French painters would like you to believe that picnicking is a luxury reserved for the parasol-toting, bustle-butted, top-hatted bourgeois. But here in St. Louis, we say, "Screw you, Seurat!" and do picnicking our own way — which is why Lafayette Park is our favorite place to spread a blanket and chow down on sandwiches, potato salad and whatever else we can fit in our basket. Surrounded by wrought-iron fences and Victorian architecture, the park wears its romantic charm in a distinctly St. Louis way. The landscaping isn't overly manicured, and there's no keep-off-the-grass vibe anywhere. Instead of preppy pansies, big-leafed shrubs of deep purples and golden yellows and greens give the park an unpretentious beauty. If you need picnic tables, they're there, but if you don't, the ground is soft. We recommend the latter form of picnicking; unlike nineteenth-century snobs, we St. Louisans are willing to sit our asses right on the grass.
Art Hill
| Sep 25, 2014
Post-Dispatch Lake
| Sep 26, 2013
Citygarden
| Sep 27, 2012
Turtle Park
| Sep 22, 2011
Tower Grove Park
| Sep 30, 2009
Concordia Park
| Sep 24, 2008
Laumeier Sculpture Park
| Sep 26, 2007
Picnic Island
| Sep 27, 2006
The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House
| Sep 29, 2005
Tower Grove Park
| Sep 29, 2004
Tower Grove Park
| Sep 29, 2004
Bellerive Park
| Sep 24, 2003
Bellerive Park
| Sep 24, 2003