Dinner Key Marina, Coconut Grove

This week we decided to stay close to home and headed to Dinner Key. Located on Bayshore Drive, the marina has a public ramp and a private dock. We started out our walk north on Bayshore and then turned east on SW 27th Avenue to enter the boardwalk. Fiji is always excited to go on this walk, especially as we pass by the shrimp boats.
You can make your way along the dock all the way around to city hall or keep it short and end it there. Your other option is to continue around city hall, which eventually leads you to Scotty's landing. On our walk we met quite a few dogs, all shapes and sizes (yorkies, labs, beagles, poodles, etc), so make sure your dog can handle meeting new friends.

From Dinner Key

The great thing about this walk is that there are about 3 places to pick up an extra poop bag and garbage cans to toss any. You and your dog also have grass on your entire walk! We passed joggers, walkers, and many families out for a nice stroll. It's a great peaceful walk and an opportunity to catch the ocean breeze.
Sometimes you will catch film crews there for movies (Marley and Me) or tv shows (burn notice). Fiji tried to flaunt her stuff to get into Marley and Me, but they had all the dogs they needed. However, we did get a chance to meet one of the "Marley's" on our walks.
If you feel like catching a bite to eat, stop by Scotty's Landing. It is a dog friendly place, but as usual keep your pup on a leash. The food isn't fantastic, but it does have a great view. As we passed by today there was a band playing, so keep it in mind if you head over there, as Fiji tends to get nervous around loud noises. Scotty's tends to be crowded on weekends and Thursday and Friday nights. We like to go on a calmer night, like Wednesday as Fiji doesn't have to be cramped under a table and has a little more room to breathe. We did notice that they wanted dogs to stay off the grass, so if you need a potty break walk out and stop in front of city hall. There is a good amount of grass there for them to find the "best" spot.

From Dinner Key

Fiji gives Dinner Key 4-tail wags for a great dog walk. It's a great new experience for your dog and it has a lot of smells for your dog to explore and enjoy! The only thing keeping this spot back from 5-tail wags is the lack of shade. We suggest doing this walk in the early morning or right before sunset!

From Dinner Key

Scotty's Landing

Link to Scotty's Landing Info and Menu
Link to Dinner Key Marina Info


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Smyrna Dunes Park, New Smyrna, FL

This past Sunday, Andy, Fiji, Farley (Fiji's cousin) and I headed over to Smyrna Dunes Park, the locals refer to it as "the boardwalk". As we pulled into the park there was a security hut where we paid $3.50 to enter. We parked to our left, near the dog entrance. We started out on the sand walking alongside the boardwalk. Soon after beginning on the path there were access points to the beach, which were also dog friendly. We decided to veer onto the beach which lies on the intracoastal waterway. While walking down this area we found people sailing, fishing, swimming, or just enjoying the sun. We even found some sea life on shore. After running around the beach for a bit we decided to go back to the path. While we were leisurely strolling we happened upon some gopher turtles. They live on the beach and are not sea turtles. You will often see holes in the ground and a stick next to it marking a nest.
While walking the path we had a great view of the lighthouse which is a great spot to visit if you can afford sometime away from your pup. There are picnic tables along the boardwalk where you can get a short rest or have a picnic. We eventually ended up along the ocean side of the peninsula. Here we encountered many beach goers and surfers (New Smyrna has some of the best waves in Florida to surf). As we approached the jetty it was the end of the dog friendly zone. We hung out for a while watching some surfers and turned around.
Now, we went in the late afternoon, but the park is open from Sun-up to Sun-down. Dogs are allowed on the boardwalk from sunrise to 10:30am and from an hour before sunset until sunset. At all other hours they can be on the path right next to the boardwalk, which is just sand. When you get back to the entrance there is a nice new doggie wash station.
A great place to go after the beach would be the Flagler Avenue Coffee shop. If you go east from the park on Flagler Avenue you will see it on the right. Dogs are welcome out on the porch. They have a great selection of food and snacks which are made fresh everyday. They have water for your dog and treats for them too!
Fiji and Farley had an awesome time, I don't think their tails stopped wagging the whole time. The wind was in their faces, sand was on their paws and the smells of the environment made their visit a ton of doggie fun. Fiji gives this park/beach 5 Tail Wags!


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A is Smyrna Dunes Park
B is Flagler Avenue Coffee Shop



Link to Smyrna Dunes Park