Summer is the top season for travel — but increasingly, Americans are choosing to hit the open road rather than braving airport delays. This Memorial Day weekend, 37.2 million Americans will pack their bags, and – according to an AAA study – 88 percent of them will travel by car instead of by jet plane.
In the spirit of the great American road trip, Milk-Bone teamed up with other products in the Big Heart Pet Brands family – including Pup-Peroni, Canine Carry Outs and Milo’s Kitchen – to present the Milk-Bone Doggy Road Trip Ranking: your guide to the top destinations to treat the whole family… including Fido.
By cross referencing online review sites with data on dog-friendly restaurants and hotels, the brand has compiled the ultimate list of pup-approved parks and landmarks and assigned each spot a “Milk-Bone Biscuit Score.”
THE MILK-BONE ALL-AMERICAN DOGGY ROAD TRIP RANKING
THE TOP 50 DOG FRIENDLY ROAD TRIP DESTINATIONS & MILK-BONE BISCUIT SCORE (biscuit score in parenthesis)
#1: The Original Dog Beach (San Diego, California) (50)
#2: SF Golden Gate Park (San Francisco, California) (49)
#3: Fort Tryon Park (New York City, New York) (48.5)
#4: Runyon Canyon (Los Angeles, California) (47)
#5: Acadia National Park (Mt. Desert Island, Maine) (46)
#6: Pike Place Market (Seattle, Washington) (45)
#7: Carmel (Carmel-by-the-Sea, California) (44.5)
#8: The Biltmore Estate (Asheville, North Carolina) (44)
#9: Central Park (New York City, New York) (43)
#10: Cherry Creek Farmer’s Market (Denver, Colorado) (43)
#11: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center (Houston, Texas) (40)
#12: The Trail System at the US National Whitewater Center (Charlotte, North Carolina) (39)
#13: Mammoth Mountain (Mammoth Lakes, California) (38)
#14: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (Atlanta, Georgia) (37)
#15: Gettysburg National Military Park (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) (37)
#16: Yosemite (California) (35)
#17: Colonial Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia) (34)
#18: Nashville (Tennessee) (33)
#19: Key West Aquarium (Key West, Florida) (33)
#20: The Cascades at Lake Mohegan (Fairfield, Connecticut) 32
#21: Broad Ripple (Indianapolis, Indiana) (31)
#22: Mercury Canine Cruise (Chicago, Illinois) (30)
#23: National Mall (Washington, D.C.) (29)
#24: Arlington National Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) (28)
#25: Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio) (27)
#26: Point Reyes National Seashore (Point Reyes Station, California) (26)
#27: Olympic National Park (Port Angeles, Washington) (25)
#28: Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) (24)
#29: Bow Wow Beach (Stow, Ohio) (23)
#30: Royal Gorge Bridge (Cañon City, Colorado) (23)
#31: Fantastic Caverns (Springfield, Missouri) (23)
#32: Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, Virginia) (23)
#33: Old Charleston Ghost Tour (Charleston, South Carolina) (22)
#34: Crazy Horse Memorial (Crazy Horse, South Dakota) (22)
#35: Joshua Tree (Joshua Tree National Park, California) (22)
#36: Hot Springs National Park & Riverboat Tour (Hot Springs, Arkansas) (22)
#37: Mount Hollywood Trail (Los Angeles, California) (21)
#38: White Sands National Monument (Alamogordo, New Mexico) (21)
#39: Washington Crossing Historic Park (Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania) (21)
#40: Dog Beach at Key Biscayne (Key Biscayne, Florida) (20)
#41: Tombstone (Tombstone, Arizona) (20)
#42: Southwest City Dog Park (St. Louis, Missouri) (20)
#43: Good Hart (Good Hart, Michigan) (20)
#44: Dinosaur National Monument (Maybell, Utah) (20)
#45: Mammoth Cave National Park (Mammoth Cave, Kentucky) (20)
#46: Dallas Heritage Village (Dallas – Ft. Worth, Texas) (20)
#47: Minute Man National Historic Park (Concord, Massachusetts) (20)
#48: Veterans Park Lagoon (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) (20)
#49: Paw Playground & Beach De Soto (St Petersburg, Florida) (20)
#50: Penn Valley Dog Park (WWI Memorial) (Kansas City, Missouri) (20) Locations could score up to 50 biscuit points; final scores ranged from 20 to 50 biscuits.
TOP 3 DOGGIE DO’S
Milk-Bone’s in-house team of behavioral experts are also sharing their ‘Top 3 Doggie Do’s’ to keep your pooch happy while you’re on the go — so stick to these tips and watch their tail wag:
TAKE A JOY RIDE
Was your pup’s last ‘road trip’ a trip to the vet? If so, chances are he’s going to get nervous when he hears your keys jingling. Take him on a short ride to the park to make the car a place where fun things happen, too.
MAKE CRATE TIME TREAT TIME
Make your dog’s crate a safe and happy place. Do a “test crating” and reward Fido with lots of Milk-Bone, Pup-Peroni, Canine Carry Outs and Milo’s Kitchen treats; soon he’ll be drooling every time he crawls inside.
SPOIL THEM SILLY
Last but not least, reward your pup for good behavior. Treats help to build positive associations with the new sights and sounds of a road trip, and reminds them that you love them and that they are having fun!