Fun Fact: The James River is Virginia’s longest river that is located entirely within the state.

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Download this handy map of Henrico County.

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This Henrico County caNine List showcases our 9 favorite dog friendly “Spots” and introduces our foster dog Emmy Lou.

Hi! I’m Emmy Lou.

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1. Deep Bottom Park

📍9525 Deep Bottom Rd., Henrico

Deep Bottom Park provides a great place to paddle with your dog on the James River.

We found plentiful parking, easy access to the river, and calm water for kayaking. What’s not to love about this place?

We also appreciated that a few friendly locals stopped by to say hello.

Map from: Henrico.gov

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2. Farm & Oak

📍3601 Cox Rd. A, Henrico

Jake specializes in all things food and was thrilled to visit Farm & Oak.

Jake: “Farm & Oak features a large, covered, dog friendly patio—so no worries if Mother Nature decides to stir things up a bit during dinner.”

Jake: “I definitely recommend the crab cakes and suggest pairing them with one of the tasty salads.”

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3. Echo Lake Park

📍5701 Springfield Rd., Glen Allen

Echo Lake Park gets its name from the ability of surface water to carry sound. Historically, this park served as a meeting place for African Americans during the heavily segregated Jim Crow era.

Today, the park features a playground, picnic area, fishing spots, and (our favorite part) a trail through the woods around the lake.

Map from: Henrico.gov

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4. Henrico County Police Animal Shelter

📍10421 Woodman Rd., Glen Allen

Grendel wants everyone to know that your new best friend might be waiting for you at the Henrico County Police Animal Shelter. Check out who’s available for adoption on Petfinder or stop by on a Sunday from 10 am to noon when the shelter hosts a doggy meet and greet outside on its lawn.

Can’t adopt right now? The shelter could really use the following donations:

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5. Crump Park

📍3400 Mountain Rd., Glen Allen

We were BOW WOWed by beautiful, historic, dog friendly Crump Park, especially considering that it is absolutely free of charge.

For generations, the Shephard family owned a farm on these grounds. Today, the park provides information on the former occupants and cares for its current occupants—cows, hogs, chicken and turkey. We admired the living history from afar, keeping our distance from the farm animals.

The park also features miles of nature trails.

Map from: Henrico.gov

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6. Malvern Hill Battlefield

📍Willis Church Rd., Henrico

Our foster dog Emmy Lou is looking for her forever home. She enjoys long walks and her interests include Civil War history. On that subject, Emmy Lou has a few words to say about the Malvern Hill Battlefield.

Emmy Lou: “The Battle of Malvern Hill occurred on July 1, 1862. It was the final battle of the Seven Days Battles and it also ended the Union’s Peninsula Campaign to take Richmond.”

Emmy Lou: “These landmark chimneys at Malvern Hill Battlefield are all that remain of a parsonage that housed a Methodist minister and his family. Fortunately, the Union Army escorted the occupants of the parsonage to safety before the battle began because the structure took heavy fire that day.”

Emmy Lou: “While the Union Army ultimately won the battle, they decided to abandon their Peninsula Campaign.”

Emmy Lou: “Today, the Malvern Hill Battlefield is one of Virginia’s best preserved Civil War battle sites. The Malvern Hill Battle app provides loads of information and guides the user through a tour of the battlefield.”

Emmy Lou: “We walked the entire two-mile circular trail through the same fields and woods that the soldiers traversed during the battle.”

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7. Lakeside Deli

📍5014 Lakeside Ave., Henrico

Jake: “I always appreciate dog friendly seating with a roof to shade me from the Sun and protect me from the rain. During our visit to Lakeside Deli, I showed my appreciation by loudly exclaiming Roof, Roof, Roof.”

As far as we know, this was Emmy Lou’s first restaurant experience.

Jake: “Lakeside Deli is a super place to pick up sandwiches, subs, wraps, and sides. We called in our order and had it delivered to our outdoor table.”

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8. Spring Park

📍2000 Park St., Henrico

Located on the site of a former spring with healing waters Spring Park makes a unique sniffing spot.

The park will eventually be a trailhead for the Fall Line Trail.

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9. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

📍1800 Lakeside Ave., Henrico

Emmy Lou loves taking road trips and posing for photos.

The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden hosts special dog friendly events during the year—Fidos after Five and GardenFest for Fidos.

There is so much to see here and we barely scratched the surface of its 82-acres during our visit.

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Thanks for all the LOVE, Henrico County!

Lakeside Deli, 5014 Lakeside Ave., Henrico

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P. S. We recommend the following audiobooks during your trip to Henrico County.

Varina is a town in Henrico County, named after John Rolfe’s tobacco farm, but this book tells the story of another Varina who is part of Richmond’s history—the wife of Jefferson Davis.

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The Union launched its Peninsula Campaign in 1862 with the aim of capturing Richmond but abandoned the campaign after five months and specifically after the Battle of Malvern Hill.

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This book, set during World War II, is full of twists, turns, and surprises when a Richmond cop doesn’t know whom he can trust.

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