Never fear, I have planned your next day trip! Pack your backpack–you and your pups are going to Manitowoc, WI! Manitowoc sits right on Lake Michigan and has the cutest downtown. There’s so much to do and see as you walk around, and there’s even a doggy water fountain right down town!
EXPLORE
Lace up your walking shoes–you won’t need to do much driving after you arrive. Exploring on foot with the dogs was our favorite thing about the weekend! The Mariner’s Trail is part of the Ice Age Trail and Manitowoc is an IAT community. Their trail system is paved and allows you to walk along Lake Michigan where you can see the massive ferry arrive from Michigan. You can walk along the Manitowoc River to the Maritime Museum and see the USS Cobia, a submarine on display that gives some insight to the local history. Our favorite part was making our way out to the gorgeous lighthouse! There is so much to see and it’s all accessible by foot (or paw)!
EAT
There’s no shortage of dog-friendly patios in Manitowoc! We enjoyed a walleye fish fry at The Fat Seagull on Friday night. The fish was nice and crispy and the patio had live music to enjoy. The lobster bisque came highly recommended, and it must be good, because it was already sold out when we arrived at 7pm. We’ll definitely be back for the bisque, but make sure you learn from our mistake and get there early!!
Check out the Courthouse Pub patio for lunch. The pups were served with love– seriously, they each got their own ice water bowl delivered to them. We enjoyed cheese curds with an awesome raspberry balsamic dip and really good burgers.
And don’t forget you can dine on the patio of Pizza Garden for some delicious, crispy thin crust pizza!
DRINK
Stop into both Sabbatical & Petskull breweries for a beer on each of their gorgeous patios. Take your pup to run off leash at Halvorsen Dog Park directly across the street from Sabbatical. Once pup has gotten their daily zoomies out, grab a Royal Jammy Jam sour and hangout by the fire pits or play yard games. Petskull also has a nice patio and serves up awesome cajun food–we highly recommend the jam-ball-aya!
PLAY
Be sure to take your pup to Paws & Play dog park. It’s near the lighthouse and allows the pups to pay off leash as you take in the waterfront views.
TREAT
Definitely hit up Beerntsen's for a cup of ice cream! It’s historic and charming and while the shop itself is not dog-friendly, I can confirm the dogs loved their scoops of vanilla! They also have the most beautiful chocolates in all different shapes and flavors. We recommend the peppermint patties–they were so yummy and came in dark and milk chocolate.
SHOP
Downtown is full of cute shops! My favorites were The Flower Gallery– they’re a florist, but also have a super cute boutique. Graced was also a gem! They have a bunch of cute clothes, shoes, and kitchen goodies, and even some treats for your pup!
*Note: I’m not sure the shops are dog-friendly. Hayden and the pups waited outside as I shopped, but they are worth the stop if you can make it in!
We had such a great time exploring Manitowoc and hope this helps you and your pups do the same! As always, reach out with any questions you have and be sure to check out our Instagram!
