A Guide to Exploring the South Shore with your Pets

Header photo by margot.ritaaaa on Instagram

No matter if you are wanting to grab a bite to eat, relax on the beach, get a brew, or just explore the South Shore with your pet, there is always somewhere to bring them along for the ride. Here are some of our pawsitively favorite places to bring your dog in Northwest Indiana.

Restaurants

Sometimes you want to go out and enjoy a nice meal with your best friend, and when that best friend is four-legged you need to know where to go! Here are some of our suggestions for dog-friendly restaurants around NWI.

Dig the Dunes Trail Stop

At Dig the Dunes Trail Stop, located on beautiful Portage Lakefront, you can take in a gorgeous sunset view with your pup while enjoying a brew and a “Dunes Dog.”

DOC’s Smokehouse

Known for their many delicious smoked meats, at DOC's Smokehouse in Dyer you can enjoy a delicious BBQ meal and a brew on the patio with your pup.

Region Ale Taphouse

Savor brunch, lunch, or dinner on the patio with your pooch! Region Ale in Schererville even has a special menu just for your dog in case they get hungry, too, with options like chicken, rice, vegetables and more.

Fair Oaks Farms

Fair Oaks Farms' dog-friendly campus includes Central Bark, their very own dog park where your pup can enjoy additional exercise. Grab an ice-cream cone in the cafe or a farm-to-table meal at Farmhouse Restaurant, which allows pets on their outdoor patio.

More pet-friendly patio dining options:

• Chesterton - Crafthouse, Port Drive-In
• Crown Point - Sip Coffee House, Square Roots
• Gary - Flamingo Pizza of Miller
• Highland - Sip Coffee House
• Michigan City - Bridge’s Waterside Grille, Fiddlehead, Panini Panini, Swingbelly’s
• Valparaiso - Radius, Blackbird Cafe, The Dish, Don Quijote, Uptown Cafe, Valpo Velvet

Breweries

Grab a beer with your pooch at one of the many dog-friendly breweries throughout Northwest Indiana. 

Crown Brewing

Stop into Crown Brewing in Crown Point and they'll set you up with a beer for you and a water bowl for your furry friend out on their patio.

Ironwood Brewing Company

At Ironwood Brewing in Valparaiso, buy a beer and get a treat for the dog you bring in with you! They have biscuits handmade with their spent grain. The brewery doesn't serve food, so dogs are allowed indoors and out.

More dog-friendly places to grab a pint:

• 18th Street Brewery, Hammond
• Burn ‘Em Brewing, Michigan City
• Byway Brewing, Hammond
• Fenwick Farms Brewing, Rensselaer
• Four Fathers Brewing, Valparaiso
• Fuzzyline Brewing, Highland
• Malt Brothers Brewing, St. John
• New Oberpfalz Brewing, Griffith
• Off Square Brewing, Crown Point
• Shoreline Brewery, Michigan City
• Wildrose Brewing Company, Griffith
• Zorn Brew Works, Michigan City

Wineries

There are also a number of dog-friendly wineries to visit with your pooch while you try some delicious wines and ciders!

Shady Creek Winery

Shady Creek Winery in Michigan City is open and pet-friendly! Come out with your four-legged friends to the winery and enjoy their new front patio.

Carpenter Creek Winery

Bring your dog and your tastebuds to Carpenter Creek Winery in Remington for a lovely afternoon. Don't have your own dog? Visit with Port, the winery dog.

More wineries to visit:

• Anderson’s Winery and Vineyard, Valparaiso
• Aftermath Cidery & Winery, Valparaiso

Great Outdoors

Grab the sunscreen and bug spray and explore the outdoors with your furry friend at one of these beautiful places in the region.

If your dog likes to swim and run, plan an afternoon at the Indiana Dunes National Park! The cool waters of Lake Michigan offer the best "doggy pool" around. Hiking through the Dunes and even camping with your pet can be a fun experience. Just don't forget to keep your pet leashed and clean up any waste left behind. We suggest taking on the 3 Dunes Challenge together or make your pup an official “Bark Ranger” while you’re there. There are some restrictions for pets at the National Park. Details can be found here.

Friendship Botanic Gardens

Located in Michigan City, Friendship Botanic Gardens has beautiful flowers, lots of history, and trails throughout. The wooded trails offer shaded paths that are perfect for exploring with your dog. There are several formal gardens around the park to enjoy with your dog and there are even cleanup stations.

Gabis Arboretum

If you and your furry friend are ready to explore, Gabis in Valparaiso has many different trails depending on what you’re looking for! You can hike through the wooded trails, around prairies or relax and check out the lakes and ponds.

Kankakee Sands

Spend some quiet time with Fido exploring the natural wonders of the Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands Nature Preserve. Leashed pets are welcome to walk the trails and explore the landscapes filled with wildflowers and plants. There are more than 7,000 acres to enjoy, so finding a quiet spot to yourself is easy. Don’t forget your bug spray and sunscreen!

Beaches

Many of the beaches along Lake Michigan’s South Shore are dog-friendly or have special areas designated for your pup to play in the sand and the water. Here are the beaches that your pup can explore in the area:

• Hammond Lakefront, Hammond
• Lake Street Beach, Gary
• Portage Lakefront, Portage
• Porter Access Beach, Porter
• Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton
• Kemil Beach, Beverly Shores
• Dunbar Beach, Beverly Shores
• Lake View Beach, Beverly Shores
• Central Avenue Beach, Michigan City
• Mt. Baldy Beach, Michigan City

  Please find details about where pets are allowed at each beach here and remember to always keep them on a leash.

No matter how you enjoy your time with your dog in Northwest Indiana, you are sure to have an impawsibly good time. Share your adventures together using #AlongtheSouthShore so we can see your favorite spots!