The seaside charmer that is Wilmington is the largest city in North Carolina. The lovely town sits at the confluence of the Brunswick and Cape fear Rivers, overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean. The charming Wilmington brims with cutesy cafes, azalea-covered gardens, and historic neighborhoods. It’s Historic District and The Promenade are home to tons of museums and the picturesque Wilmington Riverwalk. When evening falls, the place transforms into a playground for tourists, craft-beer aficionados, and locals. What’s more, the town has so many movie studios that it even goes by the nickname ‘Wilmywood!’ With plenty of sun, sand, and sea fun, the city also makes for the perfect dog-friendly destination year-round. Pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, NC welcome not just you, but also your beloved companions. In fact, the only problem you’ll have is that you’ll be drowning in choices of pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, North Carolina.
So, what is it about Wilmington that makes it so pet-friendly? For one, the town has countless dog parks and dog-friendly restaurants! Additionally, two year-round dog-friendly beaches and lovely dog-friendly public places make Wilmington a pleasure to explore with your pooch. To that end, here are the top 11 pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, NC.
Where To Stay in Wilmington with Your Pet
Wilmington is famous for being the “Hollywood East,” thanks to the presence of the famous studio Screen Gems. So, you’ll ee stars regularly sauntering down the street in town. That said, everyone in town zigzags between just two places – the historic center and the beach.
The historic downtown on the Cape Fear River is filled with tons of cool shops, boutiques, old houses, and horse-drawn carriages. It also has some interesting museums, including the Burgwin Wright House and the Wilmington Children’s Museu. Wrightsville Beach, on the other hand, is one beautiful, pristine stretch of sand just 20 minutes from Downtown. The public beach is absolutely swimmable and features tons of water babies engaging in all kinds of activities. The Intracoastal Waterway, which stands between the beach and the rest of Wilmington, is perfect for waterskiing, canoeing, kayaking, and more.
Even though Wilmington sits on the North Atlantic coast, It’s not far from cultural melting pot Charlotte and the architecturally gorgeous Charleston. In fact, the North Carolina Zoo, which is one of the 25 Largest Zoos In The World, also lies just three hours away. All these places make for a great one-day trip and one that your pet pooch will definitely appreciate.
ARRIVE Wilmington
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ARRIVE Wilmington is one of the most adorable and cute-looking pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, NC! And when we say adorable, we mean it. Think fireplaces, a cozy courtyard with a firepit, rocking chairs on the patio, and a check-in that’s also a library! The vibe of the property is entirely midcentury-meets-millennial and is sprinkled with foliage and gardens. The best part is that this lovely place allows you to bring your pet along to stay with you, even if it limits one pet per room. However, it doesn’t charge extra for bringing along your four-legged friend. That’s what makes the hotel so popular with dog owners – and their dogs!
The boutique hotel sits on a tree-lined boulevard at the edge of the historic downtown and is surrounded by stunning 19th-century homes. It sits in structures dating across three different eras – the 1904-built Dram House which was a dye factory, the 1950s-built Maritime House which was a convent, and the 1994-built Cinema House. Since all rooms are suites, you and your four-legged friend have lots of space to move around. What’s more, the hotel is a stone’s throw from downtown attractions.
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Staybridge Suites Wilmington – Wrightsville Beach
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The Staybridge Suites Wilmington is the best hotel to stay at if you’re bringing your pet pooch along with you. Located halfway between Wrightsville Beach and Downtown, the hotel is renowned for treating pets like royalty. Firstly, it allows both cats and dogs, which very few hotels do. Secondly, you can bring two pets weighing not more than 80 pounds to stay with you in the room. What’s more, if the pets are crated, they can be left in the rooms. Depending on the length of your stay, you’re charged an additional fee of either $75 (1-6 nights) or $150 (7 nights or more). All you need to do is call the hotel once you’ve booked online to add your pets to your reservation. Finally, the property even has a grassy area for pet relief.
Since it’s an all-suite hotel, every room has lots of space for you and your pet to move and lay around. Besides all standard mod-cons, every suite even has a kitchen for you to whip up quick meals for yourself and your pooch. What’s more, the hotel even serves a hearty breakfast of gravy and biscuits, sausage, bacon, and eggs. The highlight is the social evening hour between and Thursday when you can relish beer and wine dinner. Moreover, the hotel is great for long-term stays too.
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Dreamers Welcome
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Often, pet-owners have to content with staying in traditional hotels rather than charming inns due to their pet-friendly policies. However, the lovely Dreamers Welcome in Wilmington is far from your average regular bed and breakfast. With its excellent pet policy, it’s one of the most charming and historic pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The design-focused boutique inn lies in historic Downtown and offers a curated experience with invisible service and luxurious amenities. It sits in a gorgeous, refurbished Victorian home with individually designed suites on the cobblestoned bylanes of historic Wilmington. Of its four suites, two of them are dog-friendly – the Dreamer Suite and the Romantic. Both rooms allow two dogs weighing up to 50 pounds (combined) to stay with you and are incredibly spacious. The Dreamer’s garden views and the Romantic’s oversized windows are something that your pet pooch will absolutely love. What’s more, your pets even received food and water bowls, as well as a squishy bed to lay on. All this is available for a one-time fee of $40 per dog.
The rest of the art-filled retreat is equally adorable. Dig into delicious breakfasts on the morning or sip wine on the dreamy porch, with your pet pooch in tow.
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Residence Inn by Marriott Wilmington
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Surrounded by acres of greenery, the Residence Inn by Marriott is one of the most enchanting pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, NC. The laid-back, all-suite hotel lies just off Route 17, barely 2 miles from the charming Wrightsville Beach Park. A bevy of trees, shrubs, and manicured lawns welcome you to the low-rise, white-tiled, tiled-roof inn. Right from the outset, you know that your pooch is going to have a whale of a time. For one, you’re allowed to bring two pets along with you in your room. Only, they shouldn’t weigh more than 75 pounds combined. Moreover, the ground-floor rooms are the pet-friendly ones, which means that your pet can simply scamper out into the lawns. Finally, the hotel charges an additional pet fee of $75 (1-3 nights) and $100 (4 nights or more) for both pets.
The apartment-style suites have full kitchens, besides lots of space for your doggie to lay and walk around and not feel cramped. A fabulous outdoor pool with lounge chairs offers some much-needed respite. Moreover, you can enjoy a quiet afternoon on the verandah on the oversized rocking chairs as your pet pooch lies contentedly by your side.
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Days Inn by Wyndham Wilmington/University
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The Days Inn by Wyndham Wilmington/University is one of the most budget pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, North Carolina. Besides having amazing staying options for humans, it also has one of the most fantastic pet-friendly policies in the area. To begin with, you can bring not one, but three pets with you along to your room! That in itself is something of a rarity in the pet-friendly hotel world. Secondly, the hotel allows both cats and dogs, which can be left unattended in the room if they’re crated. Next, all pet-friendly rooms are on the ground floor, which is great for your four-legged friend to simply saunter out of the room. For this, the hotel charges an additional fee of merely $25/pet per night. The icing on the cake is that the sprawling property has lots of grassy pet relief areas.
Just like their pets, humans have tons of facilities at the budget inn. The highlight is the lovely pool, which is a perk for a budget hotel. Rooms are spacious with all mod-cons. Also, the restaurant on-site serves a delicious breakfast. Finally, its central location in historic downtown makes it easy to explore Wilmington.
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MainStay Suites
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If you’re looking for an extended stay option in Wilmington with your pet, then the MainStay Suites is a great option. The pet-friendly stay lies close to the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus. What’s great is that both Carolina and Wrightsville beaches, both of which are dog-friendly beaches, are close by. So, your pet has lots of avenues to enjoy both on the property as well as off it.
When it comes to the hotel, they allow both cats and dogs – cat owners rejoice! You can bring up to two pets into your room, both of which should weigh up to 25 pounds each. For this, MainStay Suites charges an additional fee of merely $50 per stay, which is one of the least in the area. Furthermore, well-behaved pets can even be left unattended in the rooms. Last, but not least, the lovely property has lots of grassy areas for them to frolic around.
Even though it’s a suites-hotel, the place offers a delicious continental spread for breakfast, complete with a hot oatmeal station. If you have your own car, even if it’s an RV, there’s plenty of parking space. A business center aside, the property even has a gym and an outdoor pool both. What’s more, the pleasant, tree-filled courtyard has lots of grills, which makes for a pleasant evening with your pooch outdoors. Finally, all rooms have all standard mod-cons, plus fully-equipped kitchenettes.
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Best Western Plus Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach
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If you’re looking for a great pet-friendly hotel in Wilmington, NC right in the heart of town, then the Best Western Plus Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach is a great choice. The best part is that it’s also a mere 10 minutes from the dog-friendly Wrightsville Beach as well. So, what’s makes the Best Western a great bet for pooches and their humans?
To begin with, your pooch is treated to lots of kisses and treats when you check-in. You can bring up to two dogs into your room, who should weigh no more than 80 pounds combined. The additional fee is just $20 per night. Moreover, you’re assigned ground-floor rooms for everyone’s convenience and to your pooch’s delight. Additionally, if your dog is crated, then they can be left unattended in the rooms. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even a grassy relief area along with a pet station on the property. If you’re a cat owner, then you’ll need to get approval from the hotel prior to your booking.
Rooms here might be simple, but they’re spacious and feature all creature comforts you could possibly need. The property also hits the bulls-eye with superb amenities like a seasonal pool and a hot breakfast served daily. To top that, it also has barbeque grills, a 24-hour gym, and a business center for your convenience. The hotel makes for a great option for families with pets too, as children under the age of 16 years stay for free!
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Best Western Plus Coastline Inn
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There’s a reason there are two Best Western properties on this list – their amazing pet-friendly policies! However, the Best Western Plus Coastline Inn one has a leg up on the other one. It lies right on the Cape Fear River in the heart of Downtown and boasts spectacular views over the water. Plus, historic downtown is just down the street, making it a breeze to explore with your pet pooch. All-in-all, it’s an excellent pet-friendly hotel in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The hotel boasts a wonderful red-brick exterior with slanting, tiled roofs. The inn welcomes two dogs in a room, provided that they don’t weigh more than 80 pounds combined. Since there’s a designated pet relief area right outside, the pet-friendly rooms conveniently lie on the ground-floor rooms. While dogs can be left unattended in the rooms, the hotel doesn’t allow cats. All this is available for an additional fee of $30 per night.
Since the hotel is close to all action, it’s a great base for exploring, shopping, and dining with your four-legged friends. Besides a lovely hot continental breakfast every day, the place even has a fitness center and a 24-hour front desk. There’s even an over-the-river pier that can be accessed from the hotel. What’s more, every room has superb river views, besides coffee-making facilities and other mod-cons.
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TownePlace Suites Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach
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If you’re looking for an upscale place to stay with your pooch close to Wrightsville Beach, then the TownePlace Suites Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach is perfect. As the name suggests, the hotel is a mere five-minute drive from the famed, dog-friendly beach. Also, it’s a fantastic base if you intend to stay in town for a while, as it offers suites for longer stays as well.
There’s nothing about the hotel that you won’t love. Firstly, the rooms are contemporary with high-tech mod-cons, full kitchens, and even ergonomic work desks. Besides a 24-hour business center, there’s even a fitness center and a convenience store on-site. Apart from a delicious breakfast, you can even help yourself to free coffee in the lobby. The standout is the outdoor relaxation terrace and the sauna and indoor pool.
However, the hotel particularly excels in its pet policy. Despite being an upscale space, it allows you to bring two pets into your room. Only, both shouldn’t weigh more than 50 pounds combined. To that end, all they charge is a housekeeping fee of $100 per stay, which is more than fair. It’s what makes it one of the most value-for-money long-term pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, North Carolina.
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Red Roof Inn
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The Red Roof Inn is a perfectly-located wallet-friendly hotel in town. It also happens to be one of the most budget pet-friendly hotels in Wilmington, NC. It not only lies just 5 minutes from downtown and 10 minutes from Wrightsville Beach. Since it’s a budget hotel, the Red Roof Inn allows you to bring only one pet weighing not more than 60 pounds per room. That said, it charges no additional fee for the same, saving you at least $20-25 charged at other similar accommodations. While pets cannot be left unattended in the rooms, it allows both cats and dogs on the property. Finally, it even has a charming grassy area on-site, complete with a pet station.
Even though it’s on the budget end of the spectrum, the hotel doesn’t skimp on facilities for humans. It offers a continental breakfast every morning. It also has a fantastic outdoor pool area perfect for lounging. Rooms feature a slew of mod-cons that you wouldn’t expect, including tea/coffee makers, ovens, and even an HBO cable package. What’s more, children under the age of 17 years stay for free!
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Suburban Extended Stay Hotel of Wilmington
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The elegant Suburban Extended Stay Hotel is one of the few extremely budget hotels in Wilmington NC that are pet-friendly. The place charges a small fee of $35 for the first 4 days of your stay, which comes down to not more than $7 per night. If you stay for longer, then it’s $5 per day. Moreover, the hotel allows you to bring two pets of any size into your room. What’s more, the place allows both cats and dogs, but cats need to be in a carrier at all times on the property. While they cannot be left unattended in the room, the hotel has a lovely grassy pet relief area on the property. Finally, weekly housekeeping leaves everything looking neat and tidy.
The best part of this extended-stay hotel is the immaculate rooms with kitchenettes. Despite being a budget place, the hotel has a bunch of amenities for you including a fabulous outdoor pool area. On balmy days, it’s the perfect place to curl up with a book or some music. Further, the picnic area with tables and grills is a great way to spend some time outside in hr evening as your pet joyfully frolics around. Finally, the hotel even has a tie-up with the O2 Fitness center right across the street.
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Pet-Friendly Restaurants / Bars in Wilmington:
- Java Dog Coffee House: This is one of the most famous and popular dog-friendly cafes in town. It lies in Downtown Wilmington, and dogs are welcome inside too. Plus, the coffee is excellent.
- Edward Teach Brewery: This is one of the few dog-friendly breweries around. The place channels a pirate theme with the first-floor bar shaped like a ship. Here, you can sample various types of beers, while never having to be away from your pooch.
Pet-Friendly Activities In Wilmington:
- Wilmington Riverwalk: Although your dogs must be leashed, they’ll love walking down this scenic waterfront in the heart of Downtown Wilmington.
- Empie Dog Park: This is one of the first dog parks to have opened in town. It’s the perfect place for your pooch to gambol around free and even play a game of catch with you.