The Best Places in Los Angeles for a Picnic

Downtown L.A.'s Grand Park is an urban oasis that stretches from Grand Avenue at the Music Center to Spring Street at City Hall. Throughout Grand Park, open spaces are available not only for casual sitting and leisurely strolling, but also for public and private gatherings. The 12-acre park has four distinct areas, featuring the restored Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain, an intimate performance lawn, a community terrace, and a grand event lawn. The Music Center, in conjunction with L.A. County, presents community events, cultural experiences, festivals and holiday celebrations year-round. Visitors can enjoy a picnic or purchase food and beverages on site. Selected events include food trucks and other food vendors. The park is open to the public every day from 5:30am to 10pm.

Affectionately known by Angelenos as "The Cornfield," Los Angeles State Historic Park (LASHP) reopened on Earth Day 2017 after a three-year renovation. The dog-friendly park is conveniently located a five-minute walk from the Metro A Line Chinatown Station, which features a Metro Bike Share Station for further car-free exploration. You can have a picnic, run, walk, ride a bike, fly a kite, admire the park's public artwork, and even look for urban wildlife such as birds traveling down the Pacific flyway.

Echo Park Lake reopened to the public in June 2013 after a two-year, $45-million restoration. Improvements included draining the lake, planting 376 lotus plants, sprucing up walking paths, and restoration of the fountains and the boat house. The famous Lady of the Lake statue - known formally as Nuestra Reina de Los Angeles (Queen of the Angels) - was returned to her original location on the north end of the lake. The Echo Park Recreation Center features picnic tables, barbecue pits, children’s play area, community room, year-round pool, and numerous lighted sports areas, including a baseball diamond, basketball courts, soccer field and tennis courts. The Echo Park Pedal Boats Concession offers pedal boat rentals, guided canoe and gondola rides.

Perched atop Olive Hill on the cusp of Hollywood and Los Feliz, Barnsdall Art Park is centered on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, named to the National Register of Historic Places, a National Historic Landmark and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. In 1927, Oil heiress Aline Barnsdall donated the Hollyhock House and 11 surrounding acres to the City of Los Angeles in memory of her father, Theodore. In addition to the Hollyhock House, the park includes the Barnsdall Art Center, Junior Art Center, Municipal Art Gallery and Gallery Theatre.

The dog-friendly park is open from 6am to 10pm and the public is welcome to enjoy the panoramic views and picnic with non-alcoholic beverages. Do not stake umbrellas, tents or any other objects into the ground.

Located in Griffith Park, the Los Angeles Zoo welcomes guests who want to bring their own picnics into the zoo with them. There are picnic areas throughout the zoo that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The zoo requests that guests do not bring aluminum cans, glassware or any other breakable materials, and to avoid using any small plastic items such as straws and cup lids that might accidentally find their way into an animal's exhibit. Coolers and picnic baskets are permitted, but the zoo does not have storage lockers available for rent.

The Los Angeles Zoo was originally located at a different site and opened in 1912 as the Griffith Park Zoo. The original zoo closed when the Los Angeles Zoo opened in November 1966. Located off Griffith Park Drive, the abandoned Griffith Park Zoo is known today as the Old Zoo, with its cages and stone caves left nearly intact. There are tables, BBQ grills and a large grass area for picnics - one exhibit area even has tables within the enclosure, without a doubt one of the most unique places in the world for a picnic. Anchorman fans will recognize the stone pens as the setting for the climactic scene with the Kodiak bear.

Founded in 1998, the Independent Shakespeare Co. has presented its summer festival at Griffith Park since 2010. Taking place from June to September, the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival is performed on a stage that’s built on the slopes of the Old Zoo’s natural amphitheater. Audiences arrive early to picnic and enjoy pre-show performances by local artists, the Salon Series (conversations about the intersection of Shakespeare and contemporary culture), and family-friendly, pre-show workshops about the plays. All of these summer events are entirely free.

A pre-concert picnic at the landmark Hollywood Bowl is as much a part of the concert experience as the show itself. Picnic areas are located throughout the grounds that surround the Bowl - some picnic areas open as early as four hours before the concert. Tables are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Large groups (30+) may reserve selected areas through the Hollywood Bowl Group Sales Office: 323.850.2050.

You can pre-order a Picnic Box for pick up until 4pm the day before a concert. When you arrive at the Bowl, your picnic box will be waiting for you to enjoy in one of the Bowl’s picnic areas or at your seats. Options include The All-American with fried chicken tenders, The Burton Way (herb-crusted salmon) and The Hollywood Vegan with roasted asparagus, mezze trio and grilled summer veggies.

Launched in 2002, Cinespia hosts on-site screenings of classic films in and around Los Angeles. Cinespia shows films from the 1930s through the 1990s, mostly in open-air settings at historic locations. Its most popular series runs weekly between May and August at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and is one of the best places in L.A. to watch outdoor movies. Cinespia also screens films at other locations throughout the year. The Hollywood Forever screenings take place on the Fairbanks Lawn, where guests are invited to bring picnic dinners and drinks (beer and wine only). Cinespia suggests bringing blankets, pillows or low chairs that have a seat which rests on the ground with a low back. A small tarp underneath your blanket is recommended.

Jazz at LACMA is a free Friday night event that showcases LA’s finest jazz musicians. One of the museum's most popular offerings, the program has featured legends such as Wayne Shorter, John Clayton, Kenny Burrell, Les McCann, Billy Childs, Arturo Sandoval, Cannonball-Coltrane Project, Ernie Watts and many more.

During the season (May through October), Jazz at LACMA takes place at 6pm every Friday at the Smidt Welcome Plaza, near Chris Burden's iconic Urban Light. Bring a picnic, blanket and chairs and settle into a spot on one of the numerous grass areas surrounding the pavilion. Guests are permitted to bring alcohol in quantities appropriate for personal consumption.

Centrally located across the street from The Grove, Pan Pacific Park is one of the most popular, family-friendly parks in the city. The park is located on the site of the landmark Pan-Pacific Auditorium, which opened in 1935. Before its destruction in a 1989 fire, the venue hosted everything from political events to the Harlem Globetrotters and Elvis.

Today, a recreation center sits on the former Pan-Pacific Auditorium location, and behind it is a public swimming pool. Picnic tables and barbecue pits are located throughout the 28-acre park, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. A paved path winds through the length of the park, perfect for those seeking a leisurely stroll or a gentle bike ride. For more vigorous exercise, the park features baseball diamonds, basketball courts and indoor-outdoor gyms. Kids will love the play areas in Renée’s Place, located near the north entrance.

Since its opening in December 1997, the world-famous Getty Center has welcomed more than 20 million visitors to its hilltop location in Brentwood, where guests can admire the masterpieces of art, stunning architecture and panoramic views. The Central Garden, created by renowned artist Robert Irwin, is located at the heart of the Getty Center. The 134,000-square-foot design features a natural ravine and a tree-lined walkway that leads visitors through a beautiful landscape. Irwin's statement, "Always changing, never twice the same," is carved into the plaza floor, reminding visitors of the ever-changing nature of this living work of art.

Buy a box lunch or bring your own picnic to enjoy on the lawn adjacent to the Central Garden, or at any of the Getty Center's public seating areas. Picnic tables and lawns for lounging are located at the Lower Tram Station.

Will Rogers was one of the world’s best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 30s - a multi-talented cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist and movie star. Rogers bought land in Santa Monica and eventually acquired 186 acres in what is now the Pacific Palisades. Rogers relaxed with his family and friends at his ranch, pursuing his favorite pastimes of riding and roping. After his widow Betty died in 1944, the ranch became Will Rogers State Historic Park. Free tours of the historic ranch house are available Thursday to Sunday.

The Will Rogers Polo Club plays matches every weekend from May to mid-October on L.A. County’s only outdoor polo field, which Trekkies will recognize as a stand-in for Golden Gate Park in Star Trek IV. Riding lessons are offered every day except Monday, and equestrians are invited to bring their horses to the park for day-use.

Available on a first come, first served basis, the picnic area above the polo field provides picnic tables and barbecue grills. Modest picnicking (no chairs, tables, catering, jumpers, etc.) is also permitted on the front lawn of the ranch house. For groups (25+) call 818.880.0398 or email WRSHP.Events@parks.ca.gov.

Located at the corner of Redondo Avenue and Manhattan Beach Boulevard, the 18-acre Polliwog Park is the largest park in the South Bay area. The focal point of the park is a large pond, bordered by a natural wildlife refuge that’s home to migratory birds and other wildlife. The amphitheater that overlooks the pond is a favorite site for concerts, performances, weddings and other special events. The picnic area features 15 tables, eight of which can be reserved for a minimum of two hours and a maximum of six. The picnic area is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk. Three gazebos, which can be reserved in advance for two-hour periods, are also favorite spots for birthday parties, anniversaries and family reunions. Other park attractions include children’s play areas, the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden, City Historical Museum, 9-hole disc golf course, and the Polliwog Park Dog Run.

The 87-acre South Coast Botanic Garden offers a unique horticultural and wildlife habitat experience. Located in the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the garden is renowned as one of the world’s first botanical gardens to be developed over a sanitary landfill. The reclamation project began in April 1961 with the planting of 40,000 donated trees. Today, the garden's collection of more than 200,000 plants attracts visitors from around the world.

Picnics and outside food and beverage are welcome at the Garden, though set ups must remain casual - no furniture, tents or staked umbrellas. Restrictions on outside food may be limited during special events and/or exhibitions such as GLOW.

Celebrate a special occasion with the Bespoke Picnic Program, a curated experience for up to 10 guests. Themes include The Farmhouse, The Parisian and The Bohemian. Guests are welcome to bring their own food and wine.

Covering 61 acres, Brookside Park is Pasadena’s largest park, located just south of the world-famous Rose Bowl Stadium. Brookside Park features numerous picnic tables; barbecue pits in most picnic areas; two lighted softball diamonds; a lighted field for flag football and soccer; tennis, badminton and handball courts; and a play area. The park's regulation baseball diamond, the Jackie Robinson Stadium, has grandstand seating for 4,200 people, team rooms, showers and lockers. Brookside Park also features two hidden gems, the Rose Bowl Stadium Tours and the Kidspace Museum, where children can discover the excitement of learning while engaging in creative play.