Dog Friendly City Guide: Orlando, USA

Most people know Orlando by its theme parks, but a dog sees a different city. Orlando is built around lakes, dozens of them, and the city has wrapped paths and lawns round many of them, so a morning walk here means water, live oaks hung with Spanish moss and herons on the shoreline. Away from the resort corridor the neighbourhoods are relaxed and leafy, the neighbourhood breweries keep covered patios, and the dog under the table is a normal sight. The kindest months for a dog are late autumn to spring, when the mornings are cool enough for a long lap of a lake and the afternoons are made for a patio.

Getting There With a Dog

Arriving from abroad, your dog has to meet the rules of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they depend on where it has been. A dog that has spent the last six months only in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries must appear healthy on arrival, be at least six months old, carry a microchip a universal scanner can read, and travel with a receipt for a CDC Dog Import Form. A dog that has been in any high-risk country for dog rabies in that time faces stricter requirements, so read the CDC's dog importation pages well before you book.

Orlando International Airport is strict about dogs inside the building. Its own rules say dogs are not permitted in the airport unless they are working dogs or travelling in a carrier approved for the cabin, so keep the carrier closed until you are outside. There are pet relief areas on Level 2 of Terminal A at the east end and of Terminal B at the west end, and in Terminal C next to Gates C238, C241 and C242. Orlando is a driving city, and a car makes the lakes and the outlying dog parks easy to reach.

Where to Stay

Compare all of them on our ranked dog friendly hotels in Orlando.

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel holds a B and is the one to book with a big dog, because there is no weight limit. The hotel sits on the water at Universal, with cobblestone streets and Italian cypress trees modelled on the seaside town of Portofino, and its staff are trained for canine guests. Your dog is welcome on the terrace and in the garden, there is a dedicated dog space, and the team will suggest walking routes. Bowls, free treats, toys and poo bags are supplied, dog food is sold on site, and a settled dog may be left in the room. The fee is $150 a stay, and two dogs may share a room.

Universal's Hard Rock Hotel also holds a B and also has no weight limit. Dogs are welcome on the terrace, in the lounge and in the garden, there is a dedicated dog space, and dog walking and dog sitting can be arranged, which is the answer for a day in the parks. Bowls and free treats are supplied, staff are trained for canine guests and will point you to walks, and the fee is $100 a stay.

Celebration Suites, ranked C, sits out on the Kissimmee side of town and is the most sociable of the six. Most rooms take dogs, and a dog of up to 35 pounds is welcome in the bar, the restaurant, the lounge, the terrace and the garden. The fee is $40 a night.

Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport Hotel, also a C, is the easy first or last night, set right at the airport. Most rooms take dogs, up to two of up to 40 pounds, the room comes with a dog bed and bowls, and there is a garden and a dedicated dog space. The fee is $150 a stay.

The DoubleTree Entrance to Universal Orlando and Rosen Shingle Creek, both ranked D, are practical bases, the first at the gates of Universal and the second further down Universal Boulevard. The DoubleTree keeps an emergency vet number at the desk and takes two dogs up to 50 pounds; Rosen Shingle Creek has no weight limit and its own dog trail with poo bags supplied there, and asks that a dog left in the room is crated.

Eat and Drink

Sideward Brewing Co. is the place to start. It is a family owned brewery, taproom and kitchen in downtown Orlando's Milk District that pours from twenty taps, and its own answer to the question is plain: the large covered patio is for all leashed and well behaved pups. It makes an easy afternoon after a lap of Lake Underhill, a short drive east.

South of downtown, RockPit Brewing on West Illiana Street brews beer and distils spirits in a laid back neighbourhood taproom that lists dogs second on its list of things it loves, just after beer. Its staff page introduces the first bartender you are likely to meet as a dog lover who will ask to pet yours, and the welcome is family friendly too, so it suits a mixed party.

Downtown, Craft & Common on East Robinson Street is a coffee shop that does not take itself too seriously, and its own FAQ says well behaved pets are allowed to join you on the patio, with service animals welcome inside. It is a few minutes' walk from Lake Eola, which makes it the natural coffee stop on a morning loop.

In Lake Nona, Boxi Park is built out of twelve repurposed shipping containers holding kitchens and bars, with volleyball courts and a stage for live music. Its own pages put it simply: bring the dog and the kids, and its home page bills the park as a pup's paradise. It can be busy and loud on music nights, so a calm dog will enjoy it most.

In Winter Park, Hamilton's Kitchen at The Alfond Inn lets four legged friends join guests on its outdoor patio, which makes it the smart lunch for anyone walking the gardens and lakes north of the city.

Walks and Parks

Lake Eola Park is the heart of downtown, and the sidewalk round the lake runs 0.9 miles, shaded in places by old oaks, with the fountain in the middle and the swan boats on the water. On Sundays the Orlando Farmers Market sets up in the park, and the city's themed Sundays include days for dogs.

To the east, Lake Underhill Park covers 8.8 acres on the lake's southern bank, with a paved path of about 1.3 miles round the lake including the bridge. It is quieter than Eola and close to the Milk District breweries.

North of the city, Mead Botanical Garden in Winter Park opens 47 acres of trails, boardwalks and gardens free of charge from 8am to dusk, and dogs are welcome on a leash. Nearby, Lake Baldwin Park, long known as Fleet Peeples Park, is where Winter Park lets dogs run off the lead, inside the designated fenced area during the posted hours.

When a dog needs to run in town, Orange County runs fenced dog parks across the area. Cypress Grove Park on Holden Avenue pairs its dog park with a loop round the lake, Barber Park on Gatlin Avenue is a short drive south east of downtown, and Dr. Phillips Community Park on Buenavista Woods Boulevard is the one Rosen Shingle Creek's own listing points its guests to. For a flat walk on the lead, the first mile of the county's Shingle Creek Trail runs along the creek from Sand Lake Road south to Destination Parkway, west of John Young Parkway.

A Day Out

Start early with coffee from Craft & Common and take it round Lake Eola while the light is low and the path is quiet; on a Sunday the farmers market will be setting up. Drive east to Lake Underhill for a second, calmer lap, then settle on the covered patio at Sideward for lunch and a pint in the Milk District.

Give the dog the hottest hours to rest, then head north in the late afternoon to Mead Botanical Garden, where the shade and boardwalks make an easy evening walk, and finish on the patio at Hamilton's Kitchen in Winter Park. On a music night, Boxi Park in Lake Nona is the livelier alternative.

Good to Know

Orange County's dog park rules apply in every county dog park: all dogs must have and display current licences and tags, owners must carry a leash at all times and stay inside the fence within sight and call of their dog, dogs are leashed on the way in and out, and female dogs in heat and sick dogs are not allowed. No food is allowed inside, disposal bags are provided, and an aggressive dog must leave at once. In Winter Park, the city ordinance keeps dogs on a leash in every other part of its parks, on the lead in the Lake Baldwin car park, and out of picnic areas, shelters and restrooms. Florida heat and humidity are hard on dogs for much of the year, so walk early and late, carry water, and keep the patio afternoons for the shade.