Picnics are a great way to spend time with friends or family while enjoying the outdoors. Pack your picnic basket with simple items like fruit and cheese or elaborate dishes such as smoked salmon sandwiches with a cucumber salad. Support your local restaurant and opt for a carry-out food order. Whether you want to picnic by the water, in a park, or while admiring outdoor sculptures, enjoy having a meal at any of these five picnic spots around the Maple Grove, MN, area.

Fish Lake Regional Park

The Perfect Picnic by Personal Creations is licensed with CC BY 2.0

You can experience many recreational activities year-round when you visit Fish Lake Regional Park. Families that love swimming can stop by the Fish Lake beach between Memorial Day and Labor Day. After splashing in the cooling water, set up a blanket and umbrella for a picnic. Anglers will get a kick out of casting their lines in the lake, and during the winter, they can go ice fishing. 

If you enjoy viewing the fall colors as the leaves turn, come to Fish Lake Regional Park and hike the trails for a picturesque experience. You can even bring your furry friends to join the hike or let them romp with their buddies in the fenced off-leash dog area.

Location: 14900 Bass Lake Road, Maple Grove

Hours: Open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Elm Creek Park Preserve

If you want to picnic in one of Maple Grove’s major family attractions, head to the Elm Creek Park Preserve. This 4,900-acre park is the largest in the Three Rivers park district, with miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. Start your visit to Elm Creek Park Preserve by stopping at the Eastman Nature Center to pick up maps and learn more about the park’s features.

During the summer, families can swim in the filtered and chlorinated swim pond, sunbathe on the sandy beach, and enjoy a meal packed in their picnic basket. Come by the park’s Winter Recreation Area, perfect for cold-weather activities like downhill skiing, snowboarding, sledding, or tubing.

Those who like using a bow and arrow can practice their skills at the archery range, and everyone in the family can try their hand at disc golf at the 18-hole course. Mountain bikers can explore the park’s 12.7 miles of trails ranging from easy to most difficult. With so much to do at the Elm Creek Park Preserve, you’ll want to come to this special park time and time again.

Location: 12400 James Deane Parkway, Maple Grove

Hours: Open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

Maple Grove Arboretum

Stop by a family-friendly Maple Grove restaurant to grab some to-go food for a picnic at the 15-acre Maple Grove Arboretum. This beautiful and peaceful park has over 100 trees featuring various native Minnesotan species you can admire. Wear hiking shoes and bring your fishing pole to walk the trails leading to Rice Lake, where you can fish off the pier.

After casting your line, stroll the Medicine Lake Regional Trial that takes you to the site of the Angel of Hope statue. You can have a small picnic by the statue, along the shores of the lake, or under a shady tree. For special events like birthday parties, rent the park’s picnic pavilion, which provides charcoal grills and picnic tables. The Maple Grove Arboretum is a gem in the Maple Grove community.

Location: 9400 Fernbrook Lane N., Maple Grove

Hours: Open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Weaver Lake Community Park

Everyone in the family will appreciate spending the day at the 80-acre Weaver Lake Community Park. You’ll want to bring a picnic to this park to fuel the family up between all the recreational activities they’ll explore. During the summer, from June through August, visit Weaver Lake Beach to swim in the water or slide down the tube slide to the beach. You can also fish from shore or along the fishing pier to take a chance at hooking a fish.

The family can exercise and burn off energy at the park’s basketball court, four tennis courts, open-space ball fields, and sand volleyball courts. Younger kids can meet new friends while they romp on the playgrounds, and hikers will appreciate the nature trails. Weaver Lake Community Park is the perfect location for a family reunion, birthday party, or another special event, as you can reserve the shaded picnic pavilion with tables and grills. When the temperature drops, you can go ice fishing or ice skating on Weaver Lake and enjoy a picnic inside the warming house.

Location: 8401 Maple Grove Parkway, Maple Grove

Hours: Open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

If you find yourself in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and want to see an art installation while having a picnic, visit the unique Minneapolis Sculpture Garden next to the Walker art Center. This free art installation features artists from different cultures, creating unique and mesmerizing works of art. Before coming to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, download the map, which will give you information about the history of the projects, a guide to the sculptures, and a map of the Wurtele Upper Garden.

Pick your favorite sculpture to view up close, make yourself comfortable, and pull out your camera or sketch pad to capture the moment. Turn the sculpture into a fun photo op and take pictures next to it with the family. Afterward, relish in your surroundings with a satisfying picnic in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

Location: 725 Vineland Place, next to the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Hours: Open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight

Are you ready to pack a lunch and enjoy a picnic at any of these spots around the Maple Grove area? Is there a spot you and your family enjoy picnicking that we missed on this list? If you have a recommendation, let our team at Crème de la Crème of Maple Grove know, and we’ll check it out.