How to Have the Perfect Picnic at Keystone Lake
There’s plenty to do at Keystone Lake in Sand Springs, Oklahoma like fishing, swimming, boating, water skiing, hiking, but one of our favorite lakeside activities is having a picnic.
Dining al fresco was popularized in the late 1700’s after the French Revolution and is now a mealtime pastime around the world adored by froclicking families and doting daters. All you need for a basic picnic is a blanket and cold sandwiches, but for the ultimate outdoor dinner, here’s what to pack:
Food: Whatever you eat at home, you can probably eat on a picnic. But to make this outing special, skip the ham-and-cheese sandwiches or BLTs and pack caprese salad or the makings for a charcuterie board. Think cheeses, cured meats, fresh fruit or jam, crunchy vegetables, candied walnuts or toasted pepitas, and briny olives. Want something fun without the effort? Pick up pizza to-go from Minuteman or swing by Church’s for a bucket of fried chicken instead. Be sure to bring something to drink (like sparkling water or fresh-squeezed lemonade) and, if it’s a family event, it probably wouldn’t hurt to pack a sleeve of Oreos, too.
Supplies: To ensure your meal goes smoothly, use this checklist of things you’ll need:
- A basket to hold all your picnic items and a large blanket to spread out on
- A cooler or thermos if you need to keep drinks cold or food hot
- Plates, cups, utensils (bring dishes from home to make it fancy or use disposable items to make it easy)
- A corkscrew or bottle opener if you plan to enjoy an adult beverage
- Paper towels or wipes to clean sticky fingers
- A trash bag ???? always leave the lake as clean as or cleaner than you found it!
- Sunscreen and bug spray
- A camera, even if it’s just your phone, to capture the memories
When you finish, be sure you throw away your trash and take home everything else you brought.
Entertainment: After you finish eating, you may still want to hang out around the lake, so stash something fun to do in your picnic basket. You can bring a Frisbee or football to toss around, a colorful kite to fly, or a stack of magazines to thumb through. If you forget to bring something to do, don’t worry ???? there’s plenty to do on the water: skip rocks, look for wildlife, or make up a silly song about the lake.
There’s a reason people have been having a meal by the water (or in a park) for hundreds of years: it’s a fun respite from the dining room table, and in Sand Springs, there’s nothing like a sunset dinner on the beaches of our beloved Keystone Lake.
