Photo by Reid Kasprowicz

By DCist Contributor Elizabeth Packer

The summer solstice will soon grace us with nearly 15 hours of daylight on June 21, marking the official start of the season. For those of us here in D.C., where the temperature has been holding strong in the 90s, it’s been feeling like summer for weeks. Yes, it’s hot and yes, it’s definitely humid. But our swampy city’s not going to cool off for a while, so it’s best to embrace it and honor the season by venturing out for a summer picnic. So gather up your friends, dust off the picnic basket, check out our suggestions below, and get ready to enjoy some al fresco dining.

What to Pack

A picnic is the perfect summer meal. You can quickly, and cheaply, put together a dinner that requires no time in the kitchen, freeing you from hot ovens and stovetop messes. Most picnic dishes can be easily scaled up to feed a crowd and will keep in the fridge for a few days, giving you the opportunity to make big portions and picnic all week.

In order to elevate your picnic from the pedestrian to the extraordinary, think outside the box (or basket) when planning your menu. Pass on the PBJ, and forget your Grandma’s tired potato salad and the watermelon wedges of your youth. Let your picnic be a chance for culinary exploration.

The Menu

Use this basic formula as a guide when putting your picnic together to ensure you get a complete meal: bread + cheese + spread or dip + fruit + veggie or salad + something sweet. For a potluck picnic, have everyone bring an item from the different groups, and you’ll end up with smorgasbord of tastes and full stomachs.

For more cohesion, try a themed picnic. Pick a favorite cuisine and let that guide your menu—for example, go French with a crusty baguette, a few wedges of cheese, a handful of olives, and a bottle of red to wash it all down. Travel to the Mediterranean with a picnic of pita, hummus, a salad of chopped cucumber, red pepper, crumbled feta, and kalamata olives; dolmades (grape leaves full of lemony rice) and baklava for desert. An Indian-inspired picnic could include curried egg salad, wedges of naan, a cool cucumber raita, and iced chai tea. In the mood for Italian? Think antipasti—balls of mozzarella cheese, slices of salami and prosciutto, grilled vegetables. Round it out with pasta salad and biscotti for a sweet finish.

If you’re looking to further amp up your picnic fare, you can expand your repertoire to include composed salads, noodle dishes, fried chicken… the possibilities are endless. Mark Bittman of the New York Times put together a list of 101 picnic dishes that can be made in 20 minutes or less, a great starting point to inspire your next picnic spread.

The Supplies

D.C. is home to a range of local shops and markets that sell prepared salads, sandwiches, and other goodies perfect for picnics. A quick shopping trip can help you put together your ideal picnic spread without having to prepare anything yourself, if that’s more your style.

• Cork Market (1805 14th Street NW): For those wishing to build their picnic around wine, this is the shop for you. Pick up cheese, charcuterie, and other accoutrements to go with your bottle of choice.
• Eastern Market (225 7th Street SE): This Capitol Hill institution has been supplying picnickers for over 130 years, with its deli, dairy, and bakery. Your options expand on weekends, when the market hosts its large outdoor farmers’ market.
• Glen’s Garden Market(2001 S Street NW): Choose from a range of sandwiches, pizzas, and salads that can be purchased by the pound, plus growlers of local beer.
• Straw Stick & Brick (formerly called 3 Little Pigs, 5111 Georgia Ave NW): Stock up on a wide range of charcuterie and salumi, or pick up house-made sandwiches and sodas.
• Union Market (1309 5th Street NE): Visit the city’s shrine to artisans—home to butchers, bakers, fishmongers, cheesemakers, sellers of wine, chocolate, empanadas—and you’ll find all the components necessary to compose your picnic, and then some.

Packing a Picnic 101

Whatever route you go, follow these packing guidelines for a successful picnic:

• Bring something to sit on. Whether it’s a checkered tablecloth or your roommate’s old sheet, you’ll appreciate having something to cover the ground. It makes it easier to lay out your spread and prevents muddy, grass stained clothes.
• Bring portions that can be easily shared.Tupperware makes this easy, and cuts down on your waste. On that note, make sure to bring a bag to carry your trash home. Nobody likes a litterer.
• You can’t go wrong with dips.They’re the perfect finger food, easy to pack, and can be as healthy or unhealthy as you like. Chips and salsa, hummus and pita, vegetables and ranch—so many combinations, so little time.
• Mix sweet and salty to satisfy all tastes. Variety is your friend when packing your picnic, so counterbalance that bag of chips with a bar of chocolate.
• Pack the necessary cutlery. No one wants to be stuck in a meadow somewhere with a bowl of salad and no fork in sight. Ditto to pulling out a chilled bottle of rosé only to realize you forgot the corkscrew.
• Include liquid refreshment. Sunny days inspire thirst, so pack something to drink. A frozen bottle of water or juice can also act as your picnic’s ice pack, keeping the rest of your dishes cool. A bottle of wine can definitely enhance the picnic experience, and for the really fancy, nothing beats a bottle of bubbly sipped in the company of friends under sunny skies. Keep in mind though that many parks prohibit alcohol, so be sure to check the rules before you uncork.

Where to go

D.C. is blessed with ample green space and parks, so there are many options to consider when choosing where to picnic. Peruse a list of all National Park Service sites in the D.C. area, consult the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation’s list of its facilities, explore your neighborhood in search of a patch of green, or try one of our suggestions:

• Anacostia Park (1900 Anacostia Drive SE): With a skating pavilion, a beautiful riverside trail, prime birding spots and plenty of picnic tables and grills,this sprawling park makes a great picnic spot.
• Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens (1550 Anacostia Avenue NE): Come for a morning picnic in June or July to enjoy the gorgeous water lily and lotus flower blooms before they close up when the midday heat hits. You can also explore several short trails that have benches, allowing you to sit and enjoy your picnic.
• Meridian Hill Park (2400 15th Street NW): Find a grassy knoll to lay out your picnic in this 12-acre oasis. Clusters of small trees provide shade, you can admire North America’s largest cascading fountain while you eat, and if you picnic on a Sunday afternoon, you can enjoy the sounds of the park’s weekly drum circle.
• National Arboretum (entrances at 3501 New York Avenue NE and 24th & R Streets NE): The Arboretum has miles of trails to explore, its iconic National Capitol Columns provide the perfect backdrop for a photoshoot with friends, and there’s even a bonsai museum to visit. Save your picnic for the National Grove of State Trees, which is the only designated area where picnics are allowed.
• Square or Circle nearest your office: Thanks to Pierre L’Enfant’s layout with its intersecting avenues, D.C. is home to many beautiful circles and squares. Grab your favorite coworkers and stake out a shaded spot or bench to create the ideal weekday picnic. Many of the squares downtown attract food trucks during the lunch rush, so you don’t even have to pack your own, and the Golden Triangle BID is hosting Picnic in the Park on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the summer, providing tables, chairs and lawn games to perk up your office picnic.
• Theodore Roosevelt Island (located in the Potomac River, near the Key Bridge—detailed directions here): History buffs will appreciate the chance to enjoy a picnic in the island’s Memorial Plaza, where you can lay your blanket in sight of a 17-foot tall statue of our 26th President. While there are no picnic tables on the island, you’ll find benches along the boardwalk with great views out onto the river.
• Outdoor movie nights: It seems like almost every neighborhood in the city is hosting a regular outdoor movie night this summer, so add in a picnic and you’ve got the ideal summer date. Arrive early to grab a prime spot, and enjoy a relaxing picnic before the sky darkens and the show starts.