On National Picnic Day, picnic like a Bulldog
April 23 is National Picnic Day. With spring blooming in Athens, it’s time to grab a blanket, pack a meal, invite a few friends and find your favorite outdoor spot at the University of Georgia. There are 700 acres of campus to choose from, and we lined up our top campus spots to help you picnic like a Bulldog.
Founders Memorial Garden
Photo: Dorothy Kozlowski, University of Georgia Marketing and Communications
You can’t go wrong with anywhere on UGA’s historic North Campus, but the Founders Memorial Garden offers a quiet escape from the usual bustle of campus. Enter on Lumpkin Street across from Morris Hall to explore the 2.5-acre garden’s network of paths, koi pond and over 300 species of plants.
UGA Horticulture Trial Gardens
Photo: Dorothy Kozlowski, University of Georgia Marketing and Communications
Whether you have a green thumb or are horticulturally hopeless, the UGA Horticulture Trial Gardens is the perfect spot for the plant lover. Tucked between Snelling Dining Hall and the College of Pharmacy’s R.C. Wilson Pharmacy Building, this spot offers a variety of blooms, shady benches and a dreamy gazebo. Bonus: you can browse the plants being tested by UGA’s horticulture department while you’re there.
Lake Herrick Pavilion and Docks
Photo: Andrew Davis Tucker, University of Georgia Marketing and Communications
Located within Oconee Forest Park, the Lake Herrick pavilion and docks offer several spots to soak up the sun on a spring day. Wander the lakeside trail or bring a frisbee to toss with friends.
West End Zone Overlook
Photo: Andrew Davis Tucker, University of Georgia Marketing and Communications
G-Day means we’re creeping closer to fall and football season! If you can’t wait to cheer for the Dawgs as they tee it up between the hedges, feed your anticipation with a picnic on Sanford Stadium’s west end zone overlook. If you have a speaker, queue “Baba Riley,” “Glory” and “Let the Big Dog Eat” to mimic that Saturday-in-Athens feeling.
Coca-Cola Plaza
Photo: Dorothy Kozlowski, University of Georgia Marketing and Communications
Nestled in the center of the Terry College Business Learning Community is the Coca-Cola Plaza. This grassy courtyard near the heart of campus is a great spot to share a Coke with a fellow Bulldog. If you forgot your beverages – or your picnic basket – the Au Bon Pain inside the BLC offers coffee and pastry treats.
Turtle Pond
Photo: University of Georgia Marketing and Communications
The more, the merrier, right? A picnic at the Mary Kahrs Warnell Memorial Garden, also known as the turtle pond, will guarantee a few aquatic guests at your picnic. This secluded spot outside the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources is a South Campus hidden gem.
Myers Quad
Photo: University of Georgia Marketing and Communications
For the athlete or the social butterfly, Myers Quad is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. Bounded by Myers, Rutherford and Mary Lyndon halls, the quad hosts ultimate frisbee games, Spikeball matches and student gatherings big and small.
Herty Field
Photo: Peter Frey, University of Georgia Marketing and Communications
Reconnect with UGA’s roots at the site of the first UGA football game in 1892. Before the English white bulldog was adopted as UGA’s official mascot, the Mercer Bears lost to the UGA Goats 50-0. That’s right – the UGA goats. This historic site is flanked by Moore College and the beautiful Herty Fountain.
