The Ultimate Guide to Dog Friendly Savannah

For my birthday weekend and a mini baby moon we decided to take a last minute road trip to Savannah, GA. A baby moon? You are probably asking WTF? It’s a trip you take with your spouse before the arrival of a baby. It’s kind of like the calm before the storm . .  lol.

From Virginia Beach, Savannah is about seven hours by car and it’s an easy drive down 95 south. For anyone driving to Myrtle Beach next year for the BlogPaws conference, Savannah is the perfect pre or post stay as it’s one of the most dog friendly cities I’ve ever visited.

In this post, I’m going to share with you my top ten dog friendly recommendations in Savannah.

On the way to Savannah, make sure to stop at the tackiest place on Earth, South of the Border. It’s ridiculously cheesy but still fun to take some pics of you and your dog!

1. Stay at a Dog Friendly Hotel

There are lots of dog friendly hotels in and around Savannah. Since this trip was last minute, we actually stayed about 20 minutes away in an area called Richmond Hill. The hotel prices in the  Savannah historic district are pretty expensive during the summer. Our hotel was at least 50% cheaper per night and we didn’t mind the drive. When looking for a dog friendly hotel, these are the things I must have:

• Free or cheap pet fee. Ours was $20/night.
• Free Wifi
• Free breakfast – This saves a lot of money and allows you to sit down and enjoy breakfast without having to do a drive thru.
• Free parking. Enough said.
• A hotel with a dog park or area for them to run around in. This isn’t such a big deal for me personally since Chuy is small and he’s house trained to use a pee pad.

2. Take a Dog Friendly Tour of Savannah

This is a must do while in Savannah! I recommend doing this tour first as it’s a great way to get oriented with the city and determine what you’d like to spend more time on later.

There are several dog friendly tours but the one we did was with Old Savannah Tours. The tour bus is open air and stops at 16 different sites around the city. You can get on and off as you wish or stay on and enjoy the tour. If you get the tour director named Hollywood, you will be fully entertained! He knew everything about Savannah and was hilarious. At some of the stops, actors will get on the bus in costume and tell you more about the specific site.

Old Savannah Tours is extremely dog friendly. The staff was welcoming and accepting of Chuy! Sorry but big dogs are not allowed as their rules states the pet must be less than 25 lbs. and sit on your lap. Chuy loved looking out of the open window as we toured around Savannah.

TIP: Make sure to bring a bottle or water (or two!) and a collapsible bowl for your dog especially if you’re traveling in the summer.

3. Walk Your Dog Along River Street

This was my favorite part of Savannah. River Street winds along the Savannah River and there’s an abundance of shops, restaurants, bars, and shopping. The best part? Almost all of it is dog friendly! It makes for a great afternoon stroll with your dog. I definitely want to come back here after Baby B so I can enjoy a margarita or two next time! Just like in Las Vegas, you can take your adult beverages to go on your walk!

One word of caution. The road is quite old and made out of cobblestones. This can be challenging if you have an older dog or a dog with IVDD like Chuy. Just be careful! The cement was so hot that we ended up carrying Chuy a lot.

4. Eat at a Dog Friendly Restaurant

There are plenty of dog friendly restaurants to choose from in Savannah. A great resource is Bring Fido. We had lunch on River Street at Huey’s on the River. The cuisine is New Orleans inspired and is absolutely delicious. I highly recommend the shrimp or oyster Po Boys. They even brought Chuy his own bowl of water and ice cubes. Chuy enjoyed laying on the cool sidewalk in the shade as a break from the hot Savannah sun!

TIP: The outdoor seating right on River Street is perfect for people watching. However, there’s only 3 or 4 tables so seating is limited!

5. Savannah Candy Kitchen

This place smells divine! The Savannah Candy Kitchen is located on River Street. They are dog friendly as long as your dog can fit comfortably in your arms. The candy however is NOT dog friendly and not diet friendly! Never in my life had I tried Pralines until we went here. O. M. G. Thank goodness they aren’t easily available in Virginia because these things are dangerously irresistible! They have free samples of the pralines and yes they got me . . . so we bought some to go!

Even if you don’t buy any candy, it’s worth stopping in just to window shop! I do not have that much self control though!!!

6. Shop and Sample Honey at the Savannah Bee Company

The Savannah Bee Company is a store that sells (you guessed it) honey and products made with honey. There are stickers right on the front door telling you that they are dog friendly. They offer free samples of honey and the staff was extremely welcoming to Chuy.

7. Buy a Dog Treat at the Woof Gang Bakery

Woof Gang Bakery is a dog friendly bakery and pet store all over Savannah. They have adorable dog treats! We had to buy the “Savannah” bone for Chuy!

It’s also a great place if you forgot poop bags or any other dog supplies on your vacation.

8. Ice Cream at Leopold’s

Leopold’s has been selected as one of the top ten ice cream shops in the world. The line was proof of that and it gets longer later in the day. They have a dog friendly ice cream sundae and it’s free. All you have to do is ask for it. Chuy ate every last drop. It was so hot that we ended up eating inside the car instead of outside at one of their dog friendly tables. I recommend for the humans that you try the Butter Pecan ice cream!

9. Have Dinner on Tybee Island at The Crab Shack

We are a beach family. The great thing about Savannah is that it’s about 25 minutes from the beach which makes for the perfect way to split up the day. This area is called Tybee Island and it’s gorgeous!

We saw an ad for a place called The Crab Shack so we decided to check it out. I was sold after seeing they are dog friendly, on the water, AND have live alligators that you can feed! I was on a mission to find an alligator lol.

I loved the ambiance of this place. It’s purposely tacky and so different from anywhere else I’ve ever been.

Since it was my birthday, we splurged and had their famous Captain Crab’s Seafood Platter for two. OMG, it was the best meal I’ve had in forever. Steamed shrimp, crab legs, mussels, craw fish, corn, sausage, and potatoes. Chuy was such a good boy while we ate and never bothered anyone. We gave him a few pieces of sausage too!

This place has cats that roam around on the back patio but they don’t bother anyone. Just keep this in mind in case your dog is reactive to cats.

You can tell your waitress that you want to feed the alligators and they’ll bring you out some alligator treats with your check for about $3. This was such a cool experience.

10. Catch a Sunset at Cocos

Another great restaurant on Tybee Island that is dog friendly is called Cocos Sunset Grille.

They have a sun deck on the second level where you can dine with your dog outdoors and enjoy the sunset which overlooks the water. We got there too early to enjoy the sunset but we did get to see a boat of fisherman catching a really large shark!

BONUS: Savannah Wildlife Refuge

Before you cross the Talmadge Memorial Bridge into Savannah, there’s a place called the Savannah Wildlife Refuge which is actually still in South Carolina. This is a bonus tip because you can visit either at the beginning of your trip or the end depending on which direction you’re driving.

Dogs are not allowed in the refuge but ARE allowed in your car if you do the driving tour. I was on a mission to find an alligator but we didn’t have any luck. Either way, this was something different to see and we got to enjoy it with Chuy! There’s an audio tour on an AM radio station that tells you about the refuge and the history of Savannah. The total drive is about 4 miles.

Since there are wild alligators here (among other wildlife), do NOT let your dog out even if they start wining . . . plus, it’s against the rules of the refuge and we want to keep it dog friendly!

Join the Conversation

Have you ever visited Savannah with your dog or taken a dog friendly vacation? Leave us a comment down below and tell us all about it.

Looking for ideas to take your next dog friendly vacation? We recommend checking out the following blog posts:

• Dog Friendly Road Trip Vacations
• Chuy Chihuahua’s Adventure on the Eastern Shore
• The Irresistibly Dog Friendly Guide to Charlottesville, Virginia
• Dog Friendly DC, Cheap and Easy!

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