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“Every day we receive inquiries asking for pet-friendly vacation rentals. In fact, nearly half of the guest inquiries we receive every year are seeking pet-friendly cabins, cottages, lodges or homes,” said Joe Mogensen, founder of Wisconsin vacation rental company It’s Cabin Time.

“Guests like to hike with their pets and include them in boat rides — even paddle board rides. They also like to lounge on the deck or around the campfire with their fur babies. Bird hunters will always have their dogs along for the hunt. We feel it is rare that guests leave their pets behind when visiting a cabin rental.”

In the state’s most beautiful regions, picturesque forests and a booming brewery industry mean that the ideal Wisconsin vacation easily includes an animal companion.

“We know that dogs are part of the family, and when you travel, you want to bring everyone in your family, so we have a spot on all about traveling with your pet to Door County,” said Jen Rogers, Senior Media Relations Manager at Destination Door County.

Door County has long been a staple for Wisconsin travel, boasting offerings for lovers of quiet cottage life, outdoor sports and good eating.

Plenty of independent restaurants catering to visitors make room for pets with tables set up outside in the warm spring and summer months, like Harbor Fish Market and Grille or Baileys Harbor Cornerstone Pub and Restaurant in Baileys Harbor, or Sturgeon Bay’s Kick Coffee or Kitty O'Reillys Irish Pub.

“Most of it is outdoor seating,” Rogers said, as nearly every dog-friendly eatery in the area offers an outdoor patio for pet owners to leash their dogs up while they eat.

“There is a brewery in Sturgeon Bay that you can bring your dog inside called Bridge Up Brewing; it’s a popular spot for dogs and their owners,” she said.

After eating, there are plenty of options to walk around in Door County with your pup on a leash.

“We have five state parks, so all of those parks are great for hiking. We also have amazing land trust properties that offer great hikes,” Rogers said. “There’s no shortage of places to hike in Door County.”

Land trust nature preserves offer public access for walking, hiking, fishing and all manner of outdoor activities.

If popular tourist destinations aren’t your thing, or your dog isn’t a fan of more than a couple hours in the car, there are plenty of quiet, smaller destinations in central Wisconsin for pet owners to travel to.

In Green Lake, Wisconsin, road trippers and their pets can visit the state’s deepest natural lake and check out the sights through spots in the Green Lake Conservancy, the area’s only all-volunteer, non-profit land trust.

After stretching your legs and taking a dip in the water, head over to the Goose Blind just a minute from the waterfront in downtown Green Lake for pub fare and brick oven pizza.

In the Madison area, there are countless things to do for dog lovers. When not spending some time at many lakefronts and outdoor spots in Mad City, stop by Petphoria, where owner (and Wisconsin native) Grace Wang sells luxury pet treats and apparel “for dogs and their people.”

Wang, who has been featured in the Hollywood Times, thrice-featured in Vogue and makes frequent appearances in Wisconsin shopping guides, has created a modern lifestyle brand for pets aimed at pet lovers who want their pup to feel fashionable, loved and nourished by high-quality treats.

After picking up some matching apparel for you and your pup and a container or two of snacks (peanut barker and banana bones, anyone?), grab a beverage at any number of pet-friendly spots, like State Line Distillery, in Madison, or Hidden Cave Cidery, in Middleton, which sells “pupachinos” and hosts dog-friendly events year-round.

In Rock County, you’ll find plenty of spots to sit down for a meal with your dog, like the Milwaukee Grill, which has an outdoor patio, or local favorite Luke’s Deli, where you can grab the best burger in Janesville at an outdoor table.

Down in Beloit, you’ll find pup paradise at the the Ironworks Hotel, where purchasing the Wine & Wags package will secure you wine, truffles, a bandana for your dog and a locally made dog treat.

The hotel also suggests local spots to eat and explore, like the outdoor patio options at Lucy’s #7 Burger Bar, Bagels and More or Bushel and Peck’s. If you want to stretch your legs, head for Riverside Park, where you can bring your dog on summertime Friday nights to catch live music, or hit the trails at Big Hill Park.

If you want to get out of the city and get in touch with nature, Rock County offers plenty of parks and trails that any area dog owner can attest to. For a steep hike, check out the Devil’s Staircase Trail in Janesville, or for meandering trails and a family-friendly playground, head over to Rockport Park.

Dog-friendly Magnolia Bluff Park in Evansville provides picnic tables for those wanting to get a hike in and have a nice outdoor lunch, and Storr’s Lake just outside of Milton has an option for a closed-loop two-mile hike as well as a longer Ice Age Trail connection for serious hikers and ambitious hiking hounds.

Just to the east, Walworth County’s growing tourism industry has made sure that pet owners can make a day or weekend getaway inclusive to the furrier members of their families,

“So, at the Delavan Lake Store, we have these puppy ice cream cones and dog treats,” manager Alex Simons said. “The bartenders are all pet lovers, so your dog will get lots of love and attention.”

The Delavan Lake Store acts as a gateway to Wisconsin for tourists coming up from Illinois to visit one of the most visitor-friendly lakes in southern Wisconsin, selling Cedar Crest ice cream and New Glarus Brewing Company products.

As the weather gets warmer, those looking to avoid crowds at Geneva Lake can make it to Delavan from Rock or Jefferson County in under an hour.

With of restaurants, shopping destinations, trails and fishing spots, Delavan Lake is a great opportunity for pet owners looking to not overwhelm their pups with too many weekend visitors from the Chicago suburbs.

“it’s close to Delavan Lake, so you can take your dog for a nice walk by the water…it’s a great spot for a fun day out,” Simons said.

Before booking a lakefront location, It’s Cabin Time warns travelers to check with the destination to make sure it meets pet owners’ needs.

“Owners and managers with lakefront cabins are less likely to be pet friendly because they don’t want wet dogs jumping on furniture,” Mogensen said.

Only half of the properties available on are pet-friendly, he added. Some that are pet-friendly may have certain regulations, like to keep pets off furniture, or to keep them leashed on the property.

Many ask that guests not leave pets alone, but that’s not much of a problem for the majority of dog-loving travelers.

“We feel it is rare that guests leave their pets behind when visiting a cabin rental,” Mogensen said. “They tend to find things to do in the area that are pet-friendly.”