Your Ultimate Dog Friendly Weekend in Syracuse

Syracuse is a vibrant city filled with history, beautiful parks, and a friendly community located in central New York. For dog owners like us, who travel with their dogs regularly, we're always trying to find ways to include them while we travel. Fortunately, Syracuse boasts a range of dog-friendly options for you and your dog(s) to enjoy together. Whether you want to grab a meal, take a leisurely walk, or let your dog run free, this weekend itinerary will help you discover the best dog-friendly locations in Syracuse.

Chittenango Falls State Park - 30 minutes outside of Syracuse

Clark Reservation State Park

We started our weekend away at Clark Reservation state park which is located only about 15 minutes south of Syracuse and is home to a plethora of easy to moderate trails for humans and pups alike. We hiked the Mildred Faust, Cliff Trail and Lake Trail loop which is about 2.0 miles with an elevation gain of 216'. This was the perfect trail for the morning before lunch as it gave us a great overview of the park and gave us and our dogs a good workout. The views around the lake, especially with the fall colors were my favorite. This trail is pretty easy but if you go counterclockwise on the loop

, you will go up a long set of stairs at the end.

Crazy Daisies Flowers and Garden Cafe

Only about 15 minutes from Clark Reservation state park is Crazy Daisies Flowers and Garden Cafe, the perfect place for lunch following a hike. This place is so cute and such a lovely way to spend an afternoon. You can roam the greenhouses with your dogs, taking in the seasonal plants. They even have kid's areas for families and host several crafting, music, and trivia events. When we were there we enjoyed a cocktail, a mocktail and the brunch pizza. Everything was so good and I always appreciate a place that offers a variety of mocktail options.

Beak and Skiff Orchard

We're always looking to hit the best breweries/distilleries/cideries in an area and Beak and Skiff had been on my list for awhile. This place is truly a mecca for everything fall. Cider, apples, seasonal baked goods, and colorful views make Beak and Skiff an autumn destination. You may have tried their hard ciders as they're widely distributed all over New York state but this is a destination that should be on your bucket list. My husband tried one of their hopped ciders and a maple bourbon barrel aged cider. I tried their classic apple cider which was perfect to take on the go as we walked around the property. Dogs aren’t allowed in the buildings but the outside property is gorgeous to walk around especially on a perfect fall day like we had. There’s plenty of seating to enjoy your drinks outside with your pups while admiring majestic views.

Meier Creek Brewing Company

We ended our day with dinner at Meier Creek Brewing Company on the Inner Harbor. The Inner Harbor is the perfect example of what every city should strive for in a vibrant restaurant, hotel, and nightlife district, all with the perfect views on the water. The Inner Harbor location of Meier Creek is one of two current locations, the other is located on a large property in Cazenovia. Dogs are very much welcomed in their outside space in the front of the building, perfect for our dogs to people watch while we enjoyed our meal. They had a great variety of fall beers when we were there such as a festbier, sours, stouts, and IPAs. For dinner we split the seasonal house salad, pulled pork nachos, and the godfather pizza. The food was all incredible, and even our one year old enjoyed everything! The staff was so sweet to our dogs, always offering them pets as they walked by as they became the unofficial greeters at the front door.

Stay

Though we usually stay in Airbnbs, for this trip we stayed at Aloft Hotels which was very conveniently located within walking distance to Meier Creek Brewing since they’re both on the Inner Harbor. This was a great way for our dogs to burn off any last energy before heading in for the night.

Aloft offers such chic and modern amenities, you’d be surprised it was such a dog friendly hotel! The best part about this? No pet fees which is incredibly difficult to find when travelin

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Onondaga Creek Walk

The next day, we headed out early to soak in a final few dog friendly adventures before heading home. We started walking down the Inner Harbor path to the Onondaga Creek Walk. The Creek Walk is 4.8 miles of paved path that starts at Onondaga Lake Park and winds it's way along the creek through much of Syracuse including the Inner Harbor where we stayed, Armory Square and Downtown. It's a great way to experience the city by foot or bike. We wish we had more time to enjoy this!

Recess Coffee

For our final meal we went to Recess Coffee. Recess Coffee has multiple locations, we went to the one in Tipperary Hill as that was on the way to Onondaga Lake Park. This location was also perfect for dining on the patio outside with our dogs. Even though it was cooler out, there are nice picnic tables to sit at and plenty of space for us to enjoy with the pups. We both got the maple lattes, (so good), and I got the Omegatine on a roll and my husband got the CST on a croissant. We loved both and were sad when our sandwiches were gone!

Onondaga Lake Park

Before leaving the city of Syracuse, we stopped at Onondaga Lake Park. This park offers stunning views with a lakeside trail and includes a dedicated dog park area. The dog park is located at the northern end and is huge with options for small dogs and big dogs. This is by far the nicest dog park I've ever seen and there was consistent activity with other dogs there for our dog to play with. Ononondaga Lake Park also offers over 7 miles of walking trails and open spaces, a playground, kayak rent

als, the Salt Museum, and more.

Chittenango Falls State Park

On our way home we had to stop at one our favorite state parks, only 30 minutes outside of Syracuse. Chittenango State Park is a charming park not as well known as it's neighbor: Green Lakes State Park but still has the wow factor with a gorgeous waterfall you can hike to the base of and get great views from the bridge and trail that loops around the waterfall. This whole park has 2.5 miles of trails that can be done in the morning and a lot of pretty pavilion spaces to have a lunch. This was a perfect stop for our dogs to get out some energy before our 2 hour ride home.

Green Lakes State Park

We didn't have time this trip but another must for the Syracuse area is Green Lakes state park. Known for the meromictic lakes that are vibrantly green, this is a must see in upstate New York. Previously we have walked the perimeter trail around the lakes which was the perfect length for our dogs. If you have a senior dog, this trail is flat and can be shortened by just walking around Green Lake. In season you can even rent one of their kayaks, (rental only due to the sensitive nature of the lakes), to experience the water first hand. This park also offers swimming, golf, camping

, and picnic pavilions for day trips.

Wrapping Up

Syracuse is a wonderful city for dog owners, offering numerous spots to explore and enjoy with your furry friend. From parks and restaurants to events and accommodations, there’s no shortage of dog-friendly options in the city. Whether you're a local or just visiting, be sure to check out these spots. Dog friendly travel is easier than you think!