Have giant dog, will travel.
January 16, 2019 7:50 AM Subscribe
Where can I go on vacation this March with my family, that is in driving distance from the Hudson Valley (upstate NY) and can accommodate a big dog?
My family and I are planning to go on vacation together for the first time in literally 20 years. We will be two parents in their 70s, plus three “kids” in their 30s. My sisters will possibly have their husbands with them. So it will be 5-7 people.
We were planning to go to New Orleans for a week, which would’ve been perfect. Short flight, lots of things to do, reasonably warm in March, etc. Unfortunately my sister’s elder dog has recently developed extreme anxiety when left alone, so she now has to bring him. This means no flying. So now we’re looking at places we can drive to. They live in the Hudson Valley, about two hours north of NYC. i guess anything up to a five hour drive is doable. I’m thinking we’d have to rent a house (Airbnb) unless we found a REALLY dog friendly hotel. The dog is gigantic, over 100 pounds.
So the question is, where is somewhere reasonably close to them that we can all go on vacation in March that will still be fun? We don’t ski. We could conceivably hike, snow shoe, stuff like that. What I really need is a place where there’s lots of things to do – museums, music, spas, etc. My family members are all mostly homebodies. I am the opposite of a homebody. The last thing I want to do is sit around a house for a week. Help! I cant think of anything that’s A. Fun in Winter, B. close by C. gigantic dog friendly.
My family and I are planning to go on vacation together for the first time in literally 20 years. We will be two parents in their 70s, plus three “kids” in their 30s. My sisters will possibly have their husbands with them. So it will be 5-7 people.
We were planning to go to New Orleans for a week, which would’ve been perfect. Short flight, lots of things to do, reasonably warm in March, etc. Unfortunately my sister’s elder dog has recently developed extreme anxiety when left alone, so she now has to bring him. This means no flying. So now we’re looking at places we can drive to. They live in the Hudson Valley, about two hours north of NYC. i guess anything up to a five hour drive is doable. I’m thinking we’d have to rent a house (Airbnb) unless we found a REALLY dog friendly hotel. The dog is gigantic, over 100 pounds.
So the question is, where is somewhere reasonably close to them that we can all go on vacation in March that will still be fun? We don’t ski. We could conceivably hike, snow shoe, stuff like that. What I really need is a place where there’s lots of things to do – museums, music, spas, etc. My family members are all mostly homebodies. I am the opposite of a homebody. The last thing I want to do is sit around a house for a week. Help! I cant think of anything that’s A. Fun in Winter, B. close by C. gigantic dog friendly.
Riffing on the French theme of New Orleans, what about somewhere in the Eastern Townships, in Quebec? It's the part of Quebec directly north of Vermont and New Hampshire.
My caveats are that it may be at the upper end or slightly exceed your drive time parameters, and I have never been there with a dog so can't speak to that. (In terms of cross-border paperwork I think all you will need is a rabies certificate, but check of course.)
The area offers:
- A lot of cute villages reminiscent of New England, with a good variety of restaurants, as well as a university town (Sherbrooke)
- A number of Quebec "national parks" (i.e. provincial parks) such as Orford, Yamaska, Mont-Mégantic that offer hiking and snowshoeing as well as some more unusual things like dark sky astronomy (at Mont-Mégantic). There are also a lot of little local/regional parks as well.
- Lots of Nordic spas
- Wineries and cider (and ice cider!) producers
- The possibility of visiting a cabane à sucre or 'sugar shack' since you'll be traveling in the maple syrup harvest season in the spring
- Access to Montreal, which is one of my favorite cities in the world
I know going north in March might seem a little un-intuitive. But my reasoning is, because March is too early for anywhere within a day's driving distance of the Hudson Valley to be truly warm, it's better to have guaranteed winter/snow activities than to go somewhere where it will be in that annoying in-between time: not enough snow for snow stuff, but still enough snow or melting slush to make "summer-type" activities annoying or impossible.
posted by andrewesque at 8:54 AM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
My caveats are that it may be at the upper end or slightly exceed your drive time parameters, and I have never been there with a dog so can't speak to that. (In terms of cross-border paperwork I think all you will need is a rabies certificate, but check of course.)
The area offers:
- A lot of cute villages reminiscent of New England, with a good variety of restaurants, as well as a university town (Sherbrooke)
- A number of Quebec "national parks" (i.e. provincial parks) such as Orford, Yamaska, Mont-Mégantic that offer hiking and snowshoeing as well as some more unusual things like dark sky astronomy (at Mont-Mégantic). There are also a lot of little local/regional parks as well.
- Lots of Nordic spas
- Wineries and cider (and ice cider!) producers
- The possibility of visiting a cabane à sucre or 'sugar shack' since you'll be traveling in the maple syrup harvest season in the spring
- Access to Montreal, which is one of my favorite cities in the world
I know going north in March might seem a little un-intuitive. But my reasoning is, because March is too early for anywhere within a day's driving distance of the Hudson Valley to be truly warm, it's better to have guaranteed winter/snow activities than to go somewhere where it will be in that annoying in-between time: not enough snow for snow stuff, but still enough snow or melting slush to make "summer-type" activities annoying or impossible.
posted by andrewesque at 8:54 AM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
I don't have a specific destination to recommend, but Bring Fido is useful to find dog-friendly accommodations, and they allow you to specify that you're bringing a big dog.
posted by gladly at 9:14 AM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by gladly at 9:14 AM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
Lake George seems to have a fair number of dog-friendly accommodations. About 3.5 hours' drive from NYC. I don't know your specific tastes for entertainment, but you can check out their tourism website and see if it appeals.
(Lack of payment of dog tax is NOTED.)
posted by praemunire at 9:47 AM on January 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
(Lack of payment of dog tax is NOTED.)
posted by praemunire at 9:47 AM on January 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Quebec looks perfect but... at least a 7 hour drive for my family, which I think would be too far :(
I'm worried to go north in case of bad driving conditions....
I'm at work, but will put up doggy picture later today :)
posted by silverstatue at 9:55 AM on January 16, 2019
I'm worried to go north in case of bad driving conditions....
I'm at work, but will put up doggy picture later today :)
posted by silverstatue at 9:55 AM on January 16, 2019
Saratoga Springs? It's a tourist town so has tourist amenities but March is absolutely not tourist season, so there should be rentals available.
posted by metasarah at 10:27 AM on January 16, 2019
posted by metasarah at 10:27 AM on January 16, 2019
Lake Placid. A lot of my friends from Eastern Ontario go there for a break.
Although, what will you do with the dog while you are out exploring? Someone has to stay home all the time? Maybe look for a daycare in the area of whatever you decide.
posted by Ftsqg at 10:31 AM on January 16, 2019
Although, what will you do with the dog while you are out exploring? Someone has to stay home all the time? Maybe look for a daycare in the area of whatever you decide.
posted by Ftsqg at 10:31 AM on January 16, 2019
Maybe look for a daycare in the area of whatever you decide.
I'm not sure if daycares allow "drop-in" options (my parents' service does not because they want a test of the dog's ability to play well with others first)--but if so, you'll likely need a copy of all vaccinations for the dog.
posted by TwoStride at 5:01 PM on January 16, 2019
I'm not sure if daycares allow "drop-in" options (my parents' service does not because they want a test of the dog's ability to play well with others first)--but if so, you'll likely need a copy of all vaccinations for the dog.
posted by TwoStride at 5:01 PM on January 16, 2019
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posted by ubiquity at 8:51 AM on January 16, 2019 [2 favorites]