National Picnic Day: Top 5 Venues in the world for the ultimate picnic
It’s national Picnic Day! What better day to go BIG with your picnic?
Here are some of the top international picnicking venues for you to enjoy should you find yourself in these parts of the world.
New York, USA – Green-wood Cemetery (Main entrance: Fifth Avenue and 25th Street, Brooklyn)
Picnicking is verboten here, which is what makes it quite an adventure. But if you’re discreet, and stay in the old part of the cemetery (the northern side), you should be fine. Green-wood is one of the highest points in Brooklyn and contains gorgeously extravagant landscaping, and antique monuments. Parrots nest in the cemetery’s neo-Gothic gates. Established in 1838, the cemetery was, at one time, one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, attracting over half a million people a year.
Washington, USA – Mt Rainer National Park
A ruggedly amazing place to visit with lots of camping, hiking, backpacking, biking and picnicking. The mountain is an active volcano that is encased in over 35 acres of snow and ice and surrounded by “aged” hardwood forest and wildflower meadows. The park has over 260 miles of maintained trails and 147 miles of roads. Packing your picnic in a backpack is nice for day hiking and for those interested in a beautiful, and easily accessible, picnic locations, look for Kautz Creek or Cougar Rock. Both locations offer handicap access, restrooms, short trails to beautiful vistas, and picnic facilities.
Kent (United Kingdom) – Tower Hill Tea Gardens
Who wouldn’t love a proper English Tea picnic in the wild English countryside? If you take a walk along the seafront from Whitstable, Kent towards Tankerton, at the top of a steep slope you will find the Tower Hill Tea Gardens – beautifully kept lawns edged by herbaceous borders. You can pack your own picnic backpack or picnic basket so you can enjoy high tea when you arrive or purchase homemade cakes, sandwiches and drinks from the old fashioned thatched kiosk. It’s a wonderfully proper relaxing spot with exceedingly lovely views across the Thames estuary.
Paris, France – Place de Vosges (4th arrondissement, Metro: St. Paul, Bastille (line 1))
Paris in the springtime is supposed to be one of the loveliest places to visit and it’s easy to imagine you’ve traveled back to 17th century Paris when you settle on the grass in old square called Place de Vosges. Picnics are very popular here, especially on French holidays, so if you arrive on one of these illustrious days, be sure to arrive early to stake your piece of ground. An easy to carry picnic blanket is highly recommended so you can spread out and relax.
Rome, Italy – Monte Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill)
Janiculum Hill sits east of the Tiber river and is a perfect place to look out onto the city of Rome. It’s an easy uphill climb to Gianicolo Park where you’ll be provided long stretches of green lawn and shade along with a breathtaking view of the Roman hillsides filled with domed churches, ruins, piazzas and grand architectural buildings that jut out from terra cotta tiled rooftops. If you make it there by dusk, you’ll see the sun cast hues of pink and purple upon the city as the sky darkens. How utterly romantic!