apples in every bunch I agree...however how the european culture handles dogs and kids is different than how the american culture does.

The problem is that rules are not clearly defined or enforced, you call and ask if they allow dogs and you get some highschool dropout making minimum wage being punished for smoking pot behind the barn on phone duty telling you one thing and when u get there u find out they do but it cannot be a certain breed or over a certain weight or whatever...

If there is one thing i learned in this country...is to have everything is writing...that way both sides know what they agreed on.

ANYWAYS.....i really like to stay on topic and find spots where they allow dogs to exerpeince the many treasures this country has to offer.. I travel with my dogs to enjoy life with them and not put them in a kennel or leave them in the camper.

i thought this forum was a good place to network with other dog owners and get tips for trips...

[Kidsgone]

Cerevisaphile, you have made some very astute comments. We lived in Germany for many years and I have to say it is a very pet friendly country. But I did observe,on many occasion, where dogs were not appropriately trained and caused disturbances at many a restaurant. And same for children at historic sites. This really isn't, in my opinion, and American problem, as I have seen it in my travels in many places.
We take our dogs to many places on our travels, but often leave them if we feel its inappropriate for them to be around. We have never had a problem. If you choose to bring your pets with you for a day trip, why not leave them in a doggie daycare? Or ask if there is a kennel provided onsite...like the Biltmore in Asheville has about 8 free, locked outdoor kennels. We did eat at an outdoor restaurant at the BIltmore with our dogs (Lab/border collie mix) and they just slept under the table until we were done. A guy came up to us, identified himself as a owner of a dog training business and asked how our dogs were trained! Funny! But nice to see that people do appreciate when they see good behavior...training pays off!
Every country has people that don't train their kids or pets, its not just here...trust me!
And as far as kids being seen and not heard....hmmm, well, I enjoyed my kids asking questions and getting involved...manners were also taught.
Please don't kid yourself into believing this is an American problem, I've travelled to much to accept this rationale.

[Cerevisaphile]

I found this URL...

pet pwners should make it a point to update this if they discover spots that are pet friendly

http://www.petfriendlytravel.com

[Cerevisaphile]

There are places in germany that are a whole lot older and they allow and dont have problems with dogs damaging historic sites. I took my dogs to overcrowded mountain fests and no one ever tripped on a leash..as they are usually 6 foot long and the dogs stay close to me in a busy place...
It seems that the problem are dog owners not cleaning up making sure nothing gets damaged...

Doesnt surprise me when i see how little respect people with small children have in restaurants meant for adults. Running, screaming like its a playground.,,while other adults try to have a nice meal...when i was that age and my parents took me i was seen not heard. Same when it comes to historic places and children..they dont care about history until they are older. I was recenlty in boston and the kids were climbing up statues and playing catch while i am trying to take photos..parents /grandparents standong there not saying a word.

As to wild life habitats....yes the wolf is is a natrual enemy...but dogs are not wolves and a good dog doesnt chase wildlife unless told to...again the problem seems bad owners ruining it for others.

[Nutinelse2do]

My best advice is to go online and check the rules and regs of where you plan on attending.

National Parks do not allow dogs and even places as small as Oatman Az do not allow dogs. There are wild burros in Oatman so they request you do not bring dogs....... Natural predator to these animals.

This is the same reason a lot of State parks do not allow dogs. Those areas are wild animal habitats and the wolf is an enemy to most of the wildlife.

Regards

Cheryl

[Pangaea_Ron]

The OP seems to be a responsible owner, and probably controls and picks up after his/her pets.

The issue that I have is with people that bring their pets to historic sites (vulnerable to damage), view points, festivals, etc. where visitors need to avoid tripping over (hopefully) leashed dogs in crowded situations. My granddaughters are often frightened by even nice, overly friendly dogs. Please leave them in the car/RV.

These activities are provided for pet's owner's to enjoy, and the pets could care less. A more appropriate venue would be away from people where their pets could better interact with the outdoors in a more natural and unrestricted environment.