4 Local Picnic Destination Ideas

Packing up a picnic and laying out in the sun is something that you just have to take advantage of in the warm weather. There are plenty of spots in the Hartford area to chill all day with your friends, surprise the bae with a romantic date, or pack up some lunch and go for a relaxing walk with the pup. We put together the top parks and places in the area for you to spend the day, and some ideas on how to prep.

Date night at Elizabeth Park

Pack a romantic picnic for your BF, GF, or BFF and fill a basket with a comfy blanket, local artisan cheese, some fancy crackers, grapes and a nice bottle of wine. Heck, bring a candle and a vase filled with flowers if you’re really feeling special. The sunset over the rose garden make the perfect romantic setting.

If you can, go on a Wednesday – they have Wednesday Night Concerts on the lawn during the summer from 6:30-8:00PM.

Don’t forget the dark chocolate.

Roll in with the crew at Bushnell Park

Get together a group of your friends and pack a cooler filled with a unique blend of cold IPA’s. Capitol Spirits in Hartford has hundreds of craft beers and a wall FILLED with single beers for sale. Did I mention it’s right down the street from the park?

Pick up a bunch of different pies from the best Hartford pizza spots – The Blind Pig, Sorella, or Savoy Pizza (Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza anyone??).

The Bushnell Park also has the Monday Night Jazz series going on until August 15th, and FREE movies in the park on July 28th and August 25th, so stop by for one of these with your crew.

Bring a frisbee or ball to toss around – there’s PLENTY of space in the park or you bring some games to play like our fav, What DO YOU Meme?

Views from Talcott Mountain

The top of Talcott Mountain makes for the PERFECT picnic spot. It’s about a 30-40 minute walk to the top and once you’re up there there’s plenty of grassy areas and picnic tables to sit at.

Walking up to the tower is a great exercise, but if you’re feeling ambitious you can add to it by bringing a yoga mat and doing some relaxing stretches/exercises up there – I mean, where else can you do that with that kinda view?

The hike is also very dog friendly, so bring your furry companion if you have one. Sitting at the top overlooking the Connecticut landscape is unbeatable.

Picnic lakeside at the West Hartford Reservoir

This is one of our favorite Sunday chill spots. Make some sandwiches and snacks, pack em into a backpack and head over to the West Hartford Reservoir – solo, with your friends, parents, whatever works.

This park is beautiful all year round, and makes for a great long walk or a bike ride. There’s smaller loops and longer loops up to 3 miles, each one filled with lots of different scenery along the way – from woodsy paths, to lake views, bridges, and paved roads.

There are plenty of picnic tables along the paths and spots to lay out a blanket in the grass so just keep walking along the trails until you find the perfect rest stop.

There are also so many pups walking around so don’t be surprised if you find yourself stopping every 15 feet to pet one.