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Sunbed and umbrella? Bill. Mineral sunscreen? Bill. Your super cute puppy? Double check! While Florida has no shortage of beautiful beaches, not all allow your furry friend to have fun in the sun with you. *Sigh* Don’t worry: We’ve found nine beaches in the state that welcome both people and pups. Here are the best beaches in Florida for dogs.
Best Dog Friendly Florida Beaches
Get it: Almost every beach in Jupiter is open to puppies, thanks to a policy passed by the Jupiter City Council in 1989 to allow dogs on area beaches. There are some rules. Dogs must be well behaved and carry appropriate tags and permits, and owners are responsible for picking them up. Hey, nothing we can’t handle.
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Fort De Soto Park consists of five interconnected islands south of St. Petersburg, covering more than 1,100 hectares of land. It has a designated dog park on the beach, plus two fenced areas near the sand for small and large dogs (water stations included!).
Davis Islands Dog Beach, located near Peter O Knight Airport, is one of Tampa’s last remaining pup-friendly beaches. Expect a fenced dog park, where Fido is welcome to play off-leash, as well as a dedicated spot on the sand.
Open from sunrise to sunset, dogs are encouraged to roam free at Bonita Dog Beach in Bonita Springs. There are even dog shower stations, perfect for washing sand off Fido before heading home.
Head to Key West and find a secluded stretch of sand reserved just for dogs and their owners. Under the shade of palm trees, cubs can play in the water and sand as long as they are supervised.
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Dogs and humans alike can enjoy the sun at Bark Beach at Spanish River Park in Boca Raton. Even better: the puppies can stay loose all the time.
Just outside of Tampa is Romantic Island State Park, with four miles of beach and three miles of hiking trails. There are also designated beaches and walking trails for pets, located in the southern part of the park. Please note that dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.
Spend the day with your furry friend at Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna Beach, where pets are allowed on the beachfront, although they must be on a leash at all times.
A block north of Sunny Isles, you and your pup can set up shop with a chair, cooler and stylish umbrella at Haulover Beach Park. Dogs are welcome to hang out in the sun, sand and water as long as they are supervised by their owners.
The Best Dog-friendly Beaches In The Us
Clarissa Buch Zilberman is a writer and editor from Miami. Focusing on food, lifestyle and travel, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Bon Appétit and … Have you ever hung out at home with your four-legged best friend or a sunny Orlando resort visit? with your dog and they turn around and give you that look that only they can give, you know the one that says “I want to go to the beach today!”? With all the things to do in Orlando, the beaches are not exactly the most accessible, so you probably had to search the internet for a while to find out which beaches are dog friendly, which beaches allow your dog to play. leash, which beaches require your dog to be on a leash, and yes, which beaches are closest to Orlando.
Well, look no further! Today we’re going to visit 10 of the best dog-friendly beaches near Orlando, so the next time Spot, Scruffy, or Rover wants to hit the beach to splash and roll, you can be worry-free ready! Now enough whining and barking, here are 10 dog friendly beaches near Orlando!
1 | Canova Beach Park | Looking for a furry-flavored dog beach while visiting Orlando? Then look no further than Canova Beach Dog Park! Located just an hour and 15 minutes southeast of sunny Orlando, Canova Beach is a great beach for your four-legged friend to dig in the sand and splash in the ocean! Canova Beach Dog Park is great for smaller dogs, as all dogs on the beach must be kept on a leash (so you don’t have to worry about Fluffy getting into the Junkyard Dawg).
2 | Pass a Grille Dog Beach | Just under a 2-hour drive from Orlando, southwest of St. Petersburg, is Pass A Grille Dog Beach. Located on the bay side of Pass A Grille Beach, the dog beach is a fun place for Fido to have fun and off leash. Since Fido can run free, Pass A Grille is a great place for him or her to really release all that extra K-9 energy!
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3| Picnic Island Beach Dog Park | Another great beach for dogs in the Bay Area is Picnic Island Beach Dog Park! Located an hour and 45 minutes from Orlando, Picnic Island Beach Dog Park is a beautiful, laid-back beach that offers perhaps my favorite beach amenity for dogs: a fence! That’s right folks, Spot can run, jump, roll, dig and splash around in the water a bit more, all within the friendly confines of a fenced beach, your dog’s tail will be wagging for weeks to come!
4| Smyrna Dunes Park | Smyrna Dunes Beach Park is located an hour and 15 minutes east of sunny Orlando. Smyrna Dunes, another off-leash beach south of Ponce de Leon Bay, offers your four-legged better half fantastic beach fun and a beautiful beach for you to relax on. One great amenity available for your dog at Smyrna Dunes is the dog pool, where you can wash all that sand and sea off your K-9 before heading home.
5| Ponce Inlet Dog Beach | Just north of Smyrna Dunes Park, across Ponce de Leon Bay, is Ponce Inlet Dog Beach. Ponce Inlet Dog Beach will really make your furry friend’s tail wag with delight, and you’ll love watching them play and frolic with a fantastic view! Take some great photos of your dog with the nearby lighthouse in the background for a treasured memory of your beach adventure together!
6| Davis Island Dog Beach | Located on the southern tip of Davis Island in Hillsborough Bay, south of Tampa. Davis Island Dog Beach is a beautiful beach for your K-9 to wag his tail. With drinking fountains and a dog wash station, Davis Beach has everything you need for a beach vacation with your fur baby. If you love aviation, you and your dog will enjoy watching the planes land and take off from the nearby Peter O. Knight Airport and Seaplane Pool!
10 Best Dog-friendly Beaches In The U.s.
7| Sunset Beach Dog Park | Located on Treasure Island east of St. Petersburg, at the southeast end of Blind Pass, is Sunset Beach Dog Park. Sunset Beach Dog Park is a great beach for your fur baby to let loose! You and your fellow K-9 will have the time of your life and create unforgettable memories as you frolic with all the other four-legged visitors. Make sure you get to the beach early because parking can be difficult.
8 | Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp Dog Beach | Just south of Clearwater, Florida is Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp Dog Beach (Pheew! Say that ten times really fast). Located on the southeast end of the Belleair Bridge, BCBR Dog Beach is probably the coolest dog beach in Florida if you like bridges and want to go fishing while hanging out with your furry better half. With Belleair Bait & Tackle Co. nearby, if you forget to bring your fishing gear, you can relax and cast while watching the boats come and go.
9 | Honeymoon Island State Park Dog Beach | Another dog beach on the west coast of Florida is Romantic Island Dog Beach. With lots of nature around, your dog will enjoy the fresh air and pristine beach. Just a note: there are signs warning of rattlesnakes (although I haven’t seen one yet), so be sure to keep your dog on a leash while enjoying the romantic island.
10| Fort DeSoto Park Beach | Fort Desoto Park Beach is a great place to visit with or without your dog. If you’re hanging out with your friend from elementary or high school, Fort Desoto Park Beach offers dog showers and drinking water, and even though it’s a leashed beach, there’s an enclosed area called the Paw Playground where your buddy can play without restrictions. and play with everything
