Planning to hit the road this summer? You might be surprised to learn which of America’s big cities are the most dog-friendly! (Bodie and I now have some new pins to put in the map…)

RewardExpert (who help people get the maximum out of their spending and flying) compared 53 of the largest metropolises in the United States and evaluated them on ten key metrics broken down into three categories:

1. PET NEEDS (Veterinarians and Pet Stores)

2. PET RECREATION (Dog-Friendly Beaches, Trails and Activities)

3. CITY PROFILE (Walkability, Days of Sunshine, Dog-Friendly Hotels & Cafes).

Using this data they determined a ranking of the the most pet-friendly cities in the country and here are the results:

TOP 10 BIG CITIES IN THE US TO VISIT WITH YOU DOG

1) Tampa, FL – 92.6

Tampa comes in as the number one most pet-friendly city in 2017. Tampa has more pet-friendly hotels per capita than any of the other cities analyzed. According to RewardExpert’s findings, there are 32 hotels that allow dogs per hundred thousand residents. Additionally, Tampa boasts 50 dog parks, which means travelers won’t have any trouble discovering fun activities to do with their pets.

2) San Francisco, CA – 84.3

Surf’s up for pets! The greater San Francisco area tops our list in the Pet Recreation category. Travelers can choose from one of 15 dog-friendly beaches in the Bay Area to let their four-legged best friends swim in the sun. San Francisco is ranked third of all cities for weather; the city receives 153 pleasant days a year on average.

3) Miami, FL – 79.4

Miami comes in a third overall, but it ranks at the top when it comes to what a pet needs: there are more pet stores and veterinarians per capita than any other city we analyzed. RewardExpert discovered that Miami has 75 and 141 pet stores and veterinarians per hundred thousand residents, respectively.

4) Washington DC – 57.5

The nation’s capital is number four on our list of the most pet-friendly cities to travel to in the United States. D.C. is solid across the board, offering a wide variety of restaurants and cafes that allow pets, dog-friendly hiking trails, and pet-related events.

5) Atlanta, GA – 56.3

Atlanta scored consistently well across each category, with the number of veterinarians per capita as a stand out category. While the city lagged behind slightly in the recreation category, it still had a high density of pet-related businesses and a high concentration of pet friendly restaurants.

HERE I CHIME IN ON THE NEXT 5 ON THE LIST…

6) Pittsburgh, PA – 56.3

Fascinated to learn that Pittsburgh has 18 hiking trails per hundred thousand residents – greater than any other city in the ranking.

7) St Louis, MO – 55.0

Bodie and I loved staying at the quirky Moonrise Hotel in the Delmar Loop historic district as well as visiting the American Kennel Club’s Museum of the Dog.

8) Boston, MA – 53.2

Happy memories doing cake research for The Traveling Tea Shop... Did you know the Boston Cream Pie was invented at the dog-friendly Omni Parker House Hotel.