Stay a night or three

If all that hiking, eating and drinking makes it unwise to drive home, why not put paws to pillow? The standout dog-friendly Oakland hotel, perhaps, is the Waterfront Hotel in the Jack London Square dining, shopping and entertainment district. Fittingly for a hotel with water frontage, the décor at this boutique Joie de Vivre property is nautical. It’s affordable as big-city hotels go and there's never an extra charge for dogs Read more.

Hike your tails off

Oakland is surrounded by hills, and the hills—luscious green at this time of year—are laced with hiking trails. You don’t have to go far from downtown Oakland to access one of the close-in preserves managed by the East Bay Regional Park District, which oversees more than 65 open-space areas with 1,250 miles of trails between them. A perk you won’t find on many other public lands: Read more.

Chow down with your Oakland chowhound

If your dog’s like ours, she doesn’t care much for sitting still for long periods of time. Fortunately, Oakland’s environment is so stimulating she won’t have to, especially if you head to a venue like Plank, a new addition in Jack London Square sporting a huge, dog-friendly beer garden with bocce court. Also on the waterfront, Brotzeit Lokal Biergarten has a dog-friendly deck and Read more.

Raise a toast to Oaktown beer and wine

Paxton at Drake’s Dealership in Oakland. Photo by Rima Shahin.

Local flavor is what Oakland is all about, and the city’s urban wineries and craft breweries, many housed in renovated warehouse spaces, warmly welcome patrons with well behaved dogs. Read more.

East Bay Regional Park District

Sunol Regional Wilderness. Photo by Kevin Noble.

The Bay Area wouldn’t be what it is without its tawny, oak-studded hills, and we have the East Bay Regional Parks District to thank for keeping many of them accessible to the public. Read more.