Blanket judgment: Our eight favorite picnic-friendly parks
Desert View Overlook
Pack for a snack with a mind-bending view from the slopes of Mummy Mountain. (State Road 158 between Kyle Canyon and Lee Canyon)
Gardens Park
Spread out in one of the most flower-filled, tree-lined spaces in town that also features nice shuffleboard and bocce courts. (10401 Garden Park Dr.)
Cottonwood Canyon Park
This pocket park-meets-nature trail has picnic pavilions and lush lawns — as well as hummingbirds, hares, and dragonflies. (915 Canyon Bluff Circle)
Clark County Wetlands Park
The air-conditioned Picnic Cafe at the Nature Center is ideal for outings with kids and others who are sensitive to the Mojave Desert heat. (7050 E. Wetlands Park Lane)
Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs
Relax with some cold fried chicken and lemonade by the reed-lined ponds of Vegas’ original picnic place, stretching back to woolly mammoth days. (9200 Tule Springs Road)
Aliante Nature Discovery Park
This green stretch of North Las Vegas beckons young paleontologists to play under a giant faux Triceratops fossil. (2627 Nature Park Drive)
Exploration Park at Mountain’s Edge
Li’l buckaroos can go bonkers in the park’s Old West-themed playgrounds, then challenge mom and dad to hike up Exploration Peak to see who’s the real sheriff of Picnic Town. Or they can just have some ice cream cones. (9700 S. Buffalo Dr.)
Wilbur Square and Bicentennial Park
Dating back to Hoover Dam days, this tree-bordered, grassy public space in Boulder City is home to art festivals and classic car jamborees. (999 Colorado Street)
It’s not a picnic without …
Caviar from Cured & Whey
Does caviar go with grilled burgers and brats? Maybe not on the same plate, but this is Vegas. Begin your party with chilled tins of fish roe from Cured & Whey for a deluxe appetizer with thin crostini, or adorn deviled eggs with the glistening goodness. The boutique retailer features varieties from beluga sturgeon aquafarmed in Florida to native hacklebacks from the Ohio River. 6265 S. Valley View Blvd. #K, 702-429-3617
Appetizer platters from Valley Cheese & Wine
Deluxe artisanal cheese and charcuterie selections are the perfect way to get a party started while the grill warms up. A gourmet vanguard of Southern Nevada, Valley Cheese & Wine carries a seasonal collection of savory comestibles from Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog to prosciutto di Parma. And lots of summer-perfect wines, too. 1570 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway #140, valleycheeseandwine.com
Viands from Village Meat & Wine
Want to go paleo-tastic on your home hearth with a massive tomahawk bison steak? This is the place. They also hand-grind beef brisket patties for succulent burgers, and offer everything else from New York strip to Chicago hot dogs. The store’s freezer cases also hold exotic choices like ostrich, camel, and alligator. 5025 S. Eastern Ave. #23, villagemeatandwine.com
Everdure CUBE by Heston Blumenthal from Williams-Sonoma
These sleek, compact charcoal grills take campfires into the Space Age with a food-grade storage tray and bamboo prep board. Williams-Sonoma also carries accessories including a gleaming All-Clad BBQ Toolset and a Moulinex Chopper — just pull a string for no-mess, no-fuss pico de gallo salsa for dipping tortilla chips. 1001 S. Rampart Blvd., williams-sonoma.com
Fireworks dinnerware from Sur La Table
Keep Fourth of July exuberance going all summer long with the skyrocket-themed Fireworks collection from Sur La Table. The melamine collection comes in platters, bowls, and fun star-shaped plates. And patio daddios can look patriotically fly as they helm their grill stations with a stars-and-stripes cotton jacquard apron. Downtown Summerlin, surlatable.com
More Summer Dining
Summer Dining 2018: The Drinks
Summer Dining 2018: The picnic