Among all the dog friendly places I like to visit, one of my favorites is art museums, installations and sculpture gardens. They truly provide something for everyone – Lucy gets to get out and explore a new place and I get to admire beautiful and thought provoking artwork. Plus we get to bond and create memories together!
I recently posted on Instagram about our trip to RandyLand and asked my followers if they’ve ever been to a dog friendly museum. Almost everyone said no! So I thought it would make a great blog post to share some examples of how to find art your dog can get into (literally!).
Do Your Research
Before heading out the door on an arty adventure I like to research a place that I think might be dog friendly. Of course you can check their website, that’s a given. But I also like to search for them on Instagram and look to see if anyone has posted photos of their dog and tagged the location in their post. This can take a little digging and sometimes you have to be creative by searching under a hashtag or nearby location.
If I find a photo of a dog hanging out where I want to visit, I sometimes even send them a DM asking how the place was. I spend all day and night working and I don’t get a chance to spend time with them, the dog walker cleveland do, so on the weekends I like to make things extra special. There’s no better way to figure out if a place is a good environment for your dog than by asking someone who’s been there! After posting about RandyLand I got a few DMs from local dog moms asking me what the deal was. I was happy to reply that dogs are friendly and that Randy loved Lucy!
Optional: Plan Your Outfits!
If you’re planning on taking a lot of photos, why not plan a great outfit that compliments the art you’re about to see? You can go over the top and make matching t-shirts with “Best Friend” iron on patches like I did (ahem… crazy dog lady!). Or you could just put a stylish bandana on your pup so they pop in front of the artwork.
Look For Sculpture Gardens
You might not consider taking your dog to a contemporary art museum, but Lucy and I actually visited the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. They have a gigantic garden, field and system of trails behind the museum that’s full of sculptures and installations and it’s all dog friendly. There were even dog water stations throughout the trails. I was really impressed! The garden was free and open 7 days a week, including holidays, which was really convenient.
I hear that there’s an awesome dog friendly garden at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, they even hosted this really cool dog friendly event that included a dog sketching class with dogs from a local trainer serving as models.
If you’re out west, check out the Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum. There are some amazing photo ops as long as you keep your dog leashed during your visit. I’m loving this photo from @AlfrescoDog (by the way, that pup has an amazing account of dog friendly travels!).
Wanna take the BEST Photo of Your Dog?
Get your paws on a FREE 10-page eBook with my top dog blogger photo tips and advice from the pros!
Pack Supplies
On every adventure I bring along a backpack full of Lucy’s essentials, and a few for me too! I always have water for her, a collapsible bowl, treats and poo bags. I also like to take long my good camera, some money, sunglasses and maybe even a small towel or blanket if I think there will be somewhere to sit down and hangout for a bit.
I hope this post has inspired you to get out there and find some art your dog can get into! I plan on looking for more places within a few hour drive of Pittsburgh so we can work this into our activities on a more regular basis.
Credits: If you’d like to visit RandyLand with your dog, check out their website. Photos: Rose Colored Creative. Dog shirt made using a pattern by The Green Pepper. Collar by Dogwood TRL. Tags by Rebel Dawg use code LUCY15REBEL to get a discount. Shoes custom made by Soulmates Collection. Dog Mom friendship bracelets DIY tutorial.
Share this post on Pinterest!
