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Our Visit to Pet-friendly Mansfield Plantation

© John Hopkins

Recently I decided to follow my own suggestion from last month's article and took a pet-friendly weekend getaway with my wife and our two dogs, Sugar and Spice. After doing some research and the usual agonizing over where to go, we decided on historic Mansfield Plantation Bed & Breakfast, located near Georgetown, South Carolina. Mansfield was a rice plantation for much of the 18th and 19th centuries and comprises 900 acres, of which about 18 are developed.

As you drive through the brick gate, down a road lined with majestic, moss-draped, 150-year old oaks, you know you have found someplace special. As you near the main house and pass through the old village, once occupied by the plantation's slaves and servants, you can almost feel the history that was once Mansfield Plantation. And although many do visit here to be swept away in Mansfield's colorful past, others - like us - visit for an entirely different reason; because through those gates is one of the most pet-friendly destinations in the eastern US.

The main house, built in the early 1800's, is home to the Cahalans, the owner-innkeepers of Mansfield Plantation. Visitors stay in three guesthouses (built from around 1800 to 1930) that surround the main house. Each guestroom is tastefully and comfortably furnished with period antiques and has its own private entrance. Outside on the grounds there are plenty of chairs, swings, and hammocks for visitors to relax in and enjoy.

There are no pet fees of any kind, nor are there "designated rooms" set aside for pet owners. The only pet-related request made by the Cahalans was that we cover certain of our room's furnishings to protect them from soiling by wet paws. No part of the property was designated as being off limits to pets in any way. We and our dogs felt welcome right from the start.

And was Mansfield ever a hit with Sugar and Spice. They were happy and excited from the first time they set paw outside the car. There was more than ample space in our room for their crate (they never go anywhere without their crate) and all of their toys. The room was well maintained and free of anything a dog might get into and either destroy or injure itself.

Outside there was plenty of room for them run, romp, play, or simply relax and be dogs. Neither of them has been trained for running off leash, so we kept them on either their leash or a 20-foot training lead anytime they were outside the room. However, for dogs and owners comfortable with off-leash activities there is more than enough room for them here. Sugar and Spice wore both us and themselves out with all of the running and playing they did.

The copyright of the article Our Visit to Pet-friendly Mansfield Plantation in Mixed-Breed Dogs is owned by Deborah Kompare. Permission to republish Our Visit to Pet-friendly Mansfield Plantation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.