Erin

This is our second year bringing our 40-pound mutt to Nags Head and I can't say enough good things. Follow the leash law and you won't have any issues. We found plenty of pups to play with on the beach near Jennet's Pier.

My mutt is terrified of water, but he loves sand. Jockeys Ridge was perfect for him! We went around 9 am before the sand got too hot and I kept him on a 6-foot leash as required. He loved it and even got a pat from an employee there. We'll definitely go back.

This is a great place if your dog loves nature. They were very friendly and even offered me doggie waste bags. But beware -- they charged me $3 for the dog, on top of the $8 admission fee. I didn't see the dog admission fee mentioned on their website.

Although their .gov website says dogs are allowed at Pea Island, we drove 40 minutes only to discover dogs are not allowed on wildlife trails. Huge bummer. There are plenty of other places nearby that are dog-friendly. Try those instead.

As other reviews here have made clear, this national park is not exactly welcoming of dogs. However, we found a motel near the Gatlinburg trail, which is one of two trails in the park that allows dogs. It's a GREAT trail with places to take a dip in the creek, a nice footbridge and some remnants of foundations and hearths. My dog loved the trail, which runs about 4 miles round trip. We went early and found the trail to be largely deserted. We hiked it twice during a two-day stay.

Great doughnuts. They had a nice selection of dog treats, too. They have an outdoor seating area where your dog can join you. The guy behind the counter was very friendly and obviously a dog lover. We were thrilled.