Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Charleston

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Weight limits

This is the thing that decides where you stay. Hotel Bennett, Grand Bohemian and Hotel Bella Grace all cap at 25 lbs. The Ryder and The Palmetto are 40 lbs, The Ansonborough 45, Mills House and both Charleston Harbor Resort properties 50, Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant 70, Charleston Marriott 75. The Charleston Place, Wentworth Mansion and The Restoration publish no limit, and John Rutledge House Inn takes up to 100 lbs.

Sullivan's Island beach

Every dog needs a licence from Town Hall, visitors and day-trippers included. It's USD 50 for non-residents, and you need a copy of your driving licence showing your current address plus an in-date rabies certificate. From 1 May to 30 September dogs are off the lead 5am to 10am, on the lead 6pm to 5am, and not permitted on the beach at all between 10am and 6pm. From 1 October to 30 April it's off the lead 5am to noon and on the lead from noon.

Isle of Palms beach

Dogs are welcome year-round here, which makes it the simpler option. From 1 April to 14 September they can be off the lead 5am to 9am, and from 15 September to 31 March from 4pm to 10am. Outside those hours it's a lead and voice control. Every dog needs a rabies vaccination and a metal licence tag, and you should carry the certificate.

Parks on the peninsula

All on the lead. Joe Riley Waterfront Park gives ten acres of shaded promenade on the Cooper River, dogs welcome but not in the Pineapple Fountain. White Point Garden at the Battery has the live oaks and the sea wall walk. Hampton Park is the biggest green space downtown and has a dog run. Colonial Lake is a full paved loop, and Marion Square is six and a half acres at the top of King Street.

Carriage and walking tours

Palmetto Carriage Works takes dogs, and its own FAQ says a guest bringing a dog needs to buy the whole row of four seats. A third-party listing claims quiet lap dogs ride free and only bigger dogs trigger the full row, so confirm that at the barn rather than assuming it. Bulldog Tours welcomes well-behaved dogs on a lead on its walking history tours.

Leaving the dog in the room

More hotels here say no than usual. The Charleston Place, Francis Marion, The Palmetto and both Charleston Harbor Resort properties all rule it out. Mills House allows it with a crate, Hotel Bennett and The Ryder allow it, and Hotel Indigo Mount Pleasant allows it but charges a disturbance fee if the dog makes noise. Ask before you book a dinner table.

Vets

Charleston Veterinary Referral Center at 3484 Shelby Ray Court, +1 843 614 8387, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for urgent and emergency care and needs no referral. BluePearl Pet Hospital has a Mount Pleasant location, which is nearer if you're staying at Patriots Point or heading out to Sullivan's Island.

Getting there

Charleston International, CHS, is about 20 to 25 minutes from the Historic District, and it publishes animal relief areas among its terminal amenities. There's no nonstop from Europe, so a UK or Irish traveller connects through a US east coast gateway. That means an extra domestic leg with the dog and a second airline's pet rules to satisfy, so check both before you book either.

Best walks

The Battery is the one to do first, White Point Garden under the live oaks and then the sea wall along Murray Boulevard. Joe Riley Waterfront Park runs ten shaded acres along the Cooper River from Vendue Range, and Colonial Lake gives you a complete paved loop round the water in Harleston Village. Hampton Park on Mary Murray Drive is the biggest green space downtown and has a dog run, and Marion Square at the top of King Street is the quick one if you're at Hotel Bennett or Francis Marion. Brittlebank Park sits on the Ashley River next to the Charleston Marriott with open grass and a fishing pier. Over in Mount Pleasant, the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian path from Memorial Waterfront Park is the best long walk in the region, Shem Creek Park's boardwalk runs out over the marsh, and the Pitt Street Bridge in the Old Village is a flat out-and-back into the harbour. James Island County Park, a short drive off the peninsula, has a dog beach, four acres of off-lead grass, a cleaning station and a fenced area for small dogs for a small entry fee.

When to go

March to May and late September through November. Charleston in July and August is heavy, humid heat, the pavements hold it, and the beach windows push you to 5am or after 6pm anyway. Spring gives you the shaded promenades and the Battery at their best, and autumn keeps Isle of Palms open to dogs while the off-lead window widens to 4pm through to 10am from 15 September. Winter is mild and quiet and the Sullivan's Island rules relax to off the lead 5am to noon, so it's a fair time to come with a dog that likes space.