naturalpet
and in the sand and surf, I’m sure you will agree that it’s the best $6.50 you’ve ever spent. For more information about Fort de Soto Park visit:
fortdesoto.com. Second place goes to Sombrero Beach in Marathon.
This beach and park is free (excluding the cost of getting to Marathon). It’s crowded on holidays and weekends and dogs must be on a leash, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying this beautiful place. Sombrero Beach Road deadends at parking spots along a lovely park where you will fi nd a path around a playground, covered picnic tables with cooking grills, volleyball courts, restrooms and poopy scoopy stations. Several walkways provide direct access to the beach. Go easily from car to park to beach in any order you prefer at Sombrero Beach. If you want your dog to have some time off-leash in
Dog-Friendly BEACHES in Florida
by Gretchen Staab, Owner of Dawg Swim, Orlando A
t most Florida beaches you will see a sign “No Dogs Allowed.” It’s easier to fi nd a dog-friendly house for rent or hotel room. Now there are lots of dog-friendly
restaurants and businesses. Dog Parks are also becoming more common, but few are close to the ocean. Dog-friendly beaches are still hard to fi nd. My three dogs and I have visited four dog-friendly beaches.
First place goes to Fort De Soto Park in Tierra Verde. Second place, Sombrero Beach in Marathon. Third and fourth places go to our least favorites: Key West Dog Beach and Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna Beach. The best, hands down, is Fort De Soto Park. This park has
won numerous awards for being among the best beaches in Florida and has one dog-friendly beach. Here, your dog is allowed to be off leash! From the parking area, it’s only a few steps to a beautiful dog park (and rest rooms for humans). Enter the small or large dog area and you will fi nd the same things, a large grassy area, poopy-scoopy stations and a bathing and watering station. After walking through the dog park, arrive at the back gate, a few steps away from the beach where you and your dog can enjoy the ocean together. You have to spend a little bit of money to get there. Recently I paid $1.50 for toll roads and an entry fee of $5.00 per car. Once inside the park, you and your dog can stay all day for free. After seeing your dog romp and play in the park
28 Central Florida natural awakenings
Marathon, there is a very nice dog park located on 75th Street. Last time I was there, they had not installed water, so bring your own and enjoy. If you drive to Key West, you have to go through Marathon, so I recommend visiting Sombrero Beach along the way. The dog beach in Key West is hard to fi nd, small and usually crowded. While there, the best place to take your dog is Higgs Beach Dog Park at 1000 Atlantic Blvd. It’s across the street from the beach, but it’s a great park and the ocean breeze is delightful. Also Smathers Beach isn’t too far from downtown Key West and is a nice place to walk your pet. Although dogs are not allowed on the beach, you can stroll along the sidewalk and enjoy an unobstructed view of the ocean and a fabulous sunset without the crowded chaos at Mallory Square. Last on the list is Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna Beach. Some people enjoy this dog-friendly beach—we did not. It’s a long walk and the beach is very small and crowded. We tried to fi nd other beaches but were overheated before we reached them. We’re not the only ones. As we turned back, we passed people with dogs, all sweating and panting, who asked, “Is it much further?” Back in our car, relishing the cold water from our cooler and air conditioning on high, I thought “Thank goodness we didn’t come in the summer!” We hope you and your dog will investigate dog-friendly beaches. Gretchen and the dogs at Dawg Swim would love to hear about your experiences or recommendations for other places we may have missed. Contact us by emailing:
followurbliss@outlook.com or calling Gretchen at 407-982- 9415. Keep us at Natural Awakenings posted, too! Email:
naturalawakenings@earthlink.net
photo by Sharon Nina
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