Dog-Friendly Movie Landmarks

Posted by Jessica Roberts

If you and Fido appreciate glamour, drama, adventure and romance, it's time to put yourselves in the movies. Check out these famous pet-friendly movie landmarks where you and your canine cinephile can reenact some of America's greatest films and most memorable scenes.

Field of Dreams

Dyersville, IA
You built it. We came. Photo by @adventures_of_luna_g

Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa. Released in 1989, “Field of Dreams” is a classic film about sacrifice, love, dreams and above all else, America's favorite pastime. Whether you think this movie is the best sports flick of all time or a bit on the corny side, there is no arguing it has earned a place in the pantheon of classic American sports movies. You and your four-legged buddy can visit the Field of Dreams baseball diamond in a cornfield built by all-American dad, Kevin Costner, and get a traditional concession stand snack while you're there. The Stretch, located along the third baseline, sells pop, beer, water, peanuts, popcorn, ice cream and other refreshing snacks.

The field is open daily from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. April through October, and from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on weekends in November. It is closed from December through May. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Leashed dogs are welcome to walk around the field, but are not permitted on tours inside the Kinsella house.

Stay in nearby Dubuque and enjoy views of the Mississippi River from the porch of this beautiful home.

Pet Sematary

Bar Harbor, ME
"These woods are spooOOky." Photo by Christine Anderson

For fans of Stephen King and the horror movie “Pet Sematary,” walking the Deer Brook Trail at Acadia National Park is certain to induce goosebumps. The 1989 film tells the eerie tale of a father, Louis Creed, who attempts to bring his two-year-old child back to life by burying him in an old pet cemetery. In the movie, Louis and his neighbor Jud climb this path of twisted tree roots leading to the cemetery. The Deer Brook Trail, which starts on the northwestern shore of Jordan Pond, underwent an impressive rebuild in 2017. Now when you walk the trail you'll encounter granite steps that wind up to a high narrow point between the Penobscot and Sargent peaks, making the climb significantly easier for both the living and the dead. Anyone who continues up the trail past the portion that was used for filming is rewarded with an astonishing view atop Penobscot Mountain.

After your hike, relax in a pet-friendly room at Little Fig Hotel in downtown Bar Harbor.

"Are those murderous seagulls or just the french-fry stealing kind?" Photo by @evan_kilgore

When Alfred Hitchock saw the surrounding treeless hills of the quiet harbor with rolling California fog, he knew Bodega Bay would make the perfect filming location for his next project, “The Birds.” Put on your most glamorous sunglasses and hair scarf à la Tippi Hedren and drive Bodega Highway past the Potter Schoolhouse where the birds first besieged the town’s children. Make your way to the coast at Doran Regional Park, where you can walk your pup along the more than two-mile stretch of remote beach and watch for flocks of (hopefully friendly) flighted friends like hawks, egrets, herons and pelicans. Finish your Hitchcockian tour with a meal on the pet-friendly patio at The Birds Cafe.

Stay oceanside at Bodega Harbor Inn, and admire panoramic coastal views of Bodega Bay and the Bodega Headlands.

Dirty Dancing

Pembroke, VA
"We've had the time of our lives." Photo by @isabellaandpenelope.

Pack Fido's dancing shoes and have the time of your life in the beautiful Mountain Lake Lodge Hotel, the site of the Kellerman family’s resort vacation in the 1980s movie, "Dirty Dancing." The resort property still looks dramatically similar to how it appeared in the film. You won’t even have to ask where the movie scenes were shot; at check-in, you’ll get a map identifying the locations including the green-roofed cabin where Baby’s family stayed and the gazebo where guests took dance lessons. If you want to recreate the infamous scene in the lake where Baby and Johnny practice the dance lift, however, you’ll have to head elsewhere, as the lake at Mountain Lake Lodge dried up in 2008.

You could recreate additional Dirty Dancing scenes about 235 miles away in Lake Lure, NC though. Many of the film's outdoor scenes, including Johnny and Baby dancing on a log, were filmed in this pet-friendly mountain town. While here, you can book a stay in the pet-friendly 1927 Lake Lure Inn and Spa, the same hotel where Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey stayed during filming.

"Bum, bum bum bum, bum bum bum, bum bum buuuummmmm." Photo by @murphythephillypit

All film aficionados know no movie landmark list is complete without including a jog up the 72 stone steps leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, better known as the "Rocky" steps. A statue of Sylvester Stallone as Rocky stands on a grassy knoll adjacent to the famous steps leading to the museum, where visitors on two legs and four from around the globe enjoy it while humming "Eye of the Tiger." Be sure to also get a famous cheesesteak at Pat's King of Steaks, where Rocky and the loan shark Tony Gazzo grab a bite to eat in the first film of the franchise.

There is no shortage of pet-friendly activities to enjoy in the City of Brotherly Love, and the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia near the city's historic center will give you easy access to it all.

The Wizard of Oz

Liberal, KS
There's no place like Liberal, Kansas. Photo by Dorothy's House and Coronado Museum

If you don't trust tornadoes to take you over the rainbow to the Land of Oz but Fido really wants to meet Ms. Gale and friends, check out Dorothy's House in Liberal, KS. Tour the life-sized house designed to look just like the farmhouse depicted in the movie, real movie memorabilia, and replicas of Dorothy and her travel companions, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and yes, Toto too. Your pup is welcome to tour the attraction with you as long as you can carry him.

Just up the road from Dorothy's House is the pet-friendly Days Inn Liberal hotel, where pets are welcomed with treats at check-in.

The Goonies

Photo by BringFido/Sara

“Hey, you guys!” Although you aren’t likely to find One-eyed Willy’s treasure, a trip to the coast of Oregon with Fido will lead you to several sites where Steven Spielberg's 1985 classic, The Goonies, was filmed. Each year on June 7 the town of Astoria celebrates Goonies Day when fans from all over the world come together to honor Mikey, Chunk, Sloth and the rest of the gang. But if you can’t make the celebration, visit Astoria anytime to see filming locations like the county jail where Jake Fratelli escapes. You’ll likely see the Fratelli’s Jeep sitting outside. Make a stop by Astoria Brewing to pick up your Goonies swag, then head down the coast to Ecola State Park in nearby Cannon Beach, and imagine Willy’s ship, The Inferno sailing past Haystack Rock.

Cuddle up with your pup at Astoria Crest Motel and enjoy beautiful views of the Columbia River.

The Hollywood Sign

West Hollywood, CA
Just a little pug with big dreams. Photo by Samara Iodice

For the final landmark on our list, we take you and Fido to the enduring movie sensation, the Hollywood sign. The iconic nine letters have sat atop Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills since 1923, and have been featured in countless films, television broadcasts, video games, laser shows and even the 1984 Olympics. The Sign made its big-screen debut in the 1935 film, Hollywood Boulevard, and has since been featured in movies from Britney Spears' "Crossroads" to the 2013 cult favorite, "Sharknado," plus hundreds more.

To take in the sign, you and your canine starlet can visit Lake Hollywood Park or climb the 3-mile Mount Hollywood Trail in Griffith Park. If you choose to hike, stop along the way to see Bronson Cave which was portrayed as the entrance to the Batcave in the 1960s Batman TV series.

Be sure to plan a stroll down Hollywood's Walk of Fame while in Tinsletown, and stay right on the Boulevard at the Hotel Ziggy. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for celebrity sightings.

Have you and your furry film buff visited any of these famous movie landmarks? Leave a comment or tweet us @BringFido!

Banner photo by Sweetie.