If "Must love dogs" is your dating motto, you can skip right to the important part by setting a first date somewhere you can bring your pet. But don't draw the line there. So many Atlanta-area activities just beg for a pup companion, whether you're in the comfortable "date night" stage of long tradition (call it, "love me, love our dog") or looking for fun double, group or friend dates.
Best of all, when Fido gets to come along on your date, there are no long faces when you leave or chewed shoes on your return.
Atlanta in springtime is a pet-friendly bonanza, and here are six of the best options for outings that include both dog and date:
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 17
Free admission
Brook Run Park, 4770 N Peachtree Road, Dunwoody, Georgia. 770-312-9722 or RescueDogOlympics@gmail.com
Love is in the air when the Atlanta Metro Rescues unite to celebrate rescue dogs and their forever families with a fun field of silly and competitive games for dogs and their humans. As a date, it's not intimate, but it is a great chance to show off your pup and see how your romantic interest does in touching, sweet scenarios. And it definitely qualifies as an inexpensive date option, even if you grab cones on the way home.
1600 Piedmont Road, Atlanta. 404-874-3751, www.cowtippersatlanta.com
Any given evening when the weather cooperates, you and a date and a dog can get a good steak and do some people watching from the bustling patio at Cowtippers. If you plan it right, the movie will be included: Cowtippers has a weekly screening out front. If you want to celebrate your birthday with a dog and date, Cowtippers has a freebie program for that, too.
Credit: Contributed by WoofstockATL.com
Credit: Contributed by WoofstockATL.com
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, May 5-6
Admission free
Suwanee Town Center Park, 300 Town Center Ave., Suwanee, Georgia
Another one for the frugal daters among us, and also perfect for a double date with dogs (not to be confused with a double dog dare.) This lavish celebration of all things doggie will show who's a good dog and who's a good date for a dog parent.
Credit: Contributed by Tori Allen PR
Credit: Contributed by Tori Allen PR
1842 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta. 404-254-2273, www.grindhouseburgers.com
Here's the spot for you, Spot and the gang on Monday nights for a group or double date. The Piedmont location of Grindhouse Killer Burgers has half-off burgers and Dirty South Trivia Monday nights and pooch-friendly covered and uncovered patio seating most open hours.
Bark in the Park/Atlanta Braves
1:35 p.m. Sunday, May 20 versus the Miami Marlins
$22 per human or dog
Suntrust Stadium, 755 Battery Ave., Atlanta. www.mlb.com/braves
A carry over from the Turner Field days, this Atlanta Braves event is tail-wagging all the way. Tickets are limited and require advance purchase, so plan this date well in advance. The dog requirements are strict, including leashing and neutering and shots, along with a strict rule that all pets also be Braves fans. During the game, you will have access to the Xfinity Rooftop and seating in selected sections of the Grandstand Reserved, so you can watch the game from either location.
Hike Raven Cliff Falls
Helen, Georgia
Take GA 75 north from Helen for 1.5 miles. Turn left onto GA 356(75 Alternate) and travel 2.3 miles to the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway. Turn right and travel 2.8 miles to the trailhead and parking area
A favorite of the dog-owner hiking pairs from Atlanta Trails, a date with dog to hike Raven Cliff Falls will provide 4.9 miles of moderately difficult hiking by gorgeous falls. Oh, and a swimming hole for dips near the trailhead.
