Your guide to dog-friendly Asheville
We’re lucky enough to live a quick 2-hour trip away from scenic Asheville, NC. Whenever we have a free weekend, we love to pack up our pups and head out for a few days of hiking, eating and imbibing around the Blue Ridge Mountains.
If our dogs are coming with us on vacation, we try to keep them with us everywhere we go. Luckily, lots of places in the Asheville area are dog-friendly. Here are a few of our favorite spots to eat, drink, and enjoy the mountains with our little canine buddies.
Downtown Asheville is great—but don’t sleep on the other neighborhoods in the city. We usually find a pet-friendly AirBNB in West Asheville so we can ditch the car and stroll to our favorite spots. If you’re traveling with or without your furry friends, you’ll want to check out these spots during your next trip to Asheville.
Note: We’ll cover dog-friendly downtown Asheville spots in another post!
Dog-friendly spots inWest Asheville/River Arts District
626 Haywood Rd., Asheville
This popular indoor/outdoor farm-to-table restaurant is one of our favorite brunch spots. It is everyone else’s favorite too—you can expect a wait even if you get there early, but it’s worth it. You can grab a mega-mosa or cup of coffee after you put your name on the waitlist and wander through the restaurant’s tiny gardens or around West Asheville while you wait. They’ll text you when your name is ready.
The outdoor area has plenty of room for you to bring a pup or two to dine with you and the menu has lots of options for meat-eaters, vegans and vegetarians so all will leave happy and full.
395 Haywood Rd., Asheville, NC
This chill local brewery is one of our favorite spots to post up with our pups. You can take your dogs inside with you to order, but we prefer to sit outside for prime people-watching. They don’t have an onsite restaurant, so this is a great place to eat takeout from a restaurant that doesn’t have dog-friendly seating.
Cellarist also had fun non-alcoholic options.
507 Haywood Rd., Asheville
This restaurant is open all day, serving breakfast and coffee in the morning and dinner/late night snacks in the evening. There are lots of vegan and vegetarian options, and the restaurant shares a large heated outdoor space with The Whale beer garden so you can sample a wide variety of local beers. You’re likely to find lots of pups lounging in the large outdoor space at all hours of the day.
428 Haywood Rd., Asheville
This plant and coffee shop has a great variety of fresh cut flowers, houseplants, and pottery at a wide range of prices. Grab a latte and muffin as you browse. Every time we stop in, our pups get offered treats too.
508 Riverview Dr., Asheville
Can’t decide whether you want to hike or explore city? do both by using Asheville’s greenway system. Start your journey at the French Broad River Park and start strolling along the river for a fun afternoon adventure.
As you get your steps in, you’ll find art galleries, coffee shops, breweries of the River Arts District. There is also a dog park for your pups to run off leash. We love stopping by Bottle Riot wine bar (dogs can sit inside!), White Duck Taco, and The Wedge Brewing while walking down the river.
289 Lyman St., Asheville
Nestled between West Asheville and downtown, Pleb Urban Winery is a natural wine drinker’s dream. Sample flights of unique wines made from locally sourced grapes while you grab snacks from food trucks outside. Dogs are allowed inside and out, and there are a bunch of board games and lawn games to choose from as you sip.
Fleetwood’s
289 Lyman St., Asheville
The first time my husband and I (and Poppy) went to Asheville together, we started our adventures at this vintage shop/dive bar/wedding chapel combo. We drank CBD champagne cocktails while applauding as strangers did karaoke in the parking lot out back.
In addition to fun drinks and vintage finds, you can get married at this tiny spot! They have a selection of funky vintage wedding dresses and several elopement packages to choose from, and your pup can be included in the ceremony.