A Macon park and bar gives the perfect of each worlds for dogs and their folks.
Tucker, 14, loves the outside, working and enjoying. So think about his shock when his person, Kate Barnes, created an area for him and his pals — and their folks too.
In 2021, Barnes opened Barks N Brews, an off-leash canine park and bar that gives over an acre of fenced-in, partially turfed, area for dogs to run and play with out the restrictions of a leash.
But Barks N Brews isn’t your peculiar canine park. Your four-legged good friend can play whilst you get pleasure from a beer or a glass of wine whereas taking part in some dog-centered actions.
The offbeat park gives a rotating choice of draft beer, wine, ciders, seltzers and non-alcoholic drinks, and has occasional meals vehicles and dwell music.
Each month it hosts occasions comparable to breed meetups, neighborhood Doga, canine costume contests, native rescue days, vacation celebrations, and extra to maintain bringing pups and their folks again for extra off-leash enjoyable.
Barnes stated she grew up in Macon and cherished to take her canine for walks, however she felt there was a necessity for one thing extra.
“Having lived in Macon my entire life, I saw a need for a space like Barks N Brews where people can bring their dogs to play off-leash while also being able to enjoy themselves with a beverage, music, shade, and more in a clean and safe environment,” she stated. “I have had my lab now for 14 years and while I have always enjoyed taking him for walks around many of our dog friendly places in town, giving him time to play off-leash at Barks N Brews, a place created for and catered to pups, has been a pretty joyful thing to witness.”
Barnes stated her ardour behind opening Barks N Brews was, after all, her dogs.
“I’ve had dogs as members of my family my whole life. That’s really where my passion for this business began,” she stated. “I wanted to see a business that could join pups and people together in a safe and happy environment.”
Barnes stated Barks N Brews offers the neighborhood a clear, secure and well-managed area for pups to train and socialize. But it’s additionally a place the place anybody can include or with no canine and really feel welcome.
“The relationships that have been formed between dog owners, and their dogs, have been a truly special and rare thing to witness,” she stated. “Our tagline since opening has been #MaconDogsHappy and that’s what we feel like we are doing at Barks N Brews.”
The business mannequin itself is exclusive to Middle Georgia, in accordance with Barnes.
“Of course there are several dog-friendly businesses around town, but nothing that caters to your pup quite like we do,” she stated.
In addition to giving area for dogs to run and play, Barks N Brews can also be obsessed with giving again to the neighborhood.
The park works with a number of rescues in and round Macon, together with its month-to-month adoption occasions with Pawsome Southern Rescue. The business additionally does month-to-month Doga, yoga together with your canine, which advantages the All About Animals rescue.
“We have also done some collaborative work with Habitat 4 Hounds and Bibb County Animal Shelter,” Barnes stated.
Barks N Brews gives day passes, month passes and memberships for dogs. People get in at no cost.
The park employs attendants and “ruffarees” who monitor canine conduct and guarantee everyone seems to be abiding by park guidelines and rules.
The memberships are per-dog in a family and they’re good for one yr. The largest membership perk is Member Only Monday access to the park.
The park additionally gives particular drink reductions, like “Wine Wednesday,” giving $3 off wines to members. Members additionally get $5 draft beers on “Thirsty Thursday.”
“When we have special events we also offer discounted prices to members,” Barnes stated.
Barnes stated the reception to the distinctive park since opening has been great.
“We have been blown away by the support we’ve received from the community since opening. I would say it has surpassed anything we had in mind,” she stated. “We have seen so much growth since our opening in 2021 and made several improvements to the park each year.”
“We will continue offering exciting events that make Barks N Brews a one-of-a-kind business in Middle Georgia where you can bring your pup to run and play at the happiest place on turf,” Barnes added.
Barks N Brews is situated at 695 Riverside Drive. It’s open Tuesday by means of Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12 to eight p.m. It’s open to members solely on Mondays from 4 to eight p.m.
