Imagine it: a wicker basket filled with homemade sandwiches or gourmet goodies laid out on a favorite blanket in the grass. Mosquitoes, ants and all the pests try their hardest to interfere with this pristine pastime, but to no avail. Just another lazy summer afternoon or some special occassion is an activity worthy of picniking. Celebrate a family reunion, a child’s birthday, a new romance-or just lunch.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area lays claim to no fewer than 546 park sites, all home to an assortment of sports fields, bike trails, picnic tables, lake views and gardens, All you need to supply is a Frisbee and a sandwich or two. Some parks require reservations for picnic-tabfe usage and special beverage permits for wine and beer; others do not. So check out your picnic destination before you drop your blanket. You can telephone the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department, at 214-670-8239, or the City of Fort Worth Parks and Community Service Department, at 817-871-PARK. for the park nearest you. Or you can trust us on these local picnic picks…
LAKES
Lake locales are perfect picnic spots for water enthusiasts. Take a stroll with a glass of wine or enjoy the sunset’s glittering reflection at any one of the area’s lake parks. The park area at Bachman Lake. 3500 Northwest Hwy. near Dallas Love Field, is a great place for aviation buffs: A lot of jets fly in and out over the water. White Rock Lake offers picnickers a bike/jogging trail all the way around the lake, up-close views of giant lakeside homes and a dozen spots to pull over and picnic. The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 8617 Garland Rd. (214-327-8263), is on White Rock Lake and features several special sections-the fern dell, the ornamental and color gardens, the avenue of crepe myrtles-in which and on which to throw down a wonderful picnic spread among the billions of fragrant blooms.
NATURE
The outdoor type can take a different approach to a day at the park by packing a knapsack lunch and communing with the birds and the trees on miles of trails at the Dallas Nature Center, 7171 Mountain Creek Pkwy. (972-296-1955), or the Fort Worth Nature Center, 9001 Fossil Ridge Rd. {817-237-1111}. Another outdoor option is River Legacy Park (701 N.W. Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington), a maze of hiking paths that lead to the tranquil Trinity River and the Living Science Center, for an afternoon of nature and education.
TRADITIONAL
The true-blue traditionalist will find happiness in the wide open greenery of other area parks. Lee Park (Turtle Creek Boulevard at Cedar Springs Road) offers green grass, a statue of Robert E. Lee, “Hero of the Confederacy.” and a model of his home. Victoria Park, on Northgate Drive in Las Colinas, is a perfect place to sit back and relax while the kids run wild on the wooden play structure that sits in a giant sandbox. Quorum Park, at Keller Springs Road and Quorum Drive east of Addison Airport, is a delight, with its sunken fountain and the optical illusionary S-shape sculpture. Many neighborhoods also offer down-scaled versions of open greenbelt, with small community parks tucked in between residential areas and schools.
DOWNTOWN
So who says you can’t mix business with pleasure? The busy executive can take a break from the hectic workday at atypical “parks” in both area downtowns. Benches surround the bubbling and gurgling waterfalls of The Fort Worth Water Gardens, 1502 Commerce St. In Dallas, sit among the stampede of “Trailing Longhorns”-the massive Wild West sculputre by Glen Rose artist Robert Summers-or wander through the headstones of early Dallas pioneers at Pioneer Park near the Dallas Convention Center (Young and Griffin streets). Eat with art in the sculpture garden outside Trammell Crow Center, 2001 Ross Ave. Thanks-Giving Square, a triangular greenway with benches and Thanksgiving Tower chapel (Bryan and Pacific streets) is a perfect spot to munch your lunch.
EVENINGS
Many evening activities can be paired with picnics. This month, enjoy a passionate production of Dallas’ annual Shakespeare in the Park (214-559-2778) at Samuell-Grand Park, 5808 E. Grand Ave., with a loaf of bread, a jug of wine and you-know-who. Jazz Under the Stars (214-922-1200) at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St., features Thursday evening concerts throughout the summer. In Fort Worth through the 6th, try one of The Concerts in the Garden Summer Music Festival (817-335-9000) at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, 2300 S. University St., which presents the sounds of the Fort Worth Symphony. By now. you should be inspired to pack up your picnic, pick your park and enjoy a lazy afternoon or evening. -Amy Zimmer
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