7 Picnic-Planning Guides for the Perfect Texas Summer Day

Our picnic-planning guide covers the best picnic destinations as well as tips, menus, and products to elevate your experience. Enjoy these cultivated picnic adventures this summer and explore some of the most beautiful places in Texas.

1. Late Afternoon: A Parisian Artist’s Picnic

Disappear into the most tranquil spot hidden deep in Texas’ largest city. Menil Park is a shadowy sanctuary protected by large, sprawling oak trees to curl up under for a late afternoon picnic. Enjoy a Parisian-themed menu of charcuterie, pastries, and mineral water; add ambiance with fresh wildflowers, a picturesque picnic blanket, and watercolors to help you embrace your inner impressionist while trying to capture the natural beauty around you. Stroll past the outdoor sculptures on your way to the park,and visit The Menil Collection beforehand to work up your artistic and picnicking appetites.

The perfect spot: Menil Park, Houston. Green spaces are open daily dawn to dusk. Galleries are open 11 a.m-7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and closed on major holidays. Admission is free; go online to reserve a time to view the collection. 1423 Branard St., 713.525.9400, menil.org

What to bring:

• Large wicker basket
• Blue checkered picnic blanket
• Cutting board, cutlery, napkins
• Fresh wildflowers
• Watercolorpaints, sketchbook, and pencils

Menu:

• Water: Cheers with individual glass mineral water bottles.
• Fresh Berries: Wash and pack up raspberries, blackberries, or grapes.
• Charcuterie: Bring a selection of baguette, brie, salami, cornichons, and nuts.
• Pastries: Choose your favorite mini fruit tarts and madeleines or bring a chocolate box.

2. Early Morning: A Poetic Adventure Picnic

Awaken your inner poet surrounded by the breathtaking magic of the natural world. Flower fields, waterfalls, and crystal-clear springs abound in Austin’s gorgeous St. Edward’s Park. There’s plenty of time to contemplate life floating along calm waters while reading nature poetry. Watch a waterfall by the river’s edge while journaling. Enjoy an early morning picnic on the go in a field of wildflowers while the air is cool. Take shelter in the tree-lined trails if it gets too warm.

The perfect spot: St. Edward’s Park, Austin. Open 5 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. 7301 Spicewood Springs Rd., 512.974.6700, austinparks.org/stedwards-park

What to bring:

• Freezable cooler tote bag
• Oversized towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, inner tube
• Journals, book of nature poetry

Menu:

• Water: Fill a large thermos with fresh fruit, ice, and water.
• Bagel Bites: Prep mini bagels with cream cheese, lox, and capers.
• Fancy Parfaits: Fill mini glass yogurt jars with layered yogurt, berries, granola, and honey.
• Morning Coffees: Whip up iced lavender lattes to wake you up and match the scenery.

3. Evening: A Romantic Sunset Picnic

Summers are for romantic evenings with your partner, your pet, or yourself — and there’s no better place than Doug Sahm Hill, an elevated city park that boasts a beautiful view of Austin and, on the right days, breathtaking sunsets. If it’s a date, bring an LED lantern so you can play parlor games or icebreakers to start your night off. You can make it homemade with paper plates or fancy with a pre-bought picnic hamper. Cool off in the Butler Park Fountain at the bottom of the hill.

The perfect spot: Doug Sahm Hill Summit, Austin. 836-898 W. Riverside Dr.

What to bring:

• LEDlantern
• Romantic music playlist
• Picnic hamper
• Two blankets

Menu:

• Water:  Serve sparkling water in plastic champagne flutes.
• Skewers: Mix and match cherry tomato-basil mozzarella, melon prosciutto, cheddar pickle, or grilled shrimp-pineapple skewers.
• Dessert: Complete your date with chocolate- covered strawberries.

4. Early Afternoon: Outdoor Japanese Tea

The Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio is the ideal place to picnic if you want to enjoy a beautiful spot without worrying about bringing anything with you. Stroll past beautiful stone bridges, arches, and structures as you walk through a natural wonder. A flowing waterfall, an abundance of flowers, lily ponds, koi fish, and a walking path are all part of this remarkable place. Jingu House Cafe has outdoor seating overlooking all of it — the perfect spot for a picnic version of an afternoon tea. Alternatively, you can pack your own tea and bento box.

The perfect spot: Japanese Tea Garden, Brackenridge Park, San Antonio. Open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, no admission fee or reservation required; it’s also pet-friendly. 3853 N. St. Mary’s St., saparksfoundation.org/japanese-tea-garden

What to bring: Camera

Menu:

• Green Tea. Brew Raspberry iced green tea and pack with honey, frozen raspberries, and plenty of ice.
• Bento Box: Make a veggie sushi roll with seaweed, sushi rice, cucumber, and mango. Add sides of your favorite fruits and vegetables with cute animal shaped food picks.
• Treats: Pick up some matcha flavored macaroons to complete tea time.

5. Twilight: A Roaring 20s Celebration

Get transported back in time for a flapper-era evening strolling through the art deco gazebo (coincidentally, not a bad place to pop the question) and surrounding green. Lounge on linen blankets and pillows and toast with ice-cold lemonade by the reflecting pool. Next, dive into your copy of “The Great Gatsby” and enjoy several dainty tea sandwiches. This is great for a date or a group.

The perfect spot: Flippen Park, Highland Park. 4421 N. Versailles Ave., 214.521.4161, hptx.org/563/flippen-park

What to bring:

• Canvas tote and freezable lunchbox
• Mason jars, metal straws, ice
• Linen picnic blanket, pillows

Menu:

• Lemonade: Keep lemonade ice-cold in an insulated cooler and pour into Mason jars with your preserved ice cubes.
• Tea Sandwiches: Pre-cut little rectangular sandwiches of cucumber-butter, apple-Brie mustard, peanut butter-bacon, manchego-quince, camembert- fig, or blue cheese-grape.
• Cake: Share pineapple upside down cupcakes (the cake was invented in the 20s).

6. Midday: Picnic with the Kids

Even when the State Fair of Texas isn’t on, Dallas’ Fair Park has so much to do in one place. Escape from a hot summer day by learning with the whole family in the coolness of some of Texas’ best museums. Discover ocean life at the Children’s Aquarium, then explore Texas Discovery Gardens to get your kids excited about flowers and butterflies. Next, experience some quirky, colorful fun at the Rainbow Vomit Museum. Whenever the need for food kicks in, you can stop in the park to enjoy rainbow fruit salad, shark gummies, and butterfly-shaped cookies. Your kids will be super excited to see their entire day reflected in their picnic. To end the day with a super fun activity, enjoy a show at the esplanade fountain.

The perfect spot: Fair Park, Dallas. Open 6a.m.-9p.m. daily. Accessible by the DART Rail Green Line and by car. 3809 Grand Ave., 214.670.8400, fairpark.org

What to bring:

• Freezable tote bag
• Extra-large beach blanket
• Sunscreen and sunglasses

Menu:

• Juice Boxes: Bring packable, non-leaky juice boxes and plenty of extra water.
• Fishwiches: Cut out tuna salad sandwiches into “fishwiches” using a sandwich cookie cutter — it’s just more fun that way.
• Rainbow Fruit Salad: Line a glass Tupperware with strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, blackberries, and purple grapes to make a beautiful rainbow fruit salad everyone can share. (Include rainbow food picks to make the fruit easier to pick up.) A little side of marshmallow fluff makes for a cloudlike fruit dip.
• Snacks: Get fancy and decorate little butterfly cut-out cookies with blue and purple icing — or keep it simple and pack enough shark gummies to keep everyone from snapping. Pizza-flavored Goldfish are another good standby.

7. Late Night: Magical Starlight Picnic

As one of the only designated international dark sky parks in the world, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area boasts some of the darkest skies around. Free from light pollution, this results in a crystal-clear view of the stars. Once you’ve climbed to the top of this beautiful, large rocky hill, lay down a camping quilt and pillow and grab your stargazing binoculars to gaze at the Milky Way galaxy and see into the universe. The perfect stargazing picnic dinner wouldn’t be complete without star-shaped pizza pastry pockets and astronaut ice cream. If you haven’t yet, now would be a great time to tune into “StarTalk” radio with Neil deGrasse Tyson, or NASA’S “Curious Universe.” Make sure to look up stargazing events on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s website to note dates for upcoming tours. They also regularly update reports on night sky clarity, so make sure you check before heading out for the best possible view.

The perfect spot: Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Fredericksburg. Open 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. 16710 Ranch Rd. 965, 830.685.3636, tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/enchanted-rock

What to bring:

• Hiking backpack
• Camping quilt and pillow
• Stargazing binoculars

Menu:

• Space Drinks: Mix up some spaceship- worthy tang and bring extra water for the long journey.
• Astro-Pizza: Pack enough mini star-shaped pizza pastry pockets to form your own constellation. Or just eat them!
• Freeze-Dried Delight: Cap off the night with astronaut ice cream. Because what is anything without a theme?

Plan the perfect stargazing outing here.

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