Missouri Botanical Garden, Sara Graham
Missouri Botanical Garden, Whitaker Music Festival (4344 Shaw Boulevard; 314-577-5100) The Missouri Botanical Garden offers 79 beautiful acres for strolling. In the summer, the free Whitaker Music Festival is an excellent opportunity to linger longer. The festival features blues, jazz, rock and other artists to enjoy while picnicking in the garden.
Pick Up: At the Festival Picnic fare, beer, wine, soda and snow cones are available for purchase on-site.
Food Truck Friday, Steve Truesdell
Tower Grove Park (4256 Magnolia Avenue) Tower Grove Park is a small urban gem located just south of the Botanical Garden (on land donated by the garden's founder, Henry Shaw), between Kingshighway and Grand Boulevard. The site of numerous summer festivals and local kickball, softball and soccer leagues, the Victorian-era park is a stunning venue for a meal al fresco.
Pick Up: Food Truck Friday (Tower Grove Park, southern end) The fourth annual Food Truck Friday series kicked off this summer on May 9. Since 2011, this monthly event occurs on the second Friday of the month and features the best of the St. Louis food-truck scene for a community-scale summer picnic event. Choose from burgers to tacos, sushi to cupcakes, not to mention plenty of locally crafted beer. The event is also sustainable, with recycling and composting bins located throughout area.
