Palapas

There are so many dog-friendly restaurants in Santa Cruz and vicinity that you could eat at a different one every day and not repeat the rotation for months.

The dine-with-your-dog classic is Aldo’s Harbor Restaurant, overlooking a marina where boats, kayakers and paddle-boarders drift in and out. For sampling craft beer, try 99 Bottles of Beer On the Wall, Seabright Brewery, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing or Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, all of which offer dog-friendly seating. For breakfast, select from some 20 types of burritos at Chill Out Café or as many styles of bagels at the Bagelry, a popular spot for more than 30 years. Walnut Avenue Café, Woodstock’s Pizza and Café Limelight are other in-town eateries that welcome DogTrekkers on their patios.

South of Santa Cruz, Aptos and Capitola are a pair of captivating and very dog-welcoming oceanside communities with a casual, wind-in-the-hair ambiance. Dog-friendly restaurants in the area include Betty Burgers and Margaritaville in Capitola, and Palapas and Café Rio in Aptos. more »

There’s nothing like the sight and sound of the sea to soothe the soul, vanquish boredom and revive the spirit. If your pup has been seeing far too much of the back yard lately, maybe it’s time for both of you to sniff out new horizons along the highly scenic, 122-mile stretch of Highway 1 between Pacifica and Carmel. more »