A Dog-Friendly Trip to Barstow, California
A dog-friendly trip to Barstow, California, featuring Holiday Inn and Suites and Oggi's Sports Brewhouse and Pub.
On our April 2025 road trip from Colorado to California, we stopped in Barstow, California.
Why Barstow? We needed a place to stop somewhere between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Anyone who has made that drive knows that there aren’t many options in that area.
Barstow wasn't exactly a destination for us, but it was in the right location and gave us some amenities (hotels, restaurants, stores, gas stations).
Holiday Inn and Suites Barstow
Finding lodging was tough in Barstow. There were a few dog-friendly hotels, but the prices were outrageous, especially with dog fees. I went with the Holiday Inn and Suites because of the positive reviews and the location. The dog fee was the same as the cost of the room, which I didn’t love, but I knew that going in.
Given our options, this was a perfectly fine stay with the dogs. They had a nice walking path around the outside of the hotel and a designated dog area. The walking path was nicely zero-scaped, well-lit, and convenient.
This is not a fault of the hotel, but it was unfortunate that the dog area didn’t have grass or artificial turf. For a lot of dogs, rocks are probably fine, but my dogs (especially Piper) are a bit picky.
We also appreciated having a hot tub available at the hotel (especially after eleven hours of driving).
Oggi’s Sports Brewhouse and Pub
Barstow has a few restaurants that allow dogs or have carry-out, but we decided to have dinner at Oggi's, since it was a short walk from the Holiday Inn and Suites. After a long time in the car, it's nice to get even a short chance to stretch our legs.
Dogs were allowed on the patio, but the patio itself didn’t have an entrance, so the folks there kindly let us bring the dogs through the restaurant.
The patio was covered (we appreciated this since the sky looked ominous) and had heaters for when the weather gets cold.
We did have a small issue with the wind knocking into the heaters and causing some noise, which bothered our sensitive pups. Obviously, this wasn't the fault of the restaurant at all – just another chance for the girls to practice some resilience.
We got a light dinner of wings and salad, so we didn’t get a chance to try the pizza that the place is known for. (It's always hard eating after a long driving day).
