Charleston

A elegant harbourside park along the Cooper River, famous for its Pineapple Fountain and rows of porch swings looking out over the water. Leashed dogs are welcome to stroll the pier and promenade, making it a breezy, shaded favourite in the heart of the Historic District.

The seawall promenade at the tip of the peninsula, lined with antebellum mansions and a live-oak garden dotted with Civil War cannon. Leashed dogs love the wide harbour walk and the shade of the oaks, with sweeping views to Fort Sumter.

The candy-coloured Georgian townhouses of Rainbow Row and the cobblestoned lanes around them, the postcard image of old Charleston. It is all walkable on the lead, past piazzas, churches and the boutiques of King Street.

Charleston's largest park, a leafy expanse of gardens, a duck pond and a live-oak loop road popular with joggers and dog walkers. Leashed dogs have room to stretch out well away from the downtown crowds.

The laid-back barrier-island beach just south of the city, and one of the most dog-friendly in the area. Dogs are welcome on the sand outside the summer midday hours and all day in the cooler months, though never on the fishing pier.

A quiet barrier island of beach cottages and a modern lighthouse, with famously generous off-leash beach hours (a town permit is required). Leashed dogs are equally at home on its sandy lanes and at its dog-friendly tavern.

A large county park just outside downtown with trails, a fishing dock and a fenced off-leash dog park, one of the few places near Charleston where dogs can legally run loose. Leashed elsewhere in the park, it is a good energy-burner away from the beach.