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Dog-friendly businesses guide for Columbia

Explore these dog-friendly businesses in Columbia that span from places to eat, drink, shop, exercise, and stay the night.

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Ringo + a specialty dog beer from Craft and Draft | Photo via @ringoretriever_

Table of Contents

Round of a-paws, please. From VIP (very important pup) menus at Publico to spoiling your pup with boutique staycations at Graduate Hotel, many local businesses not only welcome, but encourage you to bring along your furry friends.

Whether you’re in need of a drinking paw-tner at a local brewery, hitting the night market, or just dining out, well bone appétit. Get ready to dig into this guide for dog-friendly businesses around the 803.

Pro tip: You can use BringFido to find more dog-friendly restaurants, pet-friendly hotels, and events, too.

🐾 Breweries

  • Columbia Craft Brewing, 520 Greene St. | While you’re there, we recommend trying its newest smoothie sour ale (think — a think strawberry and rhubarb drink).
  • Craft and Draft, 2706 Devine St. and 7583 St. Andrews Rd., Irmo | Dogs are welcome inside too at the Devine Street location, so don’t leave Fido home in the summer.
  • Hunter Gatherer Brewery and Taproom, 1402 Jim Hamilton Blvd. | For those with high-energy pups, Hunter Gatherer has lots of space for them to explore (oh, and it’s right next to Owens Field park).
  • River Rat Brewery, 1231 Shop Rd. | Pro tip: River Rat is very popular among the pups, so try to head there a little earlier if your dog tends to be a little shy.
  • Savage Craft Ale Works, 430 Center St., West Columbia | Dogs are allowed in the Biergarten, but not on the rooftop or in the taproom.
  • Steel Hands Brewing, 2350 Foreman St., Cayce | Steel Hands Brewing is making a paws-itive impact through its Steel Paws initiative — it releases a Steel Paws Wheat Ale to benefit canine programs.
  • Weco Bottle and Biergarten, 626 Meeting St. West Columbia | Though not fully considered a brewery, this bottle and Biergarten is a popular watering hole for locals and pups to sip brews.

🐾 Restaurants

  • Bottles Beverage Superstore, 4410 Fort Jackson Blvd. | “Bottles Beverage Superstore is cool with dogs chaperoning their humans. Still can’t buy anything unless they’re 21. 😉” -Bottles Beverage
  • Cafe Strudel, 300 State St., West Columbia | Have your doggo and eat french toast too when you sit on the patio in the back.
  • Cantina 76, 301 Main St. | Water bowls, pets, and sometimes even a little nibble is offered at Catina’s Main Street location.
  • Curiosity Coffee Bar, 2327 Main St. | Curiosity encourages you to bring along your furry friends and may feature them on their Instagram with #CuriousDogs.
  • Dano’s Pizza, 3008 Rosewood Dr. | Enjoy a slice of New York while you and your pup get some fresh air on the patio.
  • Drip Coffee, 729 Saluda Ave. | Pets are allowed inside too.
  • Gervais & Vine, 620 Gervais St. | “Gervais and Vine has a dog-friendly porch! Roberta, the owner, loves pups!” — Ally C.
  • The Gourmet Shop, 724 Saluda Ave. | Outdoor seating is first come, first serve.
  • The Grand on Main, 1621 Main St. | After Soda City, park your pup at The Grand on Main for some outdoor brunch.
  • Grill Marks, 711 Gervais St. | Order a bag of “Grill Barks” or a treat served on a frisbee.
  • Hampton Street Vineyard, 1201 Hampton St. | Hampton Street Vineyard reflects elements of Columbia’s historic Sylvan Building and offers a French-inflected cuisine.
  • Henry’s Restaurant and Bar, 2865 Devine St. | While your dog is chilling on the patio, you can’t go wrong with trying the Carolina Cheesesteak — pimento cheese is always a good idea.
  • Hickory Tavern, 907 Senate St. | Enjoy happy hour on one of its patios from 4-7 p.m.
  • Home Team BBQ, 700 Harden St. | The patio is covered so that you can enjoy Southern staples rain or shine.
  • J’s Corner, 1015 Rosewood Dr. | “J’s Corner has dog bowls and an outside sink to fill them up.” — @allio84.
  • Jake’s on Devine, 2112 Devine St. | “We are always dog friendly on our back deck until 10 pm! Tuesdays + Thursdays are #YappyHour with drink specials and extra measures in place for our furiends! 🐶🐾” — @jakesondevine
  • Market on Main, 1320 Main St. #150 | “Bring them furbabies to Market! We host many adoption events Friday afternoons as well!!!” — @marketonmaincolasc
  • Midwood Smokehouse, 702 Cross Hill Rd. | Bring your whole dog and grub on some whole hog outdoors.
  • Pawleys Front Porch, 827 Harden St. | Both you and your pup can stay hydrated with water bowls and local brews.
  • Publick House, 2307 Devine St. | Relax with your furry friends at an outdoor seating while you sip on brews.
  • Publico, 2013 Greene St. and 2180 Boyce St. STE A | Check out their puppy menu. 100% of their puppy plate sales are donated to SQ Rescue.
  • smallSUGAR, 709 Gervais St. | Get your sweet fix in while your pup catches some rays on the patio.
  • Sweet Cream Co., 1627 Main St. | Your dog is in for a treat — Sweet Cream Co. makes frozen dog treats with yogurt, honey, and peanut butter and even matches each dollar of proceeds to support local animal rescues.
  • Tombo Grille, 4517 Forest Dr. | Have a delicious dinner outside with your dog by your side.
  • Thirsty Fellow, 621 Gadsden St. | Enjoy a slice and a cold one on the outdoor patio.
  • The War Mouth, 1209 Franklin St. | The back patio has firepits for colder nights.
  • Za’s on Devine, 2930 Devine St. | Sit on the outdoor patio and order from the full-service, locally-owned neighborhood restaurant

🐾 Hotels

🐾 Shopping centers

  • NoMa Flea, 2222 Sumter St. | We’ve already planned your Friday plans — browse this funky artisan market with your friends and pup.
  • Soda City, Main Street District | More like Dog City, check out what Soda City is like from a dog’s POV.
  • South Carolina State Farmers Market, 3483 Charleston Hwy, West Columbia | Dogs are always welcome at the local farmers market full of rotating, local produce.
  • Meeting Street Artisan Market, 425 Meeting St, West Columbia | You have two chances to shop local at this market — every Saturday, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and every second Thursday of every month, from 4-8 p.m.

🐾 Parks

  • Doggie Park, 127 Humane Ln. | This park is $36/year and you contact Tina Heckman at 803-783-8193 for more membership information.
  • Doko Meadows Park, 171 Langford Rd, Blythewood | Both you and your dog will enjoy visiting this open-air market and local events, especially with six miles of walking trails.
  • Emily Douglass Dog Park, 2500 Wheat St. | Free | We hear you may need to be prepared to give your pup a bath after visiting this dog park.
  • Finlay Park, 930 Laurel St. | Design plans to revitalize Finlay Park in downtown Columbia include an improved event stage, playground, climbing wall, splash pad, and pathways to enhance a pedestrian-friendly environment.
  • Gibson Pond Park, 241 Gibson Rd., Lexington | Take your dog on a short, 1/2-mile walking trail before resting under the large, covered picnic shelter.
  • Irmo Community Park, 7507 Eastview Dr. | Bring the whole family to enjoy an amphitheater, two picnic shelters with BBQ grills, walking trails along with playgrounds, and more.
  • Lexington Paw Park, 989 Hendrix St., Lexington | Lexington offers this dog park for pups who are older than four months, are up-to-date on all shots, and are spayed/neutered.
  • NoMa Bark Park, 1250 Parkside Dr. | To enter, all pups must be registered, spayed/neutered, and up-to-date on all vaccines.
  • Page Ellington Dog Park, BullStreet District | The 1.75-acre dog park is open to dogs of all shapes and sizes and is fenced in.
  • Saluda Shoals Barking Lot Dog Park, 5605 Bush River Rd. | This park is two acres, and offers three small bone-shaped pools for dogs to cool off in, an interactive fire hydrant sprayer, an exciting agility course, and a gazebo for owners to relax in.
  • Sesquicentennial State Park, 9564 Two Notch Rd. | Owners must provide vaccination records, proof of spay/neuter, and a permit is required for each dog.

🐾 Trails

  • Congaree National Park, 100 National Park Road, Hopkins | Walk along 10 trails with your pooch, just choose between an easy, medium, or moderate difficulty level.
  • Peak to Prosperity Passage (Palmetto Trail), Newberry | This 10.2-mile long trail begins (or ends) at Alston Road and just east of SC-773 and Cy Schumpert Road in Prosperity.
  • Riverfront Park, 312 Laurel St. | This trail has ample parking, is four miles on way, and there are multiple places you can allow your dog to get in the water.
  • Three Rivers Greenway, Three Rivers Greenway runs through four trails — Saluda River Greenway, I26 Saluda River Crossing, 12,000 Year History Park, Saluda Riverwalk
  • West Columbia Riverwalk, 109 Alexander Rd., West Columbia | The West Columbia riverwalk is eight miles one way, fully paved, and over the summer you can even rent a tube for your pup to float the river.
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