Raleigh Picnic Spots
Raleigh is such a beautiful and green city, and there’s no shortage of parks and outdoor spaces that would make for wonderful picnic locales. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite Raleigh picnic spots to help you plan your next picnic. Some of these locations may be classics you’ve been to before and some may surprise you and be ones you’ve never considered.
Best Picnic Spots in Raleigh
Dorothea Dix Park
Dorothea Dix Park is Raleigh’s largest park and as such, it offers many great picnic spots. Our personal favorite is the Flowers Field, which overlooks the city skyline. This particular Raleigh picnic spot is second to none for a sunset picnic. The sun will set over the hill and will twinkle upon the skyline, lighting up the Raleigh city skyline in the sunset’s shades of yellow, orange, and red. We recommend starting your picnic an hour and a half before the sun is scheduled to set so you can enjoy your picnic for the full sunset and be ready to leave upon nightfall.
Time of Year to Visit
Aside from being one of the best picnic spots in Raleigh for a sunset picnic, Dorothea Dix is also particularly picturesque for picnics during the Spring and Summer months. From February through March, daffodils paint the Flower Field in cheerful yellows, signaling the start of Spring. The park plants nearly 50,000 daffodils in the field and if you haven’t visited it yet, it’s a must-see if you’re in Raleigh.
In July, flowers emerge again in this park in the Sunflower Field, aptly named for its blossoming of sunflowers each summer through mid-August.
Aside from the flower fields, make sure you check Dorothea Dix’s event calendar to see if the park is hosting any kind of event before planning your picnic. You’ll often find live music or movies in the park throughout the year which also make for great entertainment while you picnic.
Parking
Parking is free at Dix Park and on evenings and weekends, and all paved parking lots are open to the public. If you’re visiting during business hours on a weekday, please review this map for public parking.
Lake Lynn
Once described as a “Norman Rockwell painting come to life”, Lake Lynn offers serene views and calming ambiance. A 2.8-mile greenway trail around the Lake offers various nooks to lay out a picnic too. Our personal favorite is on a dock on the water, which is a short walk onto the greenway trail that surrounds the lake. You’re sure to see all kinds of wildlife while you picnic from this spot. Geese, ducks, herons, and even turtles are likely to swim by alongside the dock. Because of the wooded area that surrounds the lake, it’s a good idea to have bug spray on hand though.
This is a great location if you want to bring your dog to your picnic — you’ll see many walkers and joggers running the trail with their dogs. After your picnic, you can stretch out your legs and take Fido for a brisk walk around the lake where you can enjoy various views of the water.
Time of Year to Visit
Lake Lynn transforms in the Fall, with nearby trees turning golden as their leaves change. There’s no better time to see Fall in all its beauty than at Lake Lynn, making late September and October the perfect time to take a picnic to this location.
Parking
Lake Lynn has two free parking areas. For the parking lot closest to the dock, there’s a small parking lot off Lynn Road near the Leesville Road intersection. This parking lot can fill up though, but there is also a larger parking lot near the Lake Lynn Community Center entrance.
Midtown Park at North Hills
This park is so convenient for anyone living in the North Hills area. Steps away from several apartment buildings, you’ll often find other picnickers and children enjoying the park. We love this Raleigh picnic spot for the vibrant, well-manicured grass this locale offers year-round. No matter the time of year, you’ll be able to lay out a blanket, kick off your shoes and enjoy the pristine grass at Midtown Park.
Time of Year to Visit
Our favorite time of year to picnic in Midtown Park is the summer during the Summer concert series. The park brings in beach music every Thursday evening so you can enjoy some live entertainment, a pop-up bar, and food trucks at your picnic.
Since this park does host various events throughout the year, be sure to check their event calendar so you can be sure to schedule your picnic around any events.
Parking
You might luck out and find street parking along the side of Midtown Park, but if those spots are full, try the Midtown Parking Garage. This garage is free and is within walking distance of the park.
North Carolina Museum of Art Park
The North Carolina Museum of Art Park is vast so you’ll have lots of room to stretch out and relax. Large art fixtures in your backdrop make this locale a great spot for a unique picnic.
The greenway runs through this park, so if you can pack a small meal to fit into your bicycle basket, this makes for a fantastic mid-bike ride picnic. Be aware that this location can be windy though, so be sure to bring something to hold your picnic blanket and glasses down if you’re planning to picnic here.
We also love this location for those looking for a convenient picnic. Prefer not to pack your own food? You can order food from Catering Works, the Museum’s in-house caterer to pick up when you arrive. They even create picnic baskets to go on the weekends — just make sure you place your order 72 hours in advance so they can accommodate you.
Time of Year to Visit
Because there are not a lot of shaded options at this park, we recommend picnicking here during Spring and Fall when picnicking in the sun will still be comfortable. If you visit in the Fall, we recommend picking a warmer Fall day since the wind can make a cool day feel quite cold.
Parking
Parking at the Art Museum is free and open to the public, so you won’t need a ticket to the Museum to park here and access the park. There are parking options in both the Blue Ridge Lot and behind the West Building. Review the Art Museum map for parking locations.
Raleigh Rose Garden
Nestled between neighborhood streets in Bedford Heights, if you didn’t know the Raleigh Rose Garden was there, you could easily miss it. But don’t let the discrete location fool you - this garden is home to some of Raleigh’s most beautiful blooms. Bursting with roses from Mother’s Day in May through Labor Day in September, this small garden boasts sixty different rose beds so flowers will surround you no matter where you place your picnic.
Time of Year to Visit
Our favorite time of year to visit the Raleigh Rose Garden is from late May to early June. This is a stunning location, but it doesn’t offer much shade, so we recommend picnicking here before temperatures rise too high in the summer months. It’s a small window, only a couple of weeks, but if you time it right, this location can be both breathtaking and comfortable.
Parking
There are only a handful of parking spots next to the garden - two of which are for cars with disability placards. You’ll find more parking a short walk up the hill from the garden along Pogue Street. Please note that the Raleigh Rose Garden asks that you only park in designated spaces, not in the small road between the Raleigh Theatre and the Garden.
We hope this list of our favorite Raleigh picnic spots helps you when planning your next picnic! If you’re interested in enjoying a picnic with us, feel free to contact us. We would love to host you!
Sources
- Dorothea Dix Park. “Visit the Daffodils at Dix Park”. https://dorotheadixpark.org/daffodils. 18 August 2021.
- Dorothea Dix Park. “Sunflower Field at Dix Park”. https://dixpark.org/sunflowers. 18 August 2021.
- Catering Works. “Picnic in the Park”. https://cateringworks.com/our-venues/nc-art-museum/picnic-in-the-park.php. 18 August 2021.
- Raleigh Rose Garden. “The Raleigh Rose Garden”. https://raleighlittletheatre.org/visit-us/rose-garden/. 18 August 2021.
About the Author
Angela Byrnes - Owner, Southern Picnics
Angela is the owner of Southern Picnics and started the business in September 2020. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with degrees in Writing and Literature. She later attended Duke University where she received a certificate in Digital Media and Marketing.