Picnic spots near me in NYC provide the ideal setting for an al fresco meal in nature. Additionally, many parks host local events that make the picnic even more enjoyable!
Flatiron District’s Madison Square Park can be enhanced with visits to nearby restaurants. Or take your picnic down to the High Line for an incredible experience!
1. Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park features six piers along the water and offers numerous places to sit and admire the view. Pebble Beach provides an ideal overlook where you can capture classic postcard shots of the Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan (including skyline icon One World Trade Center) as a backdrop.
Here, you will also find peaceful walking paths that offer views of bridges and waterfront areas, sports fields, playgrounds, and even an antique 1920s carousel with wooden horses named Jane’s Carousel – making for an enjoyable visit!
Attractions include the LAND art installation and Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, commemorating her role in completing the Brooklyn Bridge. If you visit DUMBO’s northern section, you will also discover lawns, small rocky beaches, picnic groves, and even renovated Civil War-era warehouses that now house an antique merry-go-round!
Brooklyn Bridge Park may once have been an industrial eyesore, but now it feels more like a natural sanctuary thanks to a brilliant new park design that blends elements of nature with recycled materials like subway fill used to create topography on what used to be flat waterfronts.
2. Bryant Park
Bryant Park offers an oasis of green amid midtown Manhattan. This popular destination provides convenient lunch tables, beautiful fountains and sculptures, an ice skating rink, carousel rides, and plenty of activities suitable for children and adults alike.
As one of the original sites of the New York draft riots in 1916 and by the 1970s frequented by drug dealers and prostitutes, since its complete renovation in 1980, however, Central Park has become a much-beloved spot where both visitors and locals alike come together to relax and take advantage of all its amenities.
Bryant Park offers a diverse array of restaurants, cafes, and small kiosks – The Lodge Deck in Bryant Park is open during winter for tasty snacks such as sausages with different sides or sauces or cheese and spicy fries – and hot drinks from their menu of hot beverages or delicious meals like those found at The Lodge Deck next to the ice rink – perfect for hot drinks with tasty meals such as sausages paired with side sauces or cheese and spicy fries! In addition, there are story-time sessions, and bubble shows perfect for families; even better yet, you can take a ride on Le Carrousel for just a few dollars more!
3. Madison Square Park
Madison Square Park in the Flatiron District provides an entertaining picnic experience and a fun destination. Offering kid-friendly entertainment such as an over-the-top playground, Dumbo Boulders, roller skating rink, and Jane’s Carousel, as well as an events calendar packed with exciting performances, Madison Square Park is also known as a Green Dining Destination with plenty of picnic tables where you can take pleasure in your meal.
Prospect Park in Brooklyn is another perfect NYC picnicking location, with 526 acres devoted to scenic beauty and attractions such as Sheep’s Meadow – ideal for picnicking! Long Meadow is another picnicker’s delight on its west side, offering another delightful place for an outing.
The park’s open fields make it perfect for family-friendly hiking and strolling along its promenade, offering views of both Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and Randalls Island and Wards Islands. Furthermore, Gracie Mansion serves as Mayor Bill de Blasio’s official residence within its grounds.
4. High Line
Brooklyn Bridge Park provides breathtaking views of the Hudson River and city skyline, making it an idyllic picnicking destination. Spread your blanket on one of the expansive open lawns or shaded nooks and spend the day relaxing under trees with tasty meals from nearby restaurants such as Totonno’s Pizzeria Napolitana!
The High Line in Manhattan’s West Side offers scenic elevated walkways perfect for strolling and picnicking, while being popular among its users may cause overcrowding in certain park spots. But don’t despair: some parts, such as Northern Spur Preserve, offer ample room to spread a blanket and share a lunch!
This waterfront park in Brooklyn is like a mini version of Central Park, with open fields, an idyllic pond, and an ample playground for children to explore. There are also larger-than-life sculptures for your viewing pleasure; bring your camera to capture all those perfect NYC Instagram shots! In addition, Cali Co Cat Park provides free family programs like yoga for all and storytime during your visit – make sure to check their schedule before visiting!
5. Prospect Park
Prospect Park in Brooklyn was designed by Central Park creators Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to be an oasis in the middle of city life, boasting five and a half miles of lush grassy meadows, woodland trails, and a picturesque lake – drawing in approximately eight million visitors per year to run, stroll, picnic or play sports in its grounds.
Prospect Park features a zoo, the inaugural urban-area Audubon Center in the US and LeFrak Center at Lakeside (ice skating in winter, roller skating in summer), bandshell for summer concerts, free concerts at LeFrak Center at Lakeside, as well as plenty of family-friendly amenities, – making this park indeed family friendly! Additionally, Prospect Park serves as its neighborhood with leafy streets full of townhouses and brownstones that seem miles removed from urban life below.
Green-Wood Cemetery, a resting place for many 19th-century New York luminaries, provides an exquisite example of architectural styles from that period – classic Italianate, Neo-Grec, and more. Furthermore, its charming streets wind their way towards Prospect Park while its sloped neighborhoods below house ornate townhouses, stately mansions, and full-service apartment buildings that should all make up your travel itinerary! Prospect Park represents Brooklyn charm that should be on every visitor’s itinerary.
6. Staten Island Botanical Garden
Staten Island Heritage Garden and Buildings offer a peaceful yet immersive tour through Staten Island’s history, culture, and art. There’s an authentic Chinese Scholar’s Garden (America’s only garden of its kind), Tuscan Gardens modeled on Florence’s Villa Gamberaia, and an impressive 19th/20th-century maritime art collection called Noble Maritime Collection.
Harbor Eats is an outdoor cafe and bakery that supports On Your Mark, an organization providing job skills training for individuals with developmental disabilities. If you get hungry while exploring these gardens, stop at Harbor Eats for quick snacks like hotdogs, tacos, popcorn, and ice cream before continuing your tour of Harbor Gardens. Harbor Eats even offers free wifi while supporting this cause!
The botanical garden provides educational programs and events on nature-themed topics for kids and adults, as well as extinct bird species or ancient Egyptian art at its museum. You can also discover greenhouses, wetlands, and more!
7. Wolf’s Pond Park and Beach
Staten Island’s waterfront park serves as a picnic spot and beach. Please bring food to enjoy in one of its shady spots (picnics are allowed, but coolers, grills, open fires, or pets aren’t), or try one of its numerous food vendors that serve fresh local cuisine. In addition, this free park features trails to explore and the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden, which features stunning classical Chinese gardens – making this free park a true treasure in Staten Island!
Brooklyn Bridge Park provides breathtaking waterfront views in the Brooklyn borough. There are plenty of shady nooks to spread out your blanket, and the events calendar is jam-packed with fun activities ranging from family yoga and storytelling sessions to art workshops. In addition, its massive carousel, roller skating rink, and Dumbo Boulders make this park an excellent picnic spot in NYC for children of all ages.
This park is at the far edge of Queens, offering breathtaking views of Manhattan from its green waterfront. Once home to dockyard activities during manufacturing activity, this family-friendly oasis provides scenic relief with panoramic vistas. Pier 2 field is ideal for picnicking, while other lawns allow for soccer or frisbee games in this family-friendly park.
