When the weather finally starts cooling off here in Louisiana, one of our absolute favorite things to do is take a dog friendly day trip to Mandeville with Teddy. Mandeville is about an hour or so away from Baton Rouge. It is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It is beautiful and such a relaxing spot to spend a nice fall day. Here’s what we did this past weekend.
DOGS WHO DINE: DOG FRIENDLY BRUNCH AT HAMBONE
Before we could do anything, we had to grab brunch. Brunch is essential to a day in Mandeville. We decided to check out a hip spot called Hambone. Hambone is owned by Chef Luke Hidalgo and his wife Marci. It is “made from scratch food for the soul” and is set in an adorable 1940’s cottage and is located at 544 Girod St, Mandeville, LA 70448. There was plenty of dog friendly outdoor seating, which also included games for kids to play while they waited on their food.
We ordered a chicken biscuit, bacon, and garlic cheese grits. You MUST try the grits if you go here. They were fantastic! Everything came served on adorable, small plates and a cool wooden board. We ordered sweet tea, which came unsweet, with a liquid sweetener that you can mix in. It was so refreshing and tasty. Of course, Teddy was a HUGE fan of the bacon.
You can see Hambone’s menu and learn more here.
After brunch, we took a walk down to the Saturday market, which was located right across from Old Rail Brewing Company, near the trail. The market had local vendors of all varieties. There was even a vendor selling dog collars and bow ties!
After brunch, we decided to head down to the waterfront to enjoy the light breeze and the views. You just can’t beat the beautiful lake views and the fresh air. If you’re into real estate (ummm. we LOVE Selling Sunset), there are so many gorgeous homes to admire as you walk. If you head down towards the yacht club, you’ll find a small beach area. This is where Teddy surprised us by plopping in the water and then rolling in the sand! He had too much fun.
After our walk along the waterfront, we drove to a place called Bop’s Frozen Custard. We ordered a sundae with vanilla custard, fudge and caramel sauce, and butterfinger, but the real winner was their Pup Cup, which cam topped with a Milkbone for Teddy! As you can see, he dug right in. I could barely snap a photo.
Bop’s Frozen Custard is located at 2660 Florida St, Mandeville, LA 70448. You can learn more about them here.
There are so many more fun, dog friendly things to do in the Mandeville/ Abita Springs/ Covington area. We can’t wait to check them all out and report back to you!
