Picnic Up and Picnic Down, Picnic all Around.

It’s National Picnic Day! So, pack up your picnic basket, round up your friends and family, and enjoy a day of fun and food in the great outdoors.

Living in the inland empire, you are lucky to have an abundance of A+ picnic spots to choose from. On the other hand, this poses its own problem, where to pick?! We’ve made it easy by giving you epic options to choose from.

Family: Taking the little ones with you on your picnic extravaganza? Well, you are going to want to ensure they will be safe and remain occupied! We have found the ultimate family picnic spot for you and your little ones. Enjoy your outing at “Day Creek Park” in Rancho Cucamonga. This huge park offers everything you could possibly want all in one secluded area. Fully equipped with restrooms, a soccer field, tennis courts, a running trail, swings, slides, and sand for the kids, you will surely have an exciting day. Not only will the little ones stay entertained with the awesome play structures and other kids also visiting the park, but it’s not a bad spot for adults either. The view of the mountains is first class and you can reserve sheltered picnic tables ahead of time (for a fee) for 100% comfort.

Romantic: For an ultra-romantic picnic setting, feed the ducks at “Fairmount Park”. This park is absolutely gorgeous. A huge lake where you can fish and beautiful greenery all around, not to mention it is engulfed in the mountains. Before picking a spot to lay your blanket, walk around the park for there are tons of perfect spots to choose from.

Friends: Take advantage of this beautiful day and go for an easy hike all of your friends can handle. The “Monrovia Canyon Park” hike is shaded and offers a small but beautiful waterfall at the end where you can enjoy a perfect picnic. Parking on the weekend costs $5, so come prepared with cash.

Now for the most important step in the picnic process, FOOD! When it comes to food, it’s all about the presentation. Have fun when preparing your eats and get creative!

Snacks: Watermelon is a summertime favorite, for presentation purposes, cut the watermelon into triangles leaving the rind and then stick a popsicle stick into the rind and wala, melon-sickles! No picnic is complete without cheese, and what’s better than cheese? A cheese platter! Grab the biggest cutting board that you own, all the cheeses you can find, and pair them with nuts, fruits, chocolates, and crusty bread. To keep track of what cheese is what, make little toothpick name tags and stick them into the cheeses.

Appetizer: Salad is a great picnic appetizer. Make it colorful and add strawberries and blueberries. Against the green leaves, the red and blue will really pop!  Hint, hint, a festive plate for an upcoming patriotic holiday.

Main meal: Sandwiches are always a good choice, setup the ingredients buffet style and let people pick their own toppings, or if you know what everyone likes, make the sandwiches ahead of time and package them up in brown paper bags and tie with a string.

Dessert: So what’s on the menu for dessert? They are sweet and salty, so everyone will enjoy these S’more Pops! To make them you will need: straight pretzels, marshmallows, dipping chocolate, and graham crackers crumbs. Stick the pretzel into the marshmallow, dip into the chocolate and let slightly harden, then dip into the crushed up graham crackers and let harden completely. Keep cool so the chocolate doesn’t melt and enjoy!

Drinks: I bet after all this food talk you are pretty parched! Lemonade with frozen fruit is a great choice to quench your thirst. Serve in mason jars and paper straws for a summertime vibe.

Don’t forget: Blanket, corn hole, volley ball, water balloons, umbrella for shade, sunscreen, bug spray, a good book, silverware, sun hat, and trash bags!

We invite you to stop into our Fletcher Jones Gift boutique to pick up some of your picnic day essentials. We carry genuine Mercedes-Benz picnic baskets, coolers, blankets, beach towels, and much more. Share your adventures with us on Facebook and Instagram with #fjmercedes!