Winter can be the hardest time to get out and do things with your pup. It’s a difficult time for us because all three of us like to get out in the world and do things and tend to go a little stir crazy when we can’t due to weather.
Our trip to the Cincinnati area was the perfect cure for those winter blues as there are SO many places in the region that allow you to bring your dog along and hang out inside.
In planning our trip, I found this amazing list online of many different dog-friendly spots with information about what neighborhood the business is in and if they allow dogs inside or outside only. Using that, I picked a few places I wanted to hit and we went from there.
We started at Roebling Point Books and Coffee in Covington, an adorable little book store with a coffee shop up front. After peaking our head in to make sure we were allowed to bring Magnus inside, we were greeted by another dog who hangs out at the shop and Magnus was given a treat. We got our drinks and took a quick look around. The book store has different rooms filled with books along with seating nooks and gathering areas. We settled into the kids area where we had a table and chairs to ourselves to enjoy our drinks and plan the rest of our day.
From there, we headed to the Westwood neighborhood of Cincinnati to visit Wooden Hill, a small retail store that welcomes dogs. I was excited to learn there were retail shops that allowed Magnus but was a little worried he may knock something over or disturb merchandise (he didn’t, thankfully). The owner was very welcoming and great to talk to. She explained that Wooden Hill features a collection of work from around 80 local artists. I highly recommend checking it out with or without your pooch!
We continued with our retail visits, making a stop into Homage in Over-the-Rhine next. The store has an awesome collection of unique and fun Ohio apparel. Magnus was welcomed in and given a treat and then able to roam the store with us. Even though we aren’t Ohio residents, we enjoyed their selection of shirts and other clothing paying tribute to the things that make the state unique.
Around lunch time, we realized our options might be limited because it was freezing and we had Magnus with us. No patios, please. So, we went over to Queen City Radio, also in the Over-the-Rhine area, for a beer and some lunch from the food truck outside. Unfortunately, the food truck was not open yet (I will get to lunch next!) but we did get to have a couple beers and hang out inside with Magnus in a comfortable seating area while we planned our next move.
Okay, lets get real here. Life with a dog isn’t always pretty. And sometimes on travel days like this one, your lunch is sharing a pizza box as plates in the car. Which we had no problem with, especially because it was Goodfellas. Again, if it had been warmer outside, we would have had no problem at all getting something to eat because there are TONS of dog-friendly patios in the area (letting dogs inside of a regular restaurant, outside of service dogs, is a big no-no for health reasons).
Following our glamourous lunch, we went to one of my very favorite breweries. I have always been a big fan of Braxton Brewing in Covington but this was the first time Magnus went with us. I knew it was dog-friendly, as many breweries in the region are, and they have board games and beer! Can’t get much better than that. We enjoyed our drinks, played a few rounds of Scattergories, and met some new dog friends. I always highly recommend Braxton for the reasons listed above and because all of their beers are good and they are always trying fun and interesting things with their brews.
Of course, there were many other dog-friendly establishments we really wanted to visit but timing and location issues restricted us. We will be back to hit up places like the Video Archive, Corkopolis, Collective Espresso, and many more. When we do, we will update this post for you all to hear about our experiences! In the meantime, make sure you check out the list I used to see which dog-friendly places you and your pup can visit.
Because we packed in so much activity and want to share information about lodging as well, we decided to stay the night in the area. So we got on Airbnb and found the perfect dog-friendly accommodations for us!
We ended up staying in a small guest bungalow on the property of Brianza Winery in northern Kentucky that was great. The property is around 30 minutes from Cincinnati and allows dogs to stay the night for a $20 fee. This was great for us as we love to visit wineries and were able to drop off our stuff and get Magnus settled and fed before heading up to the tasting room where they had live music and a spaghetti dinner available! We really enjoyed staying at Brianza Winery. You can find the place where we stayed here.
There are also many other dog-friendly Airbnb options available in the area (more available to further out you book, of course) and there are also dog-friendly hotels. Trip Advisor has a list of those hotels available here.
Whether you are visiting from near or far, the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky area is a wonderful treat for people who want to bring their dogs with them on their next adventure!
Wigglebutt Wanderlust 