The Ultimate Dog Friendly Guide to Charlottesville, VA
Dogs Can Enjoy Cville Too
Anyone who has ever talked to me knows how obsessed I am with my dog Ollie. If I could bring him everywhere with me I would. Luckily, I live in a very dog friendly city where that’s an option a lot of the time. I do it frequently and I am especially excited to bring him out and about as the days get longer and the weather warms up. Here are some of the spots I will be taking him!
Dog Friendly Restaurants in Cville
For a lot of restaurants, if they offer outdoor seating they usually allow well behaved dogs. Three of my favorite spots for bringing dogs are Beer Run, Firefly and Tonic. All three offer outdoor seating, water bowls and have staff members who go absolutely crazy for dogs. They are also three very different vibes. Beer Run is for your beer lovers (no shock there), Firefly is vegan/vegetarian friendly, and Tonic is perfect for date night with their craft cocktails and farm to table cuisine.
Dog Friendly Breweries in Cville
As with restaurants, the breweries with outdoor seating are usually dog friendly and one of my favorites – Three Notch’d – has a heated tent year round. Three Notch’d is a good option if you want a restaurant setting. But I also like to take Ollie to Random Row and Starr Hill @ Dairy Market. Both spots have outdoor seating when the weather permits. If you’re looking for food with your beer, Random Row serves Billy Pie Pizza (delicious) and Starr Hill has a lot of different food options thanks to its location in the Dairy Market. It’s important to note dogs are only allowed outside at these locations since they serve food.
Dog Friendly Distilleries in Cville
Vitae and Silverback Distilleries are both very cool but very different dog friendly options. Vitae is located on the Downtown Mall, so it’s a fun spot to visit if you want to have a pre dinner cocktail with your pup before heading to a dog friendly spot for dinner. You can opt to do a flight to try all of their liquors or you can have a craft cocktail. If you are looking to head outside of Cville proper Silverback is located in Afton Virginia near a ton of wineries and breweries. You can choose to visit their tasting room for a flight or cocktail with a winery stop along the way. It is important to note both distilleries comply with ABC regulations, meaning there is a limit of 3 ounces/person/day.
Dog Friendly Wineries in Cville
With so much land, it’s not surprising wineries are typically dog friendly as long as your furry friend is kept on a leash. Some tasting rooms will also allow pups inside. But that usually depends on whether or not they serve food. A nice combo I like to do is Veritas Vineyard paired with Flying Fox. These are sister wineries with very different vibes; Veritas has the typical views and environment you would anticipate from a Virginia Winery and is a nice spot for sitting outside. Flying Fox on the other hand has a bit more of a quirky Wes Anderson feel. And, while their outside space isn’t as picturesque, there is still lovely outdoor seating and dogs are allowed in their tasting room. While Ollie has yet to experience Flying Fox they were lovely to my dog Buster and it was one of his favorite spots.
The big takeaway is that Charlottesville is definitely a great spot for dog lovers and a place where dog friendly options abound – and this isn’t even counting all of the dog parks and hikes you can do! If you aren’t sure whether or not a spot welcomes dogs you can usually find this information easily on their website. I hope your dog will love exploring Cville as much as Ollie does!
Cheers and happy eating!
