Hi everyone,
My buddy Bre and I love a good road trip! On this road trip we brought Bocefus & Sofie along to explore with us. It made the trip a lot more fun, but also a lot more planning and work. We had to find all of our lodging ahead of time, where as last summer we just stopped when we found a fun spot or got tired of driving. Not only did we have to plan our lodging ahead, but also any activities that we might want to do, and restaurants we might like to try while in each location.
Our road trip started in St. Augustine. What a great city! We got an Airbnb slightly out of town, but it had a view of the intercoastal and a pool. It was only a 10 minute drive into the city, but parking is tough downtown. We explored the town the first day and had a yummy lunch at The Backyard at Meehan's. Then, we did a little sight seeing and shopping...most stores are fine with your furry friend. Bo and Sofie shared a dog donut at Peace, Love & Little Donuts.
On day 2 in St. Augustine, the weather was rainy on and off, but we were still able to explore the fort, walk on Vilano beach, and check out the lighthouse. The highlight of this day was the sight seeing boat tour. It was very dog friendly and the crew was great! We got to see all the sights of St. Augustine from the water and learn a lot of the history. After our boat cruise, we went to lunch at Harry's Seafood Bar & Grill. They have an adorable courtyard that is shaded with big trees. The food and the atmosphere were great. We explored a little more, then it was time to go home and get packed up for our early morning departure.
Day 3 started with a trip to the tire shop unfortunately, but Dan at Tire's Plus got the car all fixed up quickly and we were on the road again. We left St. Augustine and headed to Jekyll Island. We explored the island and walked around on driftwood beach, which was crowded but really beautiful. After Jekyll Island we headed to St. Simons Island. It was very crowded so we didn't stop for lunch as planned, but we did get to see the lighthouse and drive over some really beautiful suspension bridges. We left St. Simmons and headed toward Charleston. Along the way we stopped at PetSmart and found the cutest hats for the dogs on clearance and made a lot of people laugh when Bo and Sofie modeled their new accessories. When we got to Charleston, we discovered that our Airbnb was not as described in the listing at all!!! We ended up in a hotel in nearby Mount Pleasant, which wasn't ideal, but okay for 1 night. We found Charleston to be extremely crowded and a bit much for the dogs.
Day 4 started very early as we had a long drive ahead of us. We headed west to the NC mountains and the adorable town of Brevard. We stayed in an amazing craftsman home built in the early 1900's. It was gorgeous, the host was amazing, and it even had a fenced in yard for the dogs. Once we got unpacked and settled, we headed to a very cool brewery (Oskar Blues) for lunch and beverages. It was super dog friendly...dogs at almost every table, and everyone was super nice. We also went on a walk on the trail near Oskar Blues, which was a cool paved path where the dogs could burn some energy. We really enjoyed this little town.
Day 5 was a great one! Our drive wasn't too far to our new Airbnb...a cabin on a lake, in the woods, in Lake Toxaway. It was a spacious family cabin and the dogs loved it! We hiked nearby Rainbow Falls (Gorges State Park), which wore us all out, but the views were incredible. The dogs loved being on the trail and jumping/climbing all around. After our hike, we went to Whiteside Brewing Co. in Cashiers for lunch. It's a great spot with yummy food and brews...again very dog friendly. We ended the day with a paddle on the lake...water equipment provided by the hosts. The only part of Lake Toxaway that we didn't like was having to walk the dogs when it is dark because of bears. I'm a Florida girl and don't know a ton about bears, so they definitely make me a little nervous.
We had a bit of a lazy start to day 6 because we had been going none stop since the beginning of the trip. We did some laundry, had a late breakfast, and planned our day. We decided on more hiking in Gorges State Park which included a hike to a little pond in the woods and a short hike to a really beautiful waterfall. After hiking we tried to go to Sapphire Brewing Co., but sadly found it was closed to the public that day. We ended up having a delicious lunch on the patio at Los Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant in Sapphire.
Day 7 was a super busy day! We got up and headed to hike Whiteside Mountain. On the way to our hike, we saw a bear (not a great pic). Bo barked ferociously at the car window, and felt like a tough guy that he scared it away. 😜 Whiteside Mountain is an absolutely amazing hike with gorgeous views! After our hike, we went and explored the adorable town of Highlands and did some shopping. Almost all of the shops allow dogs...some just want you to carry your dog while inside. Once we had finished shopping, we headed to the Ugly Dog Public House (Cashiers) for a late lunch. The dogs enjoyed the courtyard, the food was yummy, and the staff was super friendly.
By day 8 we were starting to get tired and so were the dogs. We packed up early and headed down the mountain and toward Savannah. This was another long day of driving. When we got to Savannah it was too early for our check in, so we decided to head to Tybee Island and check it out. Many restaurants here are dog friendly, but sadly no dogs allowed on the beach. We had lunch at a cute spot over looking the ocean (The Deck Beach Bar & Kitchen), then did a little exploring. Finding there was not a ton to do with the dogs here, we headed to Savannah to do some exploring there. We parked near the river, walked around downtown, visited some of the squares and parks. There were not a lot of places with outdoor seating, so unfortunately not a lot of places we were able to go with the dogs. We decided to head to our airbnb. It was an adorable little studio in the historic district with a bee theme. It was tiny, but efficient and the hosts were very nice.
Day 9 we were up and out early and headed home. The trip was super fun! We had a lot of laughs, saw a lot of cool things and beautiful vistas, did some awesome hiking, and learned a few things for the next trip.
We found the mountain towns in NC to be by far the most dog friendly places. Most people there have dogs, and bring them everywhere. Bo and Sofie loved the hiking and the open spaces. It was a great trip, and I can't wait until next summer's adventure!
