Southern Outer Banks, North Carolina

For our first trip we explored Beaufort, Morehead City, Harkers Island, Atlantic City, and Emerald Isle. This was going to be a short 48-hour trip because it was going to be our first time vacationing with the pups. 

Disclaimer: We made this trip in the heart of winter (February to be exact).

Our Dog Friendly Itinerary:

• Day 1- Friday Afternoon
  • Lunch- The Village Market in Emerald Isle. This place has nice outside seating & a large green space for the pups. Also, the food is DELICIOUS! Get a cookie, you won’t regret it!
  • Fort Macon State Park
    • The pups got to walk the 3-mile trail circling the park. The trail is narrow so with our puppy in training, we stopped to let other walkers and bikers pass. 
    • Pets are not allowed inside the welcome center or inside the fort.
    • There is access to bathrooms from outside of the building which was perfect for us.
    • Pack a backpack with water and poop bags. We didn't see any vending machines for water or any dog poop stations with bags and a trashcan. 
    • We were able to take the dogs onto the beach from the trail. I thought the website said no dogs on the park beach, but there was a sign that said pets must be on a leash. So, they put their paws in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time!
  • Airbnb
    • We stayed in Morehead City.  I was able to find a "fenced-in" place for the dogs in a nice neighborhood. Archer is a bad barker when we first leave so it makes more sense for us to get to a remote place versus a hotel room. I would recommend finding a place that best suits you and yours and message the host before booking to inquire about their true thoughts and expectations on pets in the space.
    • This whole area isn't very big at all. For example, from our place in Morehead City to downtown Beaufort was an 8-minute drive. I would have broadened my search if I had realized this about the area.
• Day 2- Saturday
  • Breakfast- Dancing Baristas Cafe in Beaufort- PERFECT!!! This cafe opened early and has a LARGE outside seating space with multiple tables. They even had a small fenced in space for dogs to roam around! Archer would have LOVED it, but not Rosie. Our coffee and food were 10/10 & the owners are pet lovers and wonderful people!
  • Harkers Island & Cape Lookout National Seashore- WINTER EDITION
    • NOTE: Make sure you have drinking water for the pups before you arrive at the ferry station! There is one Dollar General on the island. The ferry station has a water fountain so if you don’t have water, at least have a container you can put water inside. Once you leave on the ferry, there will be no drinking water available on the island because it's the winter season. We know from experience... The Island Express Ferry Service LLC has a great website with schedules and information! That is how I knew they were pet friendly on their ferry tours.
    • We only stayed a hour on the island... because we didn't have drinking water. If we had drinking water, we would have stayed another hour. We packed a large backpack with towels, collapsible bowl (ironic, right?), pup wipes, and poop bags.
    • Rosie and Archer went off leash on the beach and it was perfect!!! 
  • Downtown Beaufort- VERY PET FRIENDLY!
    • In the winter the farmers market is not open... sadly, but understandable. In the summer, it would be cool to take the pups.
    • MANY restaurants along the main strip had outside seating for people with their pets.
    • We did not go into any museums. I do not know if any of the museums are pet friendly or not because we weren't got to risk it either way.
    • After exploring downtown, we took the pups home to rest while we went out to explore shops and museums.
• Day 3- Sunday morning
  • Breakfast- The Village Market in Emerald Isle (SURPRISE!). Yes, it is that good! However, this was one of the only places I found that was pet friendly AND open early on a Sunday morning!