It's no question that Jacksonville has some beautiful parks, but they also double as picnic spots! Picnics are a great way to mix up your routine and get outside. Pack your own lunch or grab some food from one of Jacksonville's delicious local restaurants and have a picnic this Summer!
Photo Credit: @stephenychau
Memorial Park is the perfect place to go if you want a beautiful view of the river and an escape from the city, but also just a hop and a jump away from all the fun things happening in Riverside. With a large grassy field area and plenty of shaded benches, you can find a perfect spot to set up a picnic with a view of the river.
Photo Credit: @melaniec57
Dutton Island Preserve provides many different spots for an ideal picnic setup. Between all of the beautiful trees and winding trails, there's plenty of picnic spots with stunning views of the marsh and intercoastal waterway. There are plenty of picnic tables as well as nice grassy areas and docks to lay down your picnic blanket and enjoy the beautiful of views.
Mom's Park offers a quaint feel, under the shade of beautiful, massive trees and right on a canal off the river, it is another perfect picnic spot, minus the crowd. They also have a gorgeous mosaic gazebo where you can take awesome pictures and admire the beauty of all the art.
Photo Credit: @lisaellisphotography
If you are looking for a more adventurous picnic spot, Guana is the one for you. With multiple launches for kayaking or paddle boarding and a huge beach access, you could spend an entire day at Guana River State Park!
Photo Credit: @ghishing_niru
Mandarin Park is a beautiful, more private park located just off the river. Mandarin Park has a boat launch and dock that walks all the way out to a cabana, where you may see manatees and dolphins if you're lucky! You can choose to have your picnic on the dock or under the shade of one of their multiple picnic cabanas.
Photo Credit: @ashzillah
Castaway is most definitely the picnic spot for an explorer. With multiple hiking trails, lookouts, boat launches, a dock, and a picnic table cabana, you are sure to be able to make a day out of it, beginning with a wonderful picnic.
Photo Credit: @raylinares
Hanna is the perfect picnic spot for all the beach lovers out there. Sometimes eating on the beach is a difficult task, trying to avoid getting sand in your food and all the hungry seagulls. However, Hanna Park offers amazing picnic areas to take a nice shaded break during your beach day, and hopefully avoid some of those pesky seagulls.
Congaree and Penn is a hidden gem in our book. If you are looking for a more rustic and farm-side feel, this is your spot! There are plenty of enjoyable activities as well as beautiful picnic spots overlooking the pastures. We highly recommend checking this hidden gem of a spot out!
