What to Bring to a Spring Picnic
One of the best things about springtime is the return of outdoor activities. The warmer weather and later sunsets mean it's a season for spending time outdoors without the frigid chill of winter, cutting outdoor time short. You can even have your meals outdoors in the spring months, making them more exciting for you and your family. After a cooped-up winter, who doesn’t want a change of scenery with their lunch? When planning a picnic, there are important things to remember to make sure everyone has a good time, and it goes way beyond just remembering to pack everyone’s favorite meal.
Here’s what to bring to a spring picnic to make sure you’re prepared and ready to have fun.
Bring Something To Sit On
Picnics customarily take place outdoors, usually in a grassy park or on a sandy beach. When attending a picnic, you'll need something to sit on, which is where a blanket or bedsheet comes into play. When heading out to a picnic, be sure to pack a blanket or bedsheet in your canvas tote bag.
This way, you’ll have somewhere comfortable to sit while chowing down on picnic food. Plus, your favorite capri pants won’t be at risk of getting dirty. Better yet, bring a few blankets or bedsheets with you, so your friends and family have somewhere to sit, too. There's no such thing as too many comfy places to sit during a picnic.
Stock Up on Food
A picnic isn’t a picnic without plenty of food to nosh on. Remember to pack food that's easy to eat in a casual, outdoor environment. You don’t want items that require lots of utensils during an outdoor meal.
Sandwiches are always a good picnic option, and you can customize each sandwich to your family’s liking. Try making a variety of sandwiches for folks to choose from—tuna salad, veggie sandwich, Italian subs, and egg salad sandwiches all travel well to a picnic. Just be sure to pack ice packs in your bag to keep them cool. For snacks, go for things you can eat with your hands, like pretzels or chips. Plus, both of these snack foods go great with sandwiches, too.
Freshly cut fruit is easy to pack in a big Tupperware bowl and also offers a bit of a respite from any humidity creeping into your spring day. And, don’t forget dessert. Bring an item that’s easy to eat in an outdoor setting like brownies or cookies. Better yet, have your kids help make dessert before heading out for the picnic—just be sure they roll up their kid’s sweatshirts sleeves before they start baking.
Load Up on Drinks
You’ll want something to drink with your delicious picnic meal, so be sure to pack water bottles, juice boxes, and sodas for you and your family or friends to drink.
Pack a Cooler
A cooler is an important item to bring because it keeps your food and drinks cold. No one wants to reach for a warm soda on a picnic, and by bringing a cooler, you can keep that from happening. If you don’t have a cooler to bring, you can also pack your food and drinks in insulated lunchboxes. You can even give each picnic guest their own personalized lunch box to bring with all of their picnic food and drinks packed within.
Bring a Sweater or Light Jacket
While spring is certainly much milder than winter, there can still be a chill in the air—it’s a pretty unpredictable season. If you’re planning a picnic lunch or dinner, make sure to pack your go-to women’s spring jacket or a lightweight cardigan. For your family, bring their favorite fleece or zip-up light jacket. This way, you’ll have something to put on in the case you need an extra layer. You don’t want a light breeze to cut your picnic short.
While you’re at it, if the forecast looks iffy, pack an umbrella or rain jacket, too. April showers are known to come and go when they please, and you wouldn’t want to get stuck in the rain with no rain gear on your picnic.
Don’t Forget to Bring Ice
Ice is always a welcome addition to any party. It can be used to fill coolers full of cold drinks or dropped directly into soda or juice cups to keep drinks frosty cold. Simply stop at your local grocery store or gas station and pick up a bag of ice on the way to the picnic.
Now, you’re all set to picnic.