What's Brewing, Barley?

Last weekend I went to New Orleans with my humans and it was a blast! I’ll share my experiences, recommendations, tips, and tricks below.

The last year has been busy – my parents were busy planning a wedding, getting married, buying a house, and moving. So they haven’t had a vacation (well, except the honeymoon) in a while and were getting the itch to get away (with me, of course). NOLA has always been on the for all of the obvious reasons – it’s unique culture, food, drink, music, and more. It also has a reputation for being dog friendly. So when they saw reasonably priced nonstop flights and hotels, they pulled the trigger.

The flight was a fairly straightforward nonstop flight on Delta from Boston. I’ve covered flying in detail before, so I won’t go into specifics on that here. But I did great! I slept most of it and woke up for the occasional snack. As always, being prepared was key.

New Orleans has Uber Pet options, so since this was a short trip and we’d be in the city, we opted to rely on Uber Pet instead of renting a car and paying to park. Parking isn’t cheap in/around central New Orleans, so unless you’re planning on leaving the city for an extend period of time, it’s not essential to have a car. It was about $45 from the airport to the city center. We never had to wait long for an Uber Pet and the cost wasn’t too much more than a standard Uber.

Much of New Orleans is very walkable. We spent a lot of time exploring the French Quarter, The Garden District, Mid-town, Marigny, etc. on foot. But since I have tiny legs and it was so hot out, packing my Strolee pet stroller was key. It fight perfectly in my parents checked bag. Because it was so hot and this New England dog was not used to it, the stroller was the perfect refuge. I also wore a cooling bandana (this one), always had cold water in my water bottle (I use this one), and my humans used a cool, damp beach towel as bedding in the stroller. Between those things, using Ubers intermittently, and the fact that so many places allowed dogs inside, I managed to do just fine. But without the proper precautions, the heat could be dangerous.

Thanks to the stroller, walking the busier areas was a breeze for this small weenie. I don’t mind crowds or noise, but I do worry about getting stepped on in a busy area. Having the stroller gave me an elevated vantage point and was more visible to other people walking. Strolling down Bourbon St. was a lot of fun!

We knew NOLA was dog friendly, but the city actually exceeded expectations on that front. We stayed at the Magnolia New Orleans and would highly recommend if you’re traveling with your pup. For starters, the location is ideal (5 minute walk to the French Quarter, 2-3 minutes to Canal St.), the rates were competitive, and their pet fee is lower than most places ($75 per pet per stay, not per night). Also, the rooms all have hardwood floors which is great if you are worried about your pup having an accident.

There are tons of resources out there on pet friendly restaurants, bars, etc., and we read through most of them. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to check out everything, and my humans definitely focused on the brewery/bar scene, but most places we tried were great! Here are some dog-friendly highlights:

• Clesi’s Seafood – Outstanding seafood boils with a big, covered patio. Dogs welcome! We got crawfish, shrimp, and a shrimp po-boy and two drinks for under $60. It was fantastic.
• Second Line Brewing – A cool brewery that’s dog friendly inside and out, just a short walk from Clesi’s.
• Lucy’s Retired Surfer Bar – A neat bar/restaurant a short distance from the French Quarter with a dog menu. Dogs allowed inside!
• Miel Brewing – Miel has a super space which allows dogs inside and out. They regularly do crawfish boils and host neat events. The beer’s fantastic too!
• Tchoup Yard – Walking distance from Miel Brewing, Tchoup Yard has a massive outdoor space and outdoor bar. The food is pretty solid too (we had the crunch wrap supreme which could feed a family).
• Dog House NOLA – An off-leash dog park/bar. This place is new, and super cool. There’s an off-leash dog park area with sprinklers, slip and slides, and little pools. It also has a full bar and kitchen. The drinks were good (my humans say), and I had a blast making new friends. You need to submit proof of vaccinations ahead of time – this can be done online.

Pro tip: If you’re walking by a restaurant or bar and aren’t sure if they’re dog friendly, just ask them! “Dog friendly” looks different in different places. Up here in New England, the rules are pretty strict. What we experienced in New Orleans was a much more fluid/laid back attitude about dogs. There are a few places we read were explicitly not dog friendly. However, when we walked by and asked, they said “sure! come on in!” This includes a couple of landmark restaurants in the Quarter, some smaller cafes, etc. In most cases, we were there at quieter times and I doubt they’d let us in if it was busy. But this is the most relaxed I’ve seen a city in the U.S. be with its rules on dogs in restaurants.

The famous street cars are dog-friendly and easy to manage with a small dog in a carrier (like me!). I’d suggest getting a Jazzy Pass which gives you unlimited rides for a certain period of time. A day pass is $3. Can’t beat that. The app made it super easy.

There were a couple of lowlights. For starters, the weather was rough. It rained very hard for extended periods of times each day we were there. Tropical showers are normal, but this was extreme. We still managed even though we got wet. It did keep us from doing some of the more outdoorsy things on our itinerary like Audubon Park and City Bark (which you also need to register for several days in advance). This also made us realize that leafy green space is somewhat limited in the city center/French Quarter. Some of the nicer squares (like Jackson) don’t allow dogs inside the fenced area. Woldenberg Park (along the river, by the Steamboat Natchez) ended up being our favorite green respite close to the hotel. In hindsight, we would have planned better for this. But overall, it was a great time and I’d highly recommend NOLA for a trip with your pup!