Sometimes you just need to get out of town, even if it is just for a night! Zach and I have been incredibly busy at work so we decided to treat ourselves to a night out of town in Baltimore, Maryland. So early Saturday morning we packed our bags and headed north. The drive from Arlington to Baltimore is surprisingly short, especially on the weekend. We were able to reach our destination in a little over an hour.
Before we started planning our trip, we consulted with resident Charm City experts, @ipartywithbrucewayne and @IbelieveinHD. They recommended some awesome dog-friendly activities for us, but due to time constraints and weather, we were not able to check them all out. I guess that means we will have to return!
Here are a few of the things we did check out while in Baltimore:
World of Pets Expo
Ah, the real reason this weekend trip happened. We love expos! This year our schedule only allowed for us to attend the World of Pets Expo in Maryland. The expo was about 15 minutes north of Baltimore at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.
While there, Navy visited her good friend @mayathedox at their @sassywoof booth. Navy went a little wild with Dad’s credit card and bought herself two adorable Sassy Woof bandanas. Our best find at the expo was this super cool sticky roller to pick up Navy’s fluff. We’ve seen commercials for tools like these but never saw one work in real life. Let me tell ya’ll, they work and we are officially obsessed
Zach, Navy, and I spent wayyyy too long watching the Dock Dogs compete. Hmmm.. do you think Navy could be a dock dog?
Sunset Stroll and Shop in Inner Harbor
Our hotel was just a few blocks from Inner Harbor so we were able to walk over around sunset to capture some content for Navy’s Instagram and take in all the views. We passed a ton of awesome restaurants with seasonal patios. I can only imagine how popular these places get once the weather gets nicer! Lucky for us, the Starbucks in Inner Harbor’s patio was open so we could bring our coffees outside and sit with Navy.
We also couldn’t help ourselves from stopping in a one of the many shops in the Inner Harbor neighborhood. The Lululemon in Harbor East is very dog friendly. They even have a treat jar and water bowl for pups. All the educators gave Navy lots of love and treats.
Pro Tip: Don’t assume a place is dog-friendly just because google tells you the chain is. We ALWAYS call ahead and ask the manager on site whether or not we can bring our dog inside the store.
Cocktail Hour at the Kimpton Monaco Baltimore
I love how dog friendly Kimpton hotels are. Our amazing stay with Navy at the Kimpton Goodland Santa Barbara is the reason why Zach is a proud owner of an IHG credit card. Kimpton Hotel’s have arguably the most accommodating pet packages. However, they can also get a little pricey. We used the relatively new app, Hotel Tonight to score this hotel normally priced at $150+ a night for only $75 a night. Want to save $25 with your first Hotel Tonight booking? Use code ALHIBBS when checking out. 🙂
We loved being able to bring Navy the the lobby with us to enjoy Kimpton’s cocktail hour. After a long day of exploring it felt so relaxing to just sit down and enjoy a glass of wine and a small snack with Navy. the Kimpton Monaco also allowed for Navy to sit with us as we enjoyed their complimentary coffee and tea bar in the morning.
Experience Baltimore Winter Restaurant Week
We picked the best random weekend to visit Baltimore. Some restaurants participating in the Baltimore winter restaurant week extended their offerings through the weekend. Zach and I have participated in other cities’ restaurant weeks, but Baltimore by far had the best deals. We chose to dine at Sullivan’s Steakhouse, which has a seasonal dog-friendly patio. The patio was obviously closed for winter, so Navy enjoyed a nice nap while we dined and her leftover steak meal.
Brunched with B&O Restaurant
I absolute love when hotels has awesome restaurants on-site. Lucky for us, the B&O Restaurant calls the Kimpton Monaco Hotel home. After an action packed Saturday, we decided to stay close by and visit the B&O Restaurant. We don’t love leaving Navy in the room alone, but when we are just a few floors below, we feel much better.
The menu looked absolutely amazing and I seriously wanted to try everything, but I settled on the eggs and home fries, Zach tried the Chesapeake Omelet, and the table split an order of the old fashion donuts.
Although it was a quick trip, I still felt like our as though our weekend was packed with awesome experiences. When we come back to Baltimore, we definitely plan to return when the weather is a little warmer, that way we can really experience Charm City. Until next time Baltimore!
what do you think?