Sit, Sip And Stay With Your Pup In The Salem Region

Traveling with your fuzzy buddy? Salem and the Mid-Willamette Valley roll out the welcome mats —and water bowls — for your four-legged family. From pooch-friendly wineries to comfy outdoor patios and wooded hiking trails, here’s a quick roundup of places to enjoy good times with your pup, and maybe even score a few treats along the way.

3/7/2024

2023 Pet Parade - Silverton

PLAY: HIKES AND DOG PARKS

If you’re in Salem, take your pup for a stroll along the Willamette River on the walking paths encircling Riverfront Park. This urban park also connects to the sprawling Minto-Brown Island Park, which has wooded areas for you and your leashed pup to explore, plus a 30-acre off-leash dog park. If you’re short on time, the Croisan Creek Trail and Skyline Trail are both in South Salem and an easy hike. The 148-acre Keizer Rapids Park offers a fenced off-leash dog park and, about 10 miles north of Salem, Willamette Mission State Park welcomes leashed pets on trails and has an off-leash area near Mission Lake. Southwest of Salem, Independence Dog Park has separate areas for small and big dogs and the Willamette River is right there if your pup likes to swim. Dogs of all sizes and energy levels can run free at the enclosed Central Bark dog park in Dallas, which also has water bowls and picnic tables.

SIP AND SNIFF: PUP-LOVING WINERIES

Nothing’s better than casually savoring an Oregon pinot with your dog by your side. If you feel like exploring a bit, bring your pup and a glass of pinot on a self-guided ‘wiking’ tour at Salem’s Eola Hills Legacy Estate Vineyard. South Salem’s Ankeny Vineyard welcomes your leashed fur baby on its outdoor deck and in the barrel room. At Monmouth’s Airlie Winery, Rocky and Piper are the resident Irish setters who might whisk your pooch away for a splash in the pond. Spend an afternoon at Namaste Vineyards, nestled on the rolling hills outside Dallas, sipping bold reds and soaking up the calm with your four-legged friend. The bucolic Lady Hill Winery up in St. Paul offers shaded outdoor seating for pups and their people, plus a lineup of amazing rosés. If you want someone else to do the driving, The Good Vibes Tour will create a custom tour of wineries and craft breweries for you and your fuzzy crew.

TREATS: POOCH-FRIENDLY EATERIES

You can barely walk a block in the region’s downtown areas without bumping into an amazing restaurant or craft brewery with outdoor seating and water bowls waiting for Fido. Salem, Dallas, Monmouth, Independence and Silverton are home to loads of eateries that welcome leashed dogs. In Monmouth, be sure to pop into Sonny’s Coffee & Plants –a fido-friendly shop named in memory of the owner’s beloved Golden Retriever. Meat eaters, vegans and their pups can grab an outdoor seat at Venti’s Cafe and Beer Vault in downtown Salem. In South Salem, McMenamins Thompson House serves handcrafted beers by the firepit in its pet-friendly outdoor seating area, and Xicha Brewing in West Salem is an excellent place to pair pork tacos with a crisp house-brewed lager in the covered outdoor area. In Mt. Angel, you can sit with your pup on the patio of the Bavarian-inspired Mt. Angel Sausage Company and wash down your Fire Haus Brat with a German beer.

STAY: HOTELS FOR YOU AND FIDO

The Salem area has so much for you and your pup to do, you might want to stay on for a spell. Smack in the heart of downtown Salem, the historic Grand Hotel offers a pup gift basket and the nearby and modern Holman Riverfront Park Hotel also welcomes pets. Convenient to the Salem airport, Best Western Plus Mill Creek Inn caters to dogs and their owners with a bunch of wag-worthy amenities and nearby Home2 Suites and South Salem’s The Hotel Salem are other good choices. The Oregon Garden Resort, located on the edge of Silverton, hosts a slate of pup-friendly rooms and you can take your dog with you to the nearby 80-acre Oregon Garden, a real treat. Southwest of Salem, The Independence Hotel offers easy access to both the Willamette River Trail and the 2-acre Independence Dog Park.

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