Dog Friendly Vacations Arkansas – Skip to main content Paws Down best places to travel with pets – Hot Springs, Arkansas | Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas
Hot Springs offers pet-friendly accommodations and plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy with your fur baby!
Dog Friendly Vacations Arkansas
After spending most of 2010 on the road with a 40 pound dog, my husband and I have come to love and appreciate outdoor dining, dog parks and grooming. – dogs. We were thrilled when we got home to find that Hot Springs was opening the first off-leash dog park. Since then, the city has continued to grow by leaps and bounds – throwing out the welcome mat to all visitors, including four-legged ones. Below are some of the best activities for you and your friends, as well as recommendations for places to stay and eat. When booking the accommodation, be sure to inform the reception that you are bringing a dog and ask about their pet policy so that you are not surprised by any charges or rules.
10 Dog-friendly Activities In The Ozarks
Walk to waterfalls, mountain views, or breweries! The Ouachita Mountains around Hot Springs are home to hundreds of miles of trails that lead to some pretty spectacular spots. In addition to the National Park, Hot Springs borders the Ouachita National Forest and has several state parks in its vicinity. Dogs are allowed on all 26 miles of trails in Hot Springs National Park, and there are trails that lead in and out of town. I like to start at the Fountain Trailhead and walk from North Mountain to Gulfa Gorge Campground. There you and your dog can rest and cool off with a dip in the stream. After you return, enjoy a bite to eat or a pint of frozen beer at one of the city’s dog-friendly restaurants. It’s just over three miles round trip, depending on your route. The trails are well marked and the map is available here.
Choose one of the city’s dog-friendly hotels for easy access to parks and trails. Happy Hollow is a cool, retro hotel that reopened under new ownership in 2015, after extensive renovations. It is located around the Fountain Trailhead which connects to a trail that goes around the mountain. Before you leave, fill up your water bottle at the Happy Hollow cold spring near the hotel.
Downtown boasts a variety of restaurants with outdoor patios and a dog-friendly beer garden. Choose from Grateful Head Pizza Oven and Beer Garden, Rolando’s Restaurante or Steinhaus Keller. And be sure to visit the Superior Bathhouse Brewery. This is the first brewery based in a US national park and the first brewery in the world to use thermal spring water as its main ingredient. In addition to delicious beer on tap, Superior serves local root beer and delicious farm-to-table fare using locally sourced ingredients. Best of all, dogs are allowed inside! There is also an outdoor dining area on the lawn.
Let your dog enjoy off-leash play at Hot Springs Bark Park. Open year-round from dawn to dusk, the park has separate sections for large and small dogs, along with agility equipment, bag dispensers, benches and even an old fire hydrant. The dog park is adjacent to Hollywood Park, a beautiful gray city park. Both are located along the Hot Springs Creek Greenway, a paved scenic road that stretches 4.7 miles from the center of the Hot Springs Transportation Depot to its current terminus, just off Golf Links Road. In addition to Bark Park, the trail passes a sculpture park, a farmers market pavilion, a skate park, and the Majestic Park baseball complex. After your dog is good and worn out, you can enjoy a relaxing dinner while he snoozes under the table.
Dog-friendly Guide To Arkansas
Bark Park is centrally located so it is convenient to many parts of the city. The Best Western Winner’s Circle is a short drive away, located directly across the street from the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, with its own on-site dog park. Here, your four-legged friends can use up all their extra energy on a leash just a few steps from your room! You can stay in town and walk to the park via the Hot Springs Creek Greenway. (From the Trailhead Transportation Plaza, the park is just over 1.5 miles.) Or book a vacation rental in one of the city’s neighborhoods and experience what it’s like to live here.
Located on Malvern Ave., Taco Mama is a short drive from Bark Park. (There’s a second “side-town” location on Ouachita Avenue.) The restaurant is owned and operated by Diana Bratton and her husband Shane, who rose to culinary fame with Cafe 1217. Their latest venture features authentic Mexican food. and handmade. I recommend the fish tacos and the margaritas. Both locations have large patios for dog-friendly dining
Your dog’s olfactory system will be on overload with all the sweet smells at Garvan Woodland Gardens. One of Hot Springs’ most popular attractions, the 210-acre botanical garden sits on a peninsula in Lake Hamilton with lake views, delicate flora and fauna, and a towering canopy of pines. There are 4.5 miles of trails, including a 2.7 mile loop through nature reserves and thousands of flowers. The path winds through stone bridges, through cascading ponds and streams, and through flowery labyrinths. Dogs must be on a six-foot lead, and rentals are available if you arrive without one.
Garvan Gardens is close to Catherine’s Landing RV Resort and Lake Catherine State Park. Located on the shores of Lake Catherine, both showcase the natural beauty of Arkansas and are perfect for camping or RVing visitors. Each has pet-friendly cottages and yurts, as well as lake access, boat rentals and hiking trails. (Dogs are not allowed on the state park’s rental boat.) Catherine’s Landing also has two fenced off-leash dog parks, a swimming pool, ziplines and an aerial adventure course.
Seven Pet-friendly Vacation Spots In The Ozarks
Located near Garvan Gardens, Red Oak Fillin’ Station is a Southern-style family restaurant serving barbecue, burgers, fried catfish and more along with homemade sides and dips. There are a few tables outside as well as a takeout window if you want to take your order and enjoy it back at your campsite.
Nothing beats the “dog days of summer” like splashing and playing in our sparkling lake. Lake Hamilton, which hugs the city’s southern border, is one of three man-made lakes built along the Ouachita River – and is one of the most popular in Arkansas with boaters and s -fishermen who travel during the summer. The shores are full of large lake houses, condominiums, hotels, marinas and a handful of restaurants accessible by boat. Boat rentals are plentiful or you can take your own. Hike to Electric Island and enjoy a two-mile nature trail with your pup, or take the whole family. After working up an appetite, dock and have lunch at a restaurant on the lake.
Stay at one of the dog-friendly lakefront hotels, like the completely renovated DoubleTree by Hilton Hot Springs. Formerly the Clarion Resort on Lake Hamilton, it was renamed and received a $20 million renovation in 2019. The hotel has lake view rooms, a pool, lake access and boat docks.
Enjoy expansive lake views and high pub fare at Bubba Brews Sports Pub & Grill. The three-story restaurant has multiple boat docks so you can dock and dine outside on the large patio. Dogs are also allowed in the third floor bar which is open on weekends.
Pet-friendly Bucks County
Whether you’re hiking the trails or hanging out by the lake, don’t be afraid to get your dog dirty. Hot Springs is home to several dog spas, such as Gio’s Paw Spa and Central Bark Dog Spa & Boutique.
The historic Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa is one of the most luxurious hotels in Hot Springs and the largest in Arkansas. With nearly 500 rooms and suites, there’s plenty of room to accommodate fur babies. In fact, there is an entire wing on one floor dedicated to guests traveling with their pets. The hotel has a spa and salon on site, so you can spend your spa day at the hotel or walk to one of the historic baths.
Treat yourself and your pup to a spa day. Afterwards, take a short stroll to Eden, a luxury restaurant located in the historic Hale baths which has recently been renovated and turned into a boutique hotel. And don’t forget dessert … for your dog that is! Treat your dog to a mini puppy cupcake from Fat Bottomed Girl’s Cupcake Shoppe or Smallcakes. Their “pupcakes” are gluten free and vegan, and can be eaten by humans too!
Now is the perfect time to travel with our pups. Not only do they give us unconditional love and support, but they also encourage us to spend more time outside, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. So pack up your dog and head to Spa City for a great time at America’s First
