Cottages, RV sites, glamping, a dog park, fire pits and plenty of room for family, friends and dog cousins—plus Solvang and OstrichLand just down the road.
We’ve talked quite a bit about staying in dog-friendly hotels.
We love them.
But sometimes…
a hotel just isn’t the experience we’re looking for.
Maybe we want to sit outside around a campfire at night. Maybe part of the family is arriving in an RV while the rest of us have absolutely no intention of buying one. 😂 Maybe we want the kids playing outside while the adults relax, the dogs hanging out with their dog cousins and everyone actually spending time together.
That’s when a place like Flying Flags RV Resort & Campground in Buellton, California gets really interesting.
Flying Flags gives you something we don’t find everywhere:
You can camp however YOU define camping.
And that’s one of the biggest reasons we love it.
🐾 Quick Paws Guide: Flying Flags With Dogs
📍 Where: Buellton, California, in the Santa Ynez Valley
🐶 Dog-Friendly? Yes! Many accommodations and RV sites are dog-friendly, but check your specific accommodation before booking.
🐕 Hospitality Pet Limit: Currently up to two dogs per hospitality unit with a one-time nonrefundable pet fee.
🏕️ Stay Your Way: RV sites, tent camping, cottages, cabins, vintage trailers and several glamping options are available.
🏡 Where We’ve Stayed: National Park Cottage with Loft
🐕 Dog Park: Yes! There’s a fenced off-leash dog park.
🏊 Resort Fun: Pools and spas, splash zone/playground, bocce, activities and more. During our stays, we kept our dogs out of the pool and splash areas.
🍕 Food: Feather & Fire is right on the property.
🛒 Also On Site: General store—and our dogs learned exactly why they wanted to come along when we went there. 😂
🔥 Our Favorite Activity: Relaxing around the fire with family, friends and dogs.
🇩🇰 Nearby: Solvang
🦤 Don’t Miss: OstrichLand USA
❤️ Would We Go Back? Absolutely. We already have!
🗺️ Map & Directions: Google Maps — Flying Flags RV Resort & Campground, Buellton
🏕️ Camping…However You Define Camping
One of the things that surprised us most about Flying Flags is that everyone can have a completely different idea of camping—and somehow it still works.
Some people arrive with an RV. Some want a traditional campsite. Others want to go glamping in a safari-style tent, vintage trailer or Airstream.
And then there are people like us.
We like camping. We also like walls, a bathroom and a comfortable bed. 😂
That’s why we usually choose one of the cottages.
Flying Flags has an impressive variety of accommodations, including RV sites—with options for some seriously long RVs—along with cottages, cabins, vintage trailers and several glamping choices.
Many are dog-friendly, but not every accommodation allows pets, so always check the current pet policy for the exact accommodation you’re considering before you book.
The great thing is that none of us has to vacation the same way in order to vacation together.
We’ve stayed here with family and friends who have RVs while we’ve rented a cottage. Everyone gets their own space and the type of accommodations that work best for them, but during the day and evening, we’re all together.
And so are the dogs.
Our dogs love going on vacation with their dog cousins. 🐶🐶❤️
That’s really what makes Flying Flags special to us.
👉 Explore Current Flying Flags Accommodations
❤️ It’s More Than a Place to Sleep
Could you possibly find a hotel room nearby for less?
Absolutely.
And if what you need is simply a comfortable place to sleep at night before meeting everyone again the next morning, a dog-friendly hotel may make perfect sense.
But that’s not really why we come to Flying Flags.
We come for the experience of staying together.
It’s sitting outside while the kids play. It’s walking the dogs around the resort. It’s everyone gathering around a campfire after dark. It’s roasting marshmallows and making s’mores while somebody starts telling a story you’ve probably heard before—but somehow it’s still funny. 😂
It’s putting the phones down for a while.
Talking.
Belly laughing.
Relaxing.
Watching the dogs settle down beside everyone after a long day.
Flying Flags works for all kinds of travelers—retired couples, families with kids, younger couples, RV travelers, glampers and, of course, those of us whose dogs are absolutely part of the family.
Everyone may be “camping” a little differently, but somehow we’re all there for the same reason:
to spend time together.
It’s just good old-fashioned fun.
And those nights around the campfire?
Those are the moments we remember.
🏡 Where We Stay: The National Park Cottage With Loft
We don’t own an RV, so when our RV-owning family members pull into their sites, we usually go the glamping-with-walls route. 😂
We’ve stayed in the National Park Cottage with Loft more than once because the layout works well for us.
The cottage has a bedroom with a queen bed, a sleeping loft with two twin mattresses, a full kitchen, bathroom, air conditioning and a porch with seating and a grill.
And yes, it’s dog-friendly.
But here’s something we think is worth knowing before you book:
Those stairs to the sleeping loft are STEEP.
Think less traditional staircase and more somewhere in the neighborhood of a ladder. 😂
The loft really is a sleeping loft, and we’d take that into consideration if someone in your group has mobility concerns, isn’t comfortable climbing steep stairs or if the setup simply doesn’t work for your family.
That’s exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to appreciate from a list of room amenities but can matter quite a bit once you’re actually there.
For us, the cottage has worked well, and we’d happily stay there again.
Although…
With all the other accommodation choices at Flying Flags, we keep looking around and thinking:
Maybe we should try something different next time. 😂
🐶 Does Every Dog Have to Go on Every Adventure?
We brought two of our dogs on this trip, which is also the current maximum for Flying Flags’ hospitality accommodations.
But having multiple dogs has taught us something important:
Every dog doesn’t have to go on every trip.
We think about what we’re planning to do and which dog is the best fit for that particular adventure.
Sometimes we’re working on training with one dog. Sometimes another dog has the better skill set or personality for the destination. We rotate who gets to travel so everyone gets their own adventures.
And sometimes the decision is about something even more important:
what that particular dog will actually enjoy.
Before one of our dogs passed away, her years of big adventures were behind her. Walking had become difficult.
She still loved going for a car ride.
But a vacation filled with lots of walking?
That wouldn’t have been fun for her anymore, and it wouldn’t have been the healthiest choice.
Dog-friendly travel isn’t simply about asking:
“Can my dog come?”
Sometimes it’s also about asking:
“Will my dog enjoy coming?”
Those aren’t always the same thing.
And we think knowing the difference is part of traveling responsibly with the dogs we love. ❤️🐾
🐕 Let Your Leash Down: The Dog Park
One amenity our dogs can definitely appreciate is the fenced off-leash dog park.
Around the rest of the resort, dogs are required to be leashed, but the dog park gives them a designated place where they can get some off-leash time.
You’ll find posted rules at the dog park—we have a picture of them from our trip—and we always recommend reading the current rules when you arrive.
We’ve occasionally encountered another dog whose owner wasn’t following the rules or whose behavior made us uncomfortable, but that’s something we’ve encountered at dog-friendly places everywhere and isn’t something we’d consider typical of our Flying Flags stays.
Flying Flags has clear policies regarding uncontrolled, noisy or aggressive dogs.
We also use our own judgment.
Before entering any off-leash dog park, we look at who’s already inside and how the dogs are interacting.
If something doesn’t feel right?
We don’t go in.
There will always be another walk. 🐶
🏊 There’s Plenty to Do Without Leaving the Resort
If your idea of relaxing involves doing absolutely nothing, we support that wholeheartedly. 😂
But if you want activities, Flying Flags has plenty.
The resort currently offers pools and spas, a splash zone and playground, bocce courts, an off-leash dog park, general store, Wi-Fi and other amenities and activities.
During our stays, the pool and splash areas were places we enjoyed separately from the dogs.
And that’s fine with us.
Not every part of a dog-friendly destination has to allow dogs for us to consider the overall experience dog-friendly.
Sometimes the dogs relax while the humans go swimming.
Then everybody gets back together afterward.
🦴 Somehow Our Dogs Learned About the General Store…
Flying Flags has a general store.
Normally that sentence wouldn’t be particularly exciting to a dog.
Our dogs apparently disagreed. 😂
During our stays, the store carried natural dog bakery bones in flavors like peanut butter and cheese-and-bacon.
Our dogs loved them.
And somehow they figured out that when one of us announced we were going to the general store, this could potentially benefit them.
Suddenly everybody wanted to come along.
Funny how quickly dogs learn the important details of a vacation. 🐶🦴😂
Of course, store inventory can change, so we can’t promise your pup will find the same treats waiting.
Our dogs would probably recommend checking anyway.
🍕 Sometimes We Don’t Want to Cook—And We Don’t Have To
Another thing we like about Flying Flags?
There’s food right on the property.
Feather & Fire serves comfort food including pizza, chicken, sandwiches and other options, with breakfast offered at select times.
We’ve enjoyed being able to grab something to eat without turning dinner into another excursion.
Because sometimes you’ve been relaxing all afternoon, everyone’s comfortable, the dogs are settled and somebody asks:
“Should we get pizza?”
Yes.
The answer is pizza. 😂🍕
Hours and menus can change, so check the current information before planning your meal.
👉 See the Current Feather & Fire Menu & Hours
🎂🐶 Apparently We Throw Dog-Themed Human Birthday Parties
One of our favorite Flying Flags memories actually involved two of the kids in our group having birthdays.
So naturally…
we threw them a dog-themed birthday party.
Because apparently even the human celebrations become dog-related when our group gets together. 😂
We had watermelon cut into dog-bone shapes.
The kids had an “Adopt a Dog” station where each one could choose their own stuffed puppy.
And naturally, we served…
hot dogs. 🌭😂
Even the toppings had dog-themed names.
One of my favorites was “The Mutt”—a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
And if you wanted something spicy?
You could order “The Chihuahua.” 🌶️😂
It wasn’t an activity Flying Flags planned for us.
It was simply something silly and fun that was planned to celebrate their birthdays.
And that’s part of what we love about staying somewhere like this.
There’s room to make the trip your own.
🔥🐾 Relax. Walk the Dogs. Relax Some More. Repeat.
So what do we actually do at Flying Flags?
Honestly?
Relax. Enjoy ourselves. Walk the dogs. Relax some more. Repeat.
We spend time with family and friends.
The dogs hang out with their dog cousins.
The kids play.
We eat.
We talk.
We laugh.
And when evening arrives, gathering around the fire is almost always part of the plan.
Out come the marshmallows.
Then the s’mores.
Then the stories.
And somewhere along the way, everybody seems to forget about whatever was waiting for them back home.
That’s one of the things we appreciate most about this kind of trip.
There’s Wi-Fi if you need it.
But you don’t necessarily need to use it.
Sometimes it’s nice to disconnect from technology for a while and reconnect with the people—and dogs—sitting right in front of you.
Good old-fashioned fun is still pretty hard to beat. 🔥❤️
🚗 Want to Explore? Buellton Makes a Great Home Base
As much as we enjoy simply staying at Flying Flags, its location gives you plenty of reasons to leave the resort for a few hours, too.
Buellton puts you in California’s beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, with restaurants, wine country and some wonderfully unusual adventures nearby.
🦤 Go Meet an Ostrich
One of our favorite nearby adventures is OstrichLand USA.
Yes.
The place with the ostriches and emus. 😂
We’ve visited with our dog, although the pet rules have changed since our original trip. Dogs are currently welcome subject to OstrichLand’s pet rules, including staying away from bird-feeding areas.
We’ve included our actual experience—and the updated dog rules—in our Solvang guide.
🇩🇰 Spend Some Time in Solvang
And then there’s Solvang.
Flying Flags makes a convenient home base for exploring this Danish-inspired town filled with windmills, bakeries, shops, history and plenty of places to wander.
We’ve visited Solvang more than once with our dogs and recently put together our complete guide, including the things we enjoy seeing, practical dog-travel tips and our OstrichLand experience.
👉 Read Next: Solvang With Your Dog — A Dog-Friendly California Day Trip With a Danish Twist 🐾🇩🇰
🌊 Driving Up From Southern California? We Have a Favorite Stop
When we’re traveling north toward Buellton, we also like knowing where we can stop along the way so both the dogs and the humans can get out of the car for a while.
One of our favorites is Summerland Beach at Lookout Park, just south of Santa Barbara.
There’s a grassy park area, restrooms, beach access and even a self-service dog wash.
We’ve used it as both a beach destination and a road-trip stop.
👉 Read More: Summerland Beach at Lookout Park — A Dog-Friendly Beach Near Santa Barbara, California 🐾🌊
📸🐾 One More Thing…Take the Pictures
We realized something while putting this article together.
Take the pictures.
Take pictures of the big things, of course—but take pictures of the ordinary moments, too.
The dogs lying around the campsite. The kids being silly. Everyone sitting around the fire. The ridiculous birthday decorations. The dog cousins hanging out together. The marshmallows that got a little too toasted. 😂
Because years later, those pictures may remind you of moments you didn’t even realize you’d forgotten.
While looking through our photos from Flying Flags, we found ourselves remembering stories, laughing at things we hadn’t thought about in years and seeing dogs and people together during moments that we didn’t necessarily know would become so special at the time.
Some of those moments can’t be recreated now.
But one photograph can bring you right back to them.
So yes, take the beautiful vacation picture.
But also take the messy one. The funny one. The completely ordinary one that doesn’t seem important enough to photograph.
Someday, it might be the picture that means the most. ❤️🐾
❤️ Would We Go Back to Flying Flags?
Absolutely.
And we already have.
Flying Flags is a very nice resort, and we’ve had great experiences with the staff.
But that’s not the biggest reason we’d return.
It’s not because Flying Flags has the fanciest cottage or the biggest swimming pool or the longest list of amenities.
We’d go back because some of our favorite memories there have almost nothing to do with any of those things.
They’re the belly laughs around the campfire.
The kids playing outside.
The dogs hanging out with their dog cousins.
The ridiculous dog-themed birthday party. 😂
The s’mores.
The stories.
And having nowhere we particularly needed to be.
A hotel can absolutely be the right choice for a trip. We stay in them all the time.
But there’s something about being outside together at the end of the day, with the dogs relaxing nearby and everyone laughing around the fire, that a hotel room simply can’t recreate.
Flying Flags gives our family and friends a place where everyone can vacation the way that works for them—RV, cottage, glamping or camping—and still spend the experience together.
And really…
that’s what we came for in the first place.
Those are the kinds of vacations that turn into lifetime memories. 🐾🔥❤️
