Dog Friendly City Guide: Atlanta, USA

Atlanta is a city of trees and neighbourhoods, and for a dog the best of it lies along the trails of the Atlanta BeltLine, which count more than two million visits a year and are lined in places with breweries, beer gardens and patios that open straight on to the path. Piedmont Park, the big green heart of Midtown, has off leash dog parks that its conservancy says welcome almost a million dogs a year. Everywhere else the rule is simple: a dog is leashed in every city park and on every trail.

Getting There With a Dog

A dog arriving in the United States from abroad must meet the rules of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the first question is where it has spent the past six months. If that has been only in countries the CDC treats as rabies-free or low risk, the dog needs to be microchipped, at least six months old, and travelling with a receipt for the CDC Dog Import Form, which you complete online before you fly. Time in any country on the CDC's high-risk list for dog rabies brings extra paperwork and stricter checks, so read the CDC's guidance on bringing a dog into the United States before you book anything. A car opens up the river walks to the north, but the best of intown Atlanta lies along the BeltLine.

Where to Stay

Every hotel below has been inspected and ranked, and you can compare them side by side on our ranked dog friendly hotels in Atlanta page.

Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead leads the city with an A, last certified in September 2025, and meets the Roch Dog Friendly Standard. It is a five star house of 125 rooms on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, and most of those rooms take dogs. A dog bed, food and water bowls and complimentary treats are waiting, dogs may join you in the lounge, and there is a garden on site with public green space close by. The team will suggest walking routes and can arrange a dog walker, the hotel runs dog activities and events, keeps details of an emergency vet to hand and supports pet charities.

Also on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta holds a C and also meets the Standard. Most of its 747 rooms are open to dogs. Up to two dogs can share a room, dogs up to 70 lb are accepted, and the room comes with a bed, bowls, treats and a toy. Dogs are welcome in the lounge, the staff have been trained to look after canine guests, they will point you to the best walks, and a settled dog may be left in the room while you go out.

On historic Ponce de Leon Avenue, Hotel Clermont holds a C and meets the Standard. The hotel has a lobby cafe brewing coffee from seven in the morning, a French American brasserie called Tiny Lou's and a rooftop bar with views of the Atlanta skyline. There is no weight limit here, and dogs get a bed, bowls and free treats, can come into the lounge and may be left in the room.

Downtown on Peachtree Street, the Ellis Hotel holds a D. Most rooms take dogs, dogs may sit with you in the lounge and on the terrace, and a dog may be left alone in the room.

Eat and Drink

The best places to take a dog in Atlanta are the brewery patios and beer gardens, most of them on or near the BeltLine, and every one below says on its own pages that dogs are welcome.

New Realm Brewing sits right on the Eastside Trail in the Old Fourth Ward, a restaurant and brewery with local ingredients, its own beer and a dog friendly outdoor space.

On the BeltLine in the West End, Wild Heaven West End has what it calls one of Atlanta's best patios, sitting right on the trail, with an outdoor bar and a kitchen cooking the original recipes from the old Eats restaurant. Its patio is dog friendly and all ages are welcome.

Close by in the West End, Monday Night Brewing's Monday Night Garage is its barrel ageing and souring brewery, with a taproom of more than twenty beers along the BeltLine. Well behaved, leashed dogs are welcome on its taproom patios.

In Summerhill, Halfway Crooks Beer is a full service brewpub with a cosy bier cafe, a biergarten and an open air rooftop bar. The biergarten and the rooftop are both dog friendly, and there are no reservations, so arrive early on a warm weekend.

In Benteen Park, Red's Beer Garden is a neighbourhood watering hole known for its hot dogs and self serve craft beer. Dogs stay out of the building but are welcome in the outdoor beer garden; follow the concrete path through the bamboo along the south side of the building.

For an evening when the dog plays as hard as you relax, Fetch Park in the Old Fourth Ward is an off leash dog park with food and drink, shade, water stations and a dog wash, open from seven in the morning until ten at night. People get in free; dogs need a $15 day pass or a membership and must be registered in advance, with proof of their vaccinations. Sunday evenings bring live jazz.

Walks and Parks

The city's rule is set out in its park use rules: every pet must be on a leash in a city park except in designated areas, owners must clean up, and parks are open from six in the morning until eleven at night.

The Atlanta BeltLine is the obvious first walk. Its trails are shared with cyclists and runners, so slower traffic keeps to the right, and its trail rules, set by city ordinance, say every pet must be on a leash. New Realm sits on the Eastside Trail in the Old Fourth Ward, and Wild Heaven and Monday Night Garage are on the BeltLine in the West End.

Piedmont Park is the great green space of Midtown, and its dog parks lie under the Park Drive bridge, beside the Education Garden and the Six Springs Wetlands: three acres where dogs run off the lead, with separate enclosures for large dogs of 30 lb and over and for small dogs, shade, water spigots and a self service dog wash. Dogs must wear a collar and ID tag and be licensed and vaccinated, no owner may bring more than three, and puppies under 16 weeks stay out. Swimming in Lake Clara Meer is not allowed for dogs or people.

Freedom Park is the city's largest linear park, 130 acres with more than eight miles of paths connecting historic intown neighbourhoods. The Freedom Barkway, at 523 Highland Avenue, is one of Atlanta's eight official off leash dog parks, alongside Piedmont Park, South Bend, Renaissance Park, Walker Park, Kirkwood, Mozley Park and Melvin Drive.

In Buckhead, where the Waldorf and the InterContinental stand, PATH400 is a 5.2 mile greenway through the heart of the district for walkers and cyclists. It calls itself a dog friendly trail and has pet stations along the way.

For a wilder morning, drive north to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, where the National Park Service welcomes pets on the park trails. Dogs must be on a lead of six feet or shorter at all times, even in the water, and may not be left unattended.

A Day Out

Start the morning at the Piedmont Park dog parks, then head for the Eastside Trail and an early lunch outside at New Realm, which opens at eleven.

In the afternoon, take the car to the West End and walk a stretch of the Southwest Trail, finishing on the patio at Wild Heaven or at Monday Night Garage nearby. In the evening, Fetch Park in the Old Fourth Ward is open until ten, so your dog can play off the lead while you sit with a drink.

Good to Know

Atlanta's leash law is enforced: a dog stays on the lead in every city park, on every trail and in public spaces, except inside the eight official off leash dog parks, and the city's Leash Up ATL page warns that police will cite owners caught with a dog off the lead. Pets are not allowed in parks during the city's permitted Class A, B and C festivals, nor in the lake or on the tennis courts, ballfields or playgrounds at Piedmont Park. Summers are hot, so walk early and late. At the breweries and beer gardens above, dogs are welcome outdoors, on the patios, the rooftop and in the gardens, rather than inside. Waldorf Astoria charges $150 per stay with no deposit, accepts dogs up to 25 lb and does not allow a dog to be left alone in the room. InterContinental Buckhead charges $100 per stay and Hotel Clermont $75 per stay, both without a deposit. The Ellis charges $100 a night, takes dogs up to 35 lb, and you bring your own bed and bowls.