Which Washington, DC neighborhoods work best with a dog?
Dupont Circle and Logan Circle are the most dog-oriented neighborhoods near the center, with row-house streets, two well-used dog parks and patios along 14th and 17th Streets. Capitol Hill is residential and leafy, close to Lincoln Park, where locals gather with their dogs each evening. The Navy Yard and the Wharf are newer waterfront districts with modern hotels, boardwalks and outdoor restaurants. Georgetown offers the canal towpath and the waterfront park. Downtown and Penn Quarter have the most hotel rooms and are nearest the Mall, but they are short on grass and quiet after office hours.
Where can I take my dog in Washington, DC?
The National Mall is open to leashed dogs, and walking from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial covers about two miles of lawn and gravel path; dogs may approach the memorials outdoors but cannot enter the museums or the interior chambers. Rock Creek Park has over thirty miles of wooded leashed trail inside the city. Shaw Dog Park and the S Street Dog Park are the main fenced runs near the center. Yards Park at the Navy Yard, Theodore Roosevelt Island and the C&O Canal towpath in Georgetown are all good leashed outings.
What should I know about transit, summer and leashes?
The District requires a leash in public places outside official dog parks, and National Park Service land, which includes the Mall and Rock Creek Park, requires one of six feet or less. Metro trains and buses only accept pets in secure carriers, so larger dogs will be walking or riding in a car. Summer is hot and swampy; the Mall has very little shade, so go early and bring water. Security checkpoints, motorcades and demonstrations can close streets at short notice, and pets are not admitted to Arlington National Cemetery across the river.
How do pet fees work at Washington, DC hotels?
Washington has one of the highest concentrations of boutique lifestyle hotels in the country, and many of them publish generous pet policies with no fee or no size limit, particularly around Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Capitol Hill. Large convention and luxury hotels downtown usually charge a flat per-stay fee and may cap weight. Across the Potomac, Arlington, Crystal City and Alexandria offer lower rates with a short Metro or car ride. Demand follows the congressional calendar: rates peak midweek when Congress is sitting and during cherry blossom season, and drop in August and late December.