Can I Bring Albus: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield

A couple of weeks ago, I got up extra early on a Saturday and I was super motivated. So I loaded Albus up for a quick little hike up Kennesaw Mountain. You would think that since I grew up in Kennesaw, went to the park every year for field trips in elementary school, drive past it every single work day, that I would remember the date of the battle. It was June 27th, 1864 and you guys will never guess what day I took Albus to hike the mountain. Go ahead, guess. Did you guess June 29th, the Saturday after the anniversary of the battle? BECAUSE YOU WOULD BE RIGHT! 

This post is not sponsored (but I would absolutely accept a National Park Annual Pass in exchange for taking Albus to all of the dog friendly ones and exploring them...) This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through one of those links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks! 

So, on this fateful day. I figured the park would be busy, it wasn't TOO hot yet, but it was a Saturday morning. I pulled up and the main parking lot was full (it's always full, but I always do a loop in case I'm there at *just* the right time and someone is leaving.) Then the overflow parking was a zoo too, I lucked into a parking spot, took a very official picture of Albus squinting in front of the sign in that parking lot, then we head to the opening of the park. We start to cross the street, and only then do I see the tents set up, the canons not in their normal places, and people dressed as Union & confederate soldiers. 

In case you were wondering, no, Albus was not a fan of the cannon fire or the rifles. Since we had already fought to park and made it to the welcome center, I decided that we should try to go up the mountain anyways. The hike up Kennesaw Mountain is only 1 mile, but man I struggle every time. Atlanta Trails says it's a "relatively moderate" hike. In the intro they say "Hike a strenuous 2.4 miles roundtrip on the Big Mountain Trail," so maybe it's not so easy peasey. Not sure I'm going to be trying anything they say is more difficult. 

SPEAKING of more difficult. If you're ever in the area and end up at the entrance on the back side of the mountain, they call it "Little Kennesaw Mountain" that hike is substantially more difficult and I have been glared down by a troop of Boy Scouts with those poky hike stick things (staunchly refusing to google what they're really called.) because apparently letting the large group of boys who look like they know what they're doing pass is not actually proper hiking etiquette. I always operate under "slower traffic get out of the way" 

So, on your hike up, you go about .8 miles and then there's a parking lot. Fun story, the first time I took my youngest brother hiking, he got SO MAD when we found the parking lot and insisted we walk the driving path down because he didn't believe that going around the mountain would be further than straight down it. Well, by the time Albus & I reach this parking lot, I'm breathing a lot heavier than I care to admit, and I plop down on the sidewalk for both of us to take a water break. We only do easy hikes, but I keep my doggy diaper bag packed with sunscreen, an extra water bottle, a bag of BarkBox treats, and a spare roll of poop bags. I also have this really cool collapsible bowl that clips on to the leash. Obviously I needed the break more than Albus did. 

I asked the park rangers if they would be firing the cannons on the tippy top of the mountain, because by this time I remembered all of the Kennesaw Mountain knowledge I have amassed over the years. They were also firing those, the reenactment must be historically accurate you know, so I decided we'd just head back down. It was hot and sweaty, but we ended up doing over two miles anyways because we had to walk to and from that satellite parking lot. 

Kennesaw Mountain itself, as well as the rest of the park associated with it, is all very dog friendly. A KEY thing to note though, you're gonna need to bring your own bags and be a little prepared to carry one for a while. We once accidentally went 6 miles on the Noses Creek trail looking for a trash can. There are several different trails in the park and we've done almost all of them! Maybe on our next installment of "Can I Bring Albus?" we'll talk about the dog beach where Albus made some overly serious dog dad very mad..

Have you been to Kennesaw Mountain? Do you think I'm a wimp getting winded on the trail (it's okay, I know I'm out of shape.) Is there a National Park near you that you love? Tell me about it! Also, always accepting new ideas for where to bring Albus.

Can I Bring Albus? - Red Hare Brewing Company

I had so much fun rounding up my favorite dog friendly PATIOS on the Marietta Square (I emphasized patios because the City of Marietta shared my post (!!!!) and some guy commented "It's a great list and all, but you forgot Bark Street Petopia! It's the best place for dogs" It's true, I did leave them off, because you could clearly tell the list was my favorite human places that Albus gets to come along to. Bark Street is a boutique pet store. Anywhoodles) Without further ado, let's get down to the first edition of Can I Bring Albus? -- Red Hare Brewing Company

I have been a fan of Red Hare for years, and not just because it's super close to my house. They have a cool little spot towards the back of an industrial park, right across the street from a Mayfield Dairy, complete with a giant cow. Red Hare has an ever growing beer selection, my current favorite is the SPF 50/50 Lemon Lime - soo tasty and refreshing, and very light. The 50/50 is described as "A light, refreshing blend of IPA and lemon & lime juice. Sweet citrus zest mingles perfectly with citrusy hop notes." on Untappd  (PS, anyone else on Untappd? I freaking love that app, because I'm a beer nerd. We should be friends if you are! I'm always looking for a new brew)

They've been working on the patio out there, every time I've been there's been something new. There's a lot of space, plenty of shade, seating gets tight on busier nights, but you can usually snag a chair. They have a court for horse shoes and corn hole too! Dogs are allowed both on the patio AND inside the taproom. Last time we were there, the bartender tried to get Albus to jump up like he was ordering a beer himself, but he absolutely refused and just showed her all of his other tricks instead. Silly little nugget. She had a secret stash of puppy treats, they have water bowls available if you don't bring your own, and they have a poop bag dispenser in case you accidentally run out and there's a smelly situation. (Running out of poop bags is a legitimate fear of mine, I keep an extra roll stashed away everywhere)

Red Hare is kid friendly, they even have a root beer on tap, so I would keep that in mind if your pup is a little hesitant around the tiny humans. Albus loves them so I only get a little stressed out if there are a bunch of unsupervised ones running around. Red Hare is a brewery you've intended to go to, like there's not really anything else close, so you have fewer kids than say Glover Park where you can walk there from a lot of other kid friendly places. They are closed on Monday, something I forget pretty regularly and try to swing by for some brews to be disappointed. 

Have you been to Red Hare? What are your thoughts? Want to go tonight? Where should we go next on Can I Bring Albus? 

My Favorite Dog Friendly Marietta Square Spots

I've seen a bunch of posts about "dog friendly spots in your neighborhood" and I don't feel like they're doing justice to all of the pup friendly places. So I've put together my own! Here are my favorite places to take Albus on the Marietta Square, in no particular order.

Marietta Pizza Company // this was our go-to for the longest time. It's the first (dog friendly) place we come to as we hit the Square. They sell by the slice all the time (not just at lunch, like a lot of pizza places) so it's super easy to walk up for a slice, salad, and a couple of beers. They have a ton of different options, their salad portions are big enough to share, the staff is great, I've honestly never had a bad experience there. Fun fact: they also deliver and the day I bought my house, we had moved in the mattress and box springs (just set straight on the floor) and like, four lawn chairs. We had no food, but plenty of booze in the fridge, so we called up to order pizza. Apparently we sounded like we needed sustenance because the kid who delivered our bacon pizza also brought us a giant handful of saltine crackers. There are pictures of this somewhere, I just can't find them. ANYWAYS. I love the Pizza Company, they have a good mix of local brews, unique brews, and your run of the mill beers too. Something for everyone!

Hemmingway's // Hemmingway's has a really cool patio situation, it's set up in the alley between their block of the Square and the next block. The vibe here is very laid back, they have live music on the weekends, and you have to go down into a kind of scary, but really cool basement to use the restroom. One time, we had Albus with us, and the kid at the table next to us was TERRIFIED. His mom explained that he was scared of dogs. So I had Albus come sit on the other side, but when the kid saw how calm Albus was, he gradually warmed up to him, and by the end of the night was tossing him treats for high fives. I still consider this one of my greatest accomplishments.

WR Social House // TRY THE FRIED GREEN TOMATOES. TRUST ME. I am a big fan of the Social House. They've recently come under new ownership, but have kept roughly the same menu. Their bartenders are really creative and come up with some cool cocktails. The last time I was there, I had a cucumber infused vodka water, y'all it was so good and refreshing. ALSO, they have giant umbrellas on their patio, so it's very easy to anchor the dog's leash. This is a thing I'm *always* looking for in a dog friendly place, because they're rarely allowed to come inside.

Their Saturday brunch menu is fantastic, over the holidays they did the whole Christmas themed inside and made this monkey bread that was INCREDIBLE. Plus, they have mimosa & bloody mary specials.

Taqueria Tsunami // They've been working on the sidewalks around the Square, and recently re-did the one in front of Tsunami, I haven't been since then, but even before it was awesome. Taqueria Tsunami does an Asian/Mexican fusion, and their menu is great. I love the edamame, their margarita selection, and the fact that I can get tater tots with queso as a side, because I have the pallet of an 8-year-old. Fun story: once I was there with some friends and actually ordered the exact same thing as their daughter, who was in second grade at the time. #OnBrand

Their patio wraps around the side of the building, but on Tuesdays in the summer, the Australian Bakery next door "hosts" a bluegrass jam session. Which is exactly what it sounds like, a bunch of bluegrass musicians out on the patio just jamming. Usually when people snag one of these patio tables on bluegrass night, they stay for a while.

Glover Park Brewery // If you didn't see this one coming, you clearly don't follow me (or Albus) on instagram. This place opened up in September of 2018, so it's still relatively new and growing. They have a huuuuge back patio with several sturdy tables to anchor the pups to. They have different food trucks every night, music on Fridays, and a jazz jam session on Sundays. On Wednesdays they have Singo! We haven't won yet, but I'm pretty sure if I just keep going that we will, statistically, win.

They're closed on Mondays & Tuesdays, but open the rest of the week. They even have their own dogs at the brewery instagram. If you're ever on the Square and looking to grab a beer, Albus & I will ALWAYS walk up to meet you.

Johnnie MacCracken's // Before Glover Park opened, this was our go-to beer drinking with the pup location. They pride themselves on being a dive bar, so you have to expect the dive bar things with this place, they're very authentic. They have two sides, one is non-smoking and kid friendly, the patio on the sidewalk is all part of this. There are rails to tie the pups to up there. There's also a beer garden out behind the bar, but it's on the smoking allowed, 21+ side. Their menu is good, Irish Pub food, and they have a VERY extensive beer list.

I do want to warn you, that in addition to the whole smoking allowed side, they're very favorable to their regulars. It gets pretty wild on Friday and Saturday nights, but it's a great little beer garden in the afternoon.

Marietta Square Market // Dogs are only allowed on the patio here, which is normally a "duh" thing but, since it's a food hall sort of place, I feel like maybe I need to say that first. It's a place where you'll need two humans so that someone can go in and get the food. However, the food here is awesome. I am a little biased, since my boyfriend is the kitchen manager for Forno Vero. You should definitely go see him, try the crostini, they're amazing. They also have the anchor bar, so you should pop by for a cocktail or two. Their cocktails are well thought out and really tasty.

I've had a little bit of every place in there, and I recommend you do the same thing. You can get everything from burgers to lobster rolls to crepes to Thai street food. It's so good you guys.

Cool Beans Coffee Roasters // I love Cool Beans. These folks love coffee. They travel the world to bring you the best coffee beans, and they don't make you feel like an idiot if you don't know what you want. It's affordable, always smells divine, and they have this huuuge patio space out back. It backs up to Hemmingway's and the Marietta Welcome Center/Museum. PLUS your dogs are allowed to go INSIDE.

I'm thinking of continuing this series, maybe doing individual posts on our extra favorites *cough* breweries *cough* Would y'all be into something like that? I'm obviously going to call the series "Can I Bring Albus?" so that when I write my memoir, I have an outline for it...

Have you been to any of my favorite haunts? Also, do you have any tips for taking pictures of a black dog? Poor guy always blends into the background.