Southern Delaware is Pet Friendly The beautiful beaches of Southern Delaware are not just for humans to enjoy and with the dog days of summer just around the corner, it’s simple to include your four-legged family member in all the fun! Delaware beaches have it all from pet friendly hotels and restaurants to parks and beaches for your pup to run. In this article we’ll highlight our famous coastal beach towns of historic Lewes (pronounced LOO-IS), Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island. The ocean view coastline is about 25 miles from historic Lewes to Fenwick Island, which makes it a perfect length to explore all of our dog-friendly offerings! WHERE TO STAY: Let’s start with where you can stay with your pet. There are many, many pet friendly accommodations ranging from Lewes to Fenwick Island. Keep in mind that some have certain restrictions such as limited availability, size restrictions and added fees so be sure to contact each location to confirm their pet policy and availability. Lewes Pet-Friendly Accommodations: An Inn By The Bay Bed & Breakfast: 302-757-9609 aninnbythebay Hotel Rodney: 800-824-8754 hotelrodneydelaware The Inn at Canal Square: 888-644-1911 theinnatcanalsquare The King’s Inn: 302-645-6438 kingsinnlewes Lazy L at Willow Creek: 302-644-7220 lazyl.net Red Mill Inn: 302-645-9736 lewes/redmillinn Rehoboth Beach Pet-Friendly Accommodations: AmericInn Lodge & Suites: 800-634-3444 derooms Atlantis Inn: 800-245-2112 atlantisinn-rehoboth BEDazzled Bed & Breakfast and Bewitched Bed & Breakfast: 302-226-9482 rehobothbandb The Breakers Hotel & Suites: 800-441-8009 thebreakershotel Canalside Inn: 866-412-2625 canalside-inn-rehoboth The Homestead at Rehoboth Bed & Breakfast: 302-226-7625 homesteadatrehoboth Lighthouse Inn: 302-226-0407 lighthouseinn.net Shore Inn: 302-227-8487 shoreinn Silver Lake Guest House: 302-226-2115 silverlakeguesthouse Sleep Inn & Suites: 302-645-6464 rehobothsleepinn Dewey Beach Pet-Friendly Accommodations: Atlantic Oceanside Suites & Efficiencies: 800-422-0481 atlanticoceanside Bellbuoy Inn: 302-227-6000 bellbuoyinn Best Western Gold Leaf: 800-422-8566 bestwesterngoldleaf Hyatt Place Dewey Beach: 888-216-2801 hyattplacedeweybeach Sea Esta Motel (three locations): 800-436-6591 seaesta Fenwick Island Pet-Friendly Accommodations: Sands Motel and Apts.: 302-539-7745 sandsmotelfenwick HOW TO GET HERE: Pet Friendly Transportation The Cape May-Lewes Ferry is the way to go! The beautiful 85-minute, 17-mile trip from Cape May, New Jersey drops you off right in beautiful, historic Lewes. Pets are welcome on all exterior decks aboard all Cape May-Lewes Ferry vessels. They do have a policy that your pet must remain on a leash, under control at all times and stay off of the seats and benches. Don’t forget that if you need to leave your pet in your vehicle, allow for temperature and air circulation conditions. Keep in mind that summer temperatures in a car can reach around one-hundred fifty degrees in a matter of minutes! WHAT TO DO: Coastal Delaware has three State Parks (Cape Henlopen, Delaware Seashore and Fenwick Island) and over 25 miles of beautiful beaches to explore, however each town and park has different pet policies in place. Here is some helpful information: State Park Pet Policy: Pets are allowed in our seashore state parks, but Delaware State Law prohibits them from all swimming and sunbathing beaches from May 1 to September 30. Park rules and regulations also restrict pets from areas such as surfboarding and sailboarding beaches and shorebird nesting areas. For the safety of our visitors both human and wildlife, the picnic areas, nature trails, bird nesting areas and park buildings are closed to pets year-round. Pets are allowed in areas designated for surf fishing vehicles but must remain on a leash. Below is a link to a handy map of state park pet beaches and access points, you’ll see that quite a large area of our state park beaches are open to leashed-pets year-round! Make sure you print this out and keep it readily available in your vehicle. destateparks/downloads/maps/pets.pdf Please visit destateparks/rules/pets.asp for additional details and important information. Township Pet Policies: The general rule is that from May 1-September 30 dogs are not allowed on beaches and boardwalks, dogs must remain leashed at all times and you must clean up after your pet. This applies for all beach towns however there are some specific rules as mentioned below. I do suggest that you call each township office to confirm what rules are in place prior to your trip. Lewes allows dogs on the beach year-round however during the summer months dogs are not allowed on the beach from 8:00am to 6:30pm. Dewey Beach allows dogs on the beach year-round however during the summer months dogs are not allowed on the beach from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Dogs must be licensed with the Town (may be obtained at Town Hall or at iDewey Visitor Center.) Various licenses are available and range from $35 to $5. Additional information can be found here: townofdeweybeach/index.cfm?fuseaction=trees.pageDetails&p=255-20-1799 WHERE TO SHOP: There are numerous tax-free pet stores and boutiques along the coast of Delaware. All of these shops are pet-friendly so make sure you bring your pup to pick out their favorite locally made dog treats! Visit DJ’s Pet Depot on Coastal Highway in Lewes, Critter Beach on Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach and Yuppy Puppy on Garfield Parkway in Bethany Beach! WHAT TO EAT: If you want to bring your pup along for lunch or dinner, try visiting a few of the many pet-friendly, human food establishments along the Delaware Coast. All pet friendly restaurants are outdoor deck or patio seating. Please check with each restaurant before bringing your pup to ensure they are accepting dogs that day. Often if a restaurant becomes busy, there are limited areas for dogs to lay or relax. Make sure you bring a spare water bowl and some pet food to ensure your pup isn’t drooling over the surrounding humans’ food. Lewes: Gilligan’s Waterfront Restaurant and Bar: gilliganswaterfront Irish Eyes Pub and Restaurant: irisheyespub Rehoboth: Arena’s Deli: arenasdeliandbar Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats: dogfish Grotto Pizza (Rehoboth Avenue location only): grottopizza/locations/rehoboth-ave-de/ Hobos: myhobos Dewey: Ed’s Chicken and Crabs: 302-227-9484 Sharkey’s Grill: sharkysgrill Woody’s East Coast Bar and Grill: deweybeachbar DOG-FRIENDLY EVENTS: Since the summer months at the beach can be a bit hot, coastal Delaware offers a few dog events in the Spring and Fall. Please be sure to join us! Bark on the Boards Dog Walk: October in Rehoboth Beach Seawitch Pet Parade: October in Rehoboth Beach Greyhounds Reach the Beach: October in Dewey Beach Springtime for Greyhounds: April in Dewey Beach Contributed by Lisa Iszard, owner of Tumbleweed & Eddie’s Natural Pet Treat Company located in Fenwick Island, Delaware. Tumbleweed & Eddie’s uses ingredients from local farms and fisherman and their products can be found at various pet stores and boutiques. For more information visit tumbleweedandeddies - See more at: visitsoutherndelaware/recreation/southern-delaware-pet-friendly#sthash.gLy16gRZ.dpuf
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:02:29 +0000