It’s not uncommon for locals to tell me, “I didn’t know that was here in Maine!” Or, “I’ve lived here for 30 years and I’ve never been there!” It’s honestly amazing how traveling opens your eyes to the beauty in an area. I’m guilty of this too- though I’ve been to the tallest waterfall in 12 states- I’ve never seen Minnesota’s tallest waterfall. Isn’t that a shame? This week I had a patient ask me this question about Oconee County in South Carolina. There are over 150 waterfalls in the county! The patient was so surprised, and gave me the idea to write about how I find these adventures.
How do we go about finding these awesome spots? And how do we make sure they’re dog friendly? I use Pinterest, Google, All Trails, Facebook and local bulletins at gyms or coffee shops for the best info. It is important to understand when bringing your dog anywhere public that you also are working on your pet being well trained. Dogs are dogs- they will try to chase the squirrel. And I hope people understand those normal dog behaviors. But help everyone recognize that well behaved animals are great to have in public places, and the best way to do that is ensuring your pup is setting a great example. Taking classes with the American Kennel Club, getting a certified dog citizen certificate and spending time training your pup all helps set standards and decrease any stress of bringing your pup into a public space.
This is one of my favorite ways to get excited about a new assignment. Pinterest seriously has all the dirt on random places! I was in Oklahoma- OKLAHOMA probably the second most boring state next to North Dakota and Pinterest held my hand, dragging me along to: the Witchita Mountains, Beavers Bend state park and the Broken Bow area, Turner Falls with those insane turquoise waters- seriously, ya can’t beat the random awesome things Pinterest knows about every state- well every place in the world really. I found the best spots in Ireland on Pinterest too. I make an adventure board and prioritize weekends to the coolest spots I can find. Here’s a link to the barkingembarkers Pinterest board, for all of the dogventure ideas.
The hard part about Pinterest is knowing if a place is dog friendly. I usually assume most places that are outdoors are friendly for Fido to have fun, but be watchful of signage!
Do you want to know my absolute favorite thing Facebook has ever done? EVENTS. Holy crow. In the past, I found myself searching the chamber of commerce website (still a good spot sometimes), looking all over google trying to find fun events that were happening during my time at an assignment. Then Facebook comes along and changes my world!
All you have to do is type in events in Sumter, South Carolina (or anywhere else) and BOOM you’ve got a million options! I have found outdoor concerts, street festivals, and wineries as the most dog friendly events. Chloe went to a Grape Stomping Festival outside of Charleston, and an outdoor Christian councert in Duluth, MN- it was a blast! I’ve done a few without Chloe, including a sea food festival in Portland, Oregon, and a hot air balloon festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They do offer family friendly filters but no pet friendly filters quite yet. It’s often mentioned in the ‘about’ part of the event, or you can always ask.
All Trails
I’ve mentioned the wonders of using Alltrails in the past but just want to emphasize how awesome this app is. If you like to hike, this app is amazing. I usually end up googling ‘best hikes in Oconee county’ and instead of shifting through 150 waterfalls, the highest rated and most reviewed options are right there! With wonderful ‘click here’ quadrants to find the trail using Google maps. This is how I plan waterfall hunting trips, and adventure weekends. Not to mention that you can filter dog friendly hikes. Cheers to user friendly hiking apps!
New Hampshire’s Tallest Waterfall 
Washington’s Tallest Waterfall 
West Virginia’s Tallest Waterfall 
Maine’s Tallest Waterfall (Moxie Falls)
Local Bulletins
WHAAAT? People still leave paper signs advertising their events?! You better believe they do! And these are the best events too. The live music, the bar crawls, the Halloween swamp scare brought to you by the local firefighters (don’t bring fido there). I find these at local coffee shops, the gym, and the hardware store too. The Laundromat, the Y, and all over the zoo. Okay I’m not a fan of Zoo’s, I just wanted to rhyme right there. But I’m sure they have bulletins!
With all of this in mind, I want to highlight again the importance of training. I’ve linked a post about training your dog for travel here. Also, listen to your pup. Chloe and I went to the Soda City Festival in Columbia this weekend, and she was having a blast until about an hour of work, when she hit a brick wall. We were actually in our training class, so she had to find 20 people to pet her. And she loved every minute, but that sensory stimulation is a lot for ME to handle and I have about half the senses that little pup does. If your dog is tired, let them rest. Don’t go to an extremely loud indoor concert with your pup, and don’t be next to a speaker at an outdoor concert. Just be sure to communicate.
In the end, there are so many great ways to find dog friendly activities this fall! What other methods do you use to find dog friendly events, or things to do near you? Thanks for reading! Subscribe for more! As always, Happy Tails and Happy Trails to you all.
I think you need to visit that waterfall in Minnesota cousin! Lol I love all the resources you use! I never thought to use Pinterest for ideas of things to do places. I’ll keep that in mind when I’m off on my next adventure. I love that you find so many dog friendly things to do with Chloe! I’m sure she appreciates being included! 🙂 I will definitely have to use alltrails to see if there are any good hiking spots around here! Probably not too many, but it’s worth a try! Ohmygosh I just love Facebook events! It’s how I find so many free family events to take Omari to! But I will have to start keep an eye out for some fun dog ones for our pups!