Picnics In City Parks

The City of St. Louis has four parks with picnic grounds that are perfect for large gatherings such as family reunions, barbecues, parties and church and company picnics...Forest Park, Carondelet Park, O'Fallon Park and Willmore Park. All accommodate large groups of people, ranging from about 100 to 1,000.

The World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park and Kiener Plaza also are available to rent and will accommodate very large groups of people.

Forest Park is the most popular spot in St. Louis for picnics. The 15 sites that are available for rental provide groups with a great spot for a picnic that is close to the Zoo, Jewel Box, Planetarium, Art Museum, The Muny and the History Museum.

Carondelet Park is a beautiful spot for a picnic. The third largest city park has many interesting features, such as Boathouse and Horseshoe lakes, which were both drained and renoved in 2000. Both lakes are stocked for fishing. The three picnic grounds are close to the the playground, lighted baseball diamond, softball diamonds and tennis courts.

O'Fallon Park, the city's second largest park, has three picnic pavilions. The large lake provides quiet areas for fishing, the big playground gives children a place to run and climb, the tennis courts and ballfields provide spots for exercise and the spray pool provides a respite from the heat.

Willmore Park, in the southwest portion of the city, is peaceful, isolated and quiet. The two large lakes provide quiet areas for fishing, the big playground gives children a place to run and climb, the tennis courts and ballfields provide spots for exercise and the trails are great for all ages.

All picnic areas accommodate large groups of people...the smallest holds 150 but the others hold 500-600 with the largest accommodating 1,000.

The rental fee guarantees your group the picnic ground from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Signs at each picnic site will have your group's name on it. The Parks Division suggests each group make a trip to the park to view the sites in person before calling for rental information. A sign at each site gives the number of the picnic ground.

The picnic season runs from the first weekend in May to the end of September. The only exception to this policy is for Easter Egg Hunts. Permits are required during these months to use the picnic grounds. The picnic grounds are available on a first come, first serve basis, prior to or after the picnic season, but restrooms may or may not be available since seasonal staff are not available to service the grounds and restrooms, and unheated restrooms have to be winterized to prevent pipes from freezing.

Picnic reservations can be made one year in advance, the first business day after the future date passes in the present year. Due to call volume, you may have to try several times to get through on the picnic reservation line.

Reservations cannot be checked or made on-line.