Pet-Friendly Places to Stay in Clermont, FL

The Lay of the Land

Clermont sits on the southern lip of the Lake Wales Ridge, which is why the roads tilt and the views run long. The groves that built the town are mostly gone—the 1956 Florida Citrus Tower still stands over a landscape that has largely turned to subdivisions and vacation rentals. That means the lodging stock here is newer, wider, and more spread out than in the flat beach towns. For a pet owner, the trade-off is space: big parking lots, grassy margins, and fewer elevator lobbies.

The census backs up the transient feel. Of 18,718 housing units, 558 are held for seasonal or recreational use, and 1,800 sit vacant. Median home value runs $368,600, median gross rent $1,774. You are not in a market built for long stays—you are in a market built for long weekends.

Hotels That Do Not Pretend

The big-name chains cluster along US-27 and FL-50, and most will take a dog for a fee without making a fuss. Hampton Inn & Suites Clermont (4.4 stars, 719 reviews) sits right on FL-50, which puts you close to the Waterfront Park on Lake Minneola—swimming, fishing piers, a playground. That is a decent morning walk loop before the heat builds.

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Clermont (4.3, 692 reviews) and Home2 Suites by Hilton Clermont (4.1, 721 reviews) both sit near the Champions Gate corridor, which is code for “close to the National Training Center.” If you are here for a race or a triathlon, the dog will spend more time in the room than you will. Holiday Inn Express Clermont by IHG (4.3, 578 reviews) is further south on US-27, closer to the turn toward Lake Louisa.

Exploria Express (4.0, 1,036 reviews) and Summer Bay Orlando By Exploria Resorts (4.3, 6,267 reviews) are the timeshare-adjacent options. Summer Bay is the big one—over 6,000 reviews means it has hosted a lot of families and a lot of dogs. The property is sprawling, and the grassy strips between buildings are where you will do the late-night pee walks.

If you are on a budget, Quality Inn Clermont West Kissimmee (3.2, 423 reviews) and Rodeway Inn Clermont North (3.2, 462 reviews) are the low-star options. They will take pets, but the reviews suggest you should check the room before you unpack. WoodSpring Suites Orlando West - Clermont (3.3, 648 reviews) is an extended-stay property, which means a kitchenette and a weekly rate—useful if you are in town for a longer training block and the dog is along for the ride.

Campgrounds and Cabins: The Real Pet Play

If your dog would rather sleep on dirt than on a duvet, the campgrounds are the better bet. Lake Louisa State Park Tours & Activities (4.9, 863 reviews) is the standout—the highest rating on this list, and it is a state park, so the rules are clear and the space is protected. You are on the edge of the Green Swamp, which means sandhill cranes, deer, and the kind of quiet that a hotel parking lot cannot match. Pets are allowed in the campground and on the trails, but not in the cabins or the swimming areas—read the fine print.

Thousand Trails Orlando (4.2, 1,832 reviews) is a membership-style RV resort, but you can often book a night or two as a non-member. The sites are wooded, and the dog will have plenty of sniffing ground. Encore Clerbrook RV & Golf Resort (3.9, 580 reviews) and Encore Lake Magic (4.1, 541 reviews) are the other two Encore properties. Clerbrook is on US-27 north, close to the turn toward Mount Dora—21 miles away, and worth the drive for the arts festival if you time it right. Lake Magic is further west on US-192, which puts you closer to the Four Corners sprawl.

Bee's RV Resort (4.1, 437 reviews) is a smaller, older park on US-27. It is not fancy, but it is quiet, and the dog will appreciate the lack of highway noise. Vista at Lost Lake (4.1, 535 reviews) and The Carrington at Four Corners (4.3, 425 reviews) are vacation rentals—whole houses or townhomes with fenced yards, which is the gold standard for a dog that does not do well on a leash.

The Math on Clermont

Clermont was established in 1884, incorporated in 1891, disbanded in 1895, and reincorporated in 1916. It has been through a lot of changes, and the lodging stock reflects that—everything from a 4.9-star state park to a 3.2-star roadside motel. The median age here is 42.4, the unemployment rate is 5.9 percent, and 35.7 percent of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. That is not a transient town; that is a bedroom community with a training center and a lot of retirees.

For the pet owner, the practical takeaway is this: pick the state park if you want quiet, pick a vacation rental if you want a yard, and pick a mid-range chain if you want consistency. The budget spots will take your money and your dog, but they will not take care of either.

The hills are still here. The groves are not. Your dog does not care about any of that—it just wants a place to sleep and a patch of grass to sniff. Clermont has both, in every price range.