Best Romantic Picnic Spots in Downtown Baton Rouge

Plan a romantic picnic for your special someone as a way to connect, take in nature and enjoy fresh deli meats in Baton Rouge. Packing a delicious picnic is simple with the freshest meats and cheeses. When it comes to fresh deli meat in downtown Baton Rouge, turn to Milford’s on Third. Fresh meat, fresh cheese and fresh bread with locally sourced ingredients make your picnic menu a truly delicious, memorable experience. Follow these tips to plan your romantic picnic, and head to our deli restaurant in downtown Baton Rouge for fresh sandwiches and sides.

Best Picnic Spots in Baton Rouge

Finding a quiet picnic location with beautiful scenery sets the stage for your romantic date. Scenic Baton Rouge offers many options, including many spots close to fresh sandwiches in downtown Baton Rouge at Milford’s on Third. Swing by for your sandwich selections before whisking your partner away to your selected picnic date location.

Check out these romantic picnic spots near Baton Rouge:

• State Capitol Park: Dine outdoors with a view of the capitol building at State Capitol Park. Green space surrounds the building, giving you the best of nature and Louisiana history. The downtown location also keeps you close to other activities.

• Baton Rouge Gallery: The lawn behind the Baton Rouge Gallery offers the perfect romantic spot to enjoy your picnic. The sounds of the fountain create a natural backdrop for your picnic, and you can choose between shady and open spots to set up your picnic. Make a day of it by visiting the Baton Rouge Gallery after enjoying your lunch.

• Arsenal Park: Another spot close to the Capitol building is Arsenal Park. It’s a quiet park without much foot traffic, perfect for your romantic picnic. Set up your picnic near the lake or under an old oak tree for a beautiful view. Afterward, walk along the shores hand in hand.

• Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center: Escape from the bustle of the city with a picnic at the Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center. The facility features 103 acres with various habitats, including cypress-tupelo swamp and hardwood forests. Walk along the gravel paths and wooden boardwalks before finding the perfect spot to spread out your picnic blanket.

• Milford Wampold Memorial Park: Enjoy the shores of the LSU Lake at the Milford Wampold Memorial Park. You can’t beat the water view and the natural setting. Walk along the sand beach or the walking trails to extend your time with your sweetie.

• Repentance Park: This popular picnic spot features a fountain with 750 jets and plenty of green space right in the city. It’s a perfect escape without leaving the city. This spot has a more urban feel than some of the other options.

When choosing your picnic location, keep in mind the following factors:

• Beautiful natural scenery to set the mood
• Easy access to your car and any nearby entertainment
• Quiet option away from crowds for a private, intimate setting
• Shade or sitting by water to keep you cool
• Space for other activities, such as a romantic walk or a trip to a nearby museum

Unique Meats and Sandwiches to Pack

Deciding where to picnic in Baton Rouge is important, but you also want a picnic basket full of the freshest, tastiest meats and sandwiches to delight your sweetheart. Milford’s on Third is a deli in downtown Baton Rouge that serves a wide selection of the highest-quality fresh meats and cheese in the Baton Rouge area, perfect for your romantic picnic. When you start with the best-tasting ingredients, you get the best-tasting sandwiches. Your picnic partner will be impressed with your talent at selecting the food for the outing.

Not sure what to choose? You can’t go wrong with anything you find at Milford’s on Third, the best of Baton Rouge deli restaurants. If you don’t already have a favorite, we offer a variety of meats and sandwich fillings including:

• Tuna salad
• Smoked chicken salad
• Shrimp salad
• Egg salad
• Whitefish salad
• Turkey
• Smoked salmon
• Chicken liver
• Salami
• Roast beef
• Corned beef

Our smoked salmon sandwich comes on a perfectly chewy onion bagel with cream cheese and capers. You’ll feel like you’re picnicking in an authentic New York deli until you remember you’re taking in the scenery in a Baton Rouge green space.

The fresh hummus wrap is a suitable picnic option for a vegetarian diet, with hummus, lettuce, tomato and cucumber on a delicious honey wheat tortilla.

If you’re picnicking in the downtown area, swing by Milford’s on Third on your way to the picnic location to grab one of our hot handheld sandwiches. Try the sausage dog with smoked green onion sausage, fried shallots and mustard. This sandwich option tastes amazing, but you may want to bring along some mint gum to freshen up your breath before snuggling up close to your sweetie.

Another hot option is our classic third street sandwich. Get a decadent roasted round with provolone, pickles and mayo between poboy bread covered in gravy. Or, go for a barbecue flair with our BBQ chicken or brisket sandwich, complete with all the traditional trimmings with the quality of our finest ingredients.

Still not sure what to pack? Consider these main course menu options for your upcoming romantic picnic:

• Premade gourmet sandwiches: Don’t break a sweat over your picnic menu. Head to Milford’s on Third to pick up gourmet sandwiches made fresh for you, just how you want them. Toss them in your picnic basket, grab some of our sides, add a dessert and round out the meal with the many beverage options. This is as close as you’ll get to having someone else pack the entire picnic for you.
• Self-made sandwiches: If you prefer the DIY route, pick up a selection of meats, cheese and breads. Assemble the sandwiches before the picnic, or make them after you arrive. If you want condiments on your sandwiches, bring small containers and knives for spreading instead of full-size containers.
• Meats, cheeses and crackers: You don’t need a sandwich to enjoy a satisfying picnic meal. Keep your menu simple with fine meats and cheeses with crackers. Bring along a cutting board as a serving platter for the foods and create a charcuterie board as beautiful as your date.
• Salads: If you prefer a lighter route for your picnic meal, pack a hearty lettuce salad as your main course. Milford’s on Third offers several salads from the simple salad with baby greens, goat cheese, pecans and honey balsamic vinaigrette to more complete options, such as chopped Thai, salmon salad and chef’s salad.

Best Sides and Drinks

The sandwich plays the starring role in your picnic production, but your sides balance out the meat and round out the selection to make the meal perfect.

• Cole slaw: We offer cole slaw as a side option to complement our delectable meats and cheese. This picnic staple offers a crisp texture and a delicious, creamy taste. Like potato salad, cole slaw holds up well in your picnic basket with an ice pack to keep it chilled until you dine.
• Potato salad: A classic side dish option for a picnic. It holds up well and offers a tangy, delicious flavor to contrast with the rich meats and cheeses. Leftover potatoes from a crawfish or crab boil make the perfect base for homemade potato salad. Mix in your favorite additions. If you want a potato salad side without the work of making it, pick up a few servings at Milford’s on Third.
• Sundry snacks & potato chips: Grab a bag of potato chips or sundry snacks at our Wall of Chill as an easy picnic side. This option takes zero prep work, doesn’t need refrigeration and provides a nice crisp to complement your sandwiches. Plus, the variety of potato chip and sundry snack flavors means you can find something that suits both you and your date’s taste buds.
• Sweet treats: Plan for a sweet ending to the picnic with an assortment of desserts. Check out our selection of baked goods, including scones, cakes and cookies when you pick up your sandwiches and sides. Chocolate-covered strawberries offer a romantic dessert option for the end of your picnic.

You’ll also need refreshing drinks to wash down all of your picnic food. A bottle of wine is the perfect way to set a romantic tone. We offer a wide selection of wine, so you can pick up a bottle when you grab your sandwiches. Don’t forget to pack the corkscrew and wine glasses!

If you prefer a non-alcoholic option, pack your favorite flavors of Swamp Pop sodas. The Louisiana-inspired sugarcane sodas offer natural flavors and the perfect amount of fizz to wash down your sandwiches. We offer a wide selection of flavors, including almond cola, Satsuma mint fizz, bourbon cream soda, Jean Lafite ginger ale, Ponchatoula pop rouge, and file root beer.

Don’t feel like making your lunch to pack? The Grab and Go options at Milford’s on Third include all the NYC-style deli options that you are looking for to make the perfect picnic.

5 Things to Pack in Your Picnic Basket

Before heading out to your perfect picnic spot, don’t forget the essentials to make the date perfect. You’ll need to pack everything necessary to serve, enjoy and clean up your meal without overloading your picnic basket.

Pack these five things in your picnic basket:

• Blanket: A picnic blanket is a must for a comfy picnic experience, especially if you go somewhere without picnic tables available. A waterproof blanket keeps you dry if the ground is moist and cleans up easily in case of spills.

• Food: The food is the star of the show. Bring an assortment of meats, sandwiches, sides, beverages and desserts to delight your taste buds. Avoid packing too much food, as perishable items may not stay at a safe temperature long enough to make it back to the refrigerator after the picnic date.
• Ice packs: When your picnic menu involves perishable foods, ice packs are a must to keep the food safe. Use packs that won’t leak. Alternatively, you could use frozen water bottles as ice packs. Throughout the date, the water will melt, leaving you with a cool, refreshing way to rehydrate after a warm, exciting day.
• Serving items: You can’t run to the kitchen to grab a knife or spoon when you’re on a picnic. Think about the types of foods you’re packing and what types of serving utensils and items you need for them. This might include knives, spoons and a cutting board. Don’t forget your plates, cups and utensils as well. Pack a few extra forks in case one falls on the ground.
• Clean up items: No matter where you picnic, you want to leave the area clean after you’re done. Bring along a small trash bag to throw away your mess and plastic zip-top baggies or additional storage containers for leftover food. An extra trash bag works well for the dirty plates, utensils and other reusable items to prevent a messy picnic basket. Don’t forget napkins or wet wipes to clean up yourselves, too.

Tips for Your Romantic Picnic

You have your perfect spot in mind, and your picnic menu is set. What else do you need to know for your picnic date?

Make your picnic perfect with these tips:

• Plan ahead: Know where you’re going, what you’ll pack and other activities you plan to do on your picnic. Having a plan makes the picnic date go smoothly from start to finish.
• Time your picnic: A sunset picnic is the perfect way to enjoy beautiful sky views during your picnic. If you’re planning a lunch picnic, prepare for powerful midday sunlight. During the summer months, this can mean a very sweaty — and not so romantic — picnic meal. In these cases, make sure you have some sunscreen, hats or umbrellas for shade, and maybe even a battery-powered fan to keep you comfortable and cool.
• Have a backup plan: No matter how much planning you put into the picnic, you can’t control the weather or other factors. Have a backup plan in case something doesn’t go according to plan. Spread the blanket on your living room floor if rain eliminates an outdoor picnic. Have a backup location in mind in case your first choice is unusually busy.
• Plan for the environment: Nature is relaxing and romantic, but it can also be full of bugs and UV rays. As unromantic as it may sound, bug spray is your best friend if you don’t want to take home a body full of bug bites as a reminder of the picnic. Don’t forget to slather on the sunscreen before heading outdoors for your picnic for protection from the UV rays.
• Keep food safe: The last thing you want to do is give your sweetie a tummy ache on your romantic picnic. Keep meats, cheese and salads cold in the basket with ice packs. You can also use a small cooler instead of a wicker basket to keep the food safe.
• Use sealable containers: Containers with tight lids keep your picnic foods fresh and prevent spills. You don’t want soggy bread or a soaking wet blanket because of food leaks.
• Pack in reverse: Pack the things you’ll need first, such as your blanket and serving items, at the top of the picnic basket. This makes unpacking at your picnic site easier.

• Add music: Your favorite songs playing in the background adds to the romantic tone of the picnic date. Bring along a Bluetooth speaker, and connect it wirelessly to your phone to share your romantic playlist with your sweetheart.
• Linger: A romantic picnic is your chance to spend time together in an outdoor setting. Don’t rush your picnic. Savor the flavors of the foods, and soak in the setting. Take a romantic walk after your picnic.

START PLANNING YOUR PICNIC WITH MILFORD’S ON THIRD TODAY

If you’re looking for fresh sandwich restaurants in Baton Rouge to make your picnic easy, Milford’s on Third in the Watermark Hotel is the place to go. Order gourmet sandwiches, or pick up meats, cheese, sides and drinks to put together your own picnic meal. We’ll even cater your next event or get your meals ready for your next LSU Tailgate party. Wherever you need it, we’ll be there to make sure everyone leaves with a satisfied stomach.

You can’t go wrong with any selections from the best fresh deli in Baton Rouge. We create our menu with only the freshest locally sourced ingredients so that we can provide you with bold Louisiana flavors. Join us for a meal or, if you’re in a rush, order ahead and we’ll have it waiting for you to pick up and go. 

For more information on our offerings, give us a call at 225-408-2600. Or, visit our deli restaurant today to get the nostalgic feel of a New York deli with all the charm of our Baton Rouge hospitality.