Traveling with your pup? Visit these 7 dog-friendly attractions in Pennsylvania

Summer is here, and it’s the perfect time to hit the road with your four-legged family members and visit these Pennsylvania attractions where dogs are welcome.

If you don’t like to leave your canine family members at home when you go on a road trip, consider building your travel itinerary around destinations that welcome dogs.

Pennsylvania features a variety of destinations where dogs and their people can have some fun, from wineries, to beaches, to amusement resorts.

Individual pet rules apply at each place, but there’s one universal rule: Always pick up after your dog and dispose of pet waste properly.

Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg

Knoebels is one of the most family-friendly amusement parks in the state — perhaps the whole country — and that includes being friendly to furry family members. Admission during the regular season is free, parking is free, and bringing well-behaved dogs into the park is free too. Guests can pay as they go, buy tickets, or purchase wristbands to enjoy the amusements.

Dogs must be on a leash or in a carrier at all times. Pet owners can bring them to almost all parts of the park except any restaurant, gift shop, cabins, cottages, eagle roosts, trailers, and most rides. Service animals are welcome everywhere. Dogs are also not allowed in the pool area, except for one day a year in late summer when it’s Doggie Dive Day (a fundraiser for local animal rescue organizations).

Guests can stay at the campgrounds with their dogs, as long as all furry friends are attended to at all times.

Christian W. Klay Winery, Chalkhill

As you’re traveling through Pennsylvania, you’ll come across many wineries, distilleries, and breweries that are pet friendly. At Christian W. Klay Winery, leashed and well-behaved pets are always welcome as you sample their award-winning wine collection, or perhaps a cocktail made from spirits from their distillery just across the street. 

They’re so fond of dogs at the winery that in the summer they host a special day where dog guests receive treats and toys.

Presque Isle State Park, Erie

Want to take your dog to the beach in Pennsylvania? You can at Presque Isle State Park in Erie. The day-use park is open from 5 a.m. to sunset, and within those hours leashed dogs are permitted on the sand and in the water within the designated guarded zones. Outside of those zones, leashed dogs are permitted in the tree line area only.

You can also walk your leashed dog on the many hiking trails and through the woods of the state park. 

Cumberland Drive-In Movie Theatre, Newville

There are just about 375 drive-in theaters remaining in the United States, and 27 of them are in Pennsylvania. Among them, the Cumberland Drive-In is happy to welcome well-behaved, leashed dogs to hang out with their family by the car. The theater shows mostly family-friendly movies on its outdoor screen and is open seasonally.

Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, Jim Thorpe

Pups are welcome to ride any of Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway‘s trips. They even get their own special, free ticket. The trains leave from downtown Jim Thorpe and roll along the Lehigh River north into the beautiful Lehigh Gorge State Park. Trips are narrated as the train passes over majestic Lehigh River bridges, through Glen Onoko, and into the state park. The trip is beautiful any time of year but particularly stunning in the fall. 

Northbrook Canoe Co., West Chester

Pets are welcome to join you on your canoe trip down the Brandywine River at Northbrook Canoe Co. You’re required to keep “positive control” of your furry friend as the trip meanders through private property and wildlife preserves. And, since transport vehicles carry several groups at once, your dog must be able to get along with other people and animals. Canoe trips run from May through October. 

Valley Forge National Historical Park, Valley Forge 

The encampment site of the Continental Army during the winter of 1777-1778, Valley Forge National Historical Park now features 3,500 acres of monuments, meadows, and woodlands that commemorate the Revolutionary War generation. Much of the park is open to furry friends as long as they are under your physical control and you make sure they follow the four B.A.R.K. principles: bag your waste, always wear a leash, respect wildlife, and know where you can go. Except for inside buildings, pets can go anywhere a human can go in the park.

READ MORE: How to Spend a Weekend in Erie