A long, lonely stretch of sand that begins just south of the Marina del Rey entrance channel, Dockweiler State Beach continues all the way down to 45th Street in El Porto, the northern line of Manhattan Beach. Access to Dockweiler is not convenient. One of the few places is at the foot of Imperial Highway, where there is a pay parking lot and camping beach with hookups for recreational vehicles. Nearby is an area with about 40 fire rings for bonfires on the sand, an activity that is part of Southern California culture as accessories to romance, for parties or just for toasting marshmallows. Dockweiler and Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro are the only places in Los Angeles County that allow fires on the beach.

One of the nation's largest urban parks, Griffith Park occupies 4,107 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains. The place has a somewhat fabled history that can make for great picnic conversation. The redundantly named Col. Griffith J. Griffith, a gold-mine speculator and Welsh émigré who donated the land to the city in 1896, went on to shoot his wife point blank in the face during a drunken rage. She survived, blinded in one eye, and stayed with him until his dying day. If you care to celebrate this little gem of un-emphasized history on Memorial Day why not take the hiking trail behind the Griffith Observatory to the three-tabled picnic area called "Dante's View." The picturesque spot affords spectacular views of downtown and the still-scarred and burnt land from last year's massive fires and is planted with bright-blooming desert flowers and shady floss silk trees. The gorgeous sense of impending apocalypse that accompanies a trip to "Dante's View" seems just about right; if Col. Griffith's ghost is wandering anywhere surely it is there. If morbid isn't your thing Griffith Park offers hundreds of other green spots for your outdoor-dining enjoyment.

This sprawling Fairfax district park is an area favorite, attracting crowds of families, joggers and walkers on the weekend with its many public facilities. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the nearby Grove shopping complex, its outdoor features include barbecue pits and picnic tables, a lighted baseball diamond and basketball courts, an amphitheater, a jogging path and a children's playground.

The facilities at this expansive Glendale park include a baseball diamond, library, basketball courts, a children's playground, rose garden, the Whispering Pine Tea House & Garden, hiking trails and picnic tables. Unlike other crowded and unfortunately trashed public parks, Brand Park maintains a bit of the early Nineteenth century charm it possessed when it was part of the private estate of businessman and developer Leslie Coombs Brand. The library, which was once Brand's private estate (called El Miradero), was built in 1904 in an East-Indian-meets- Moorish style, with an abundance of domes and crenulated arches and it overlooks Glendale and the San Fernando Valley. There are rumors that L.C. Brand's ghost keeps tabs on the place. (He died in the house in 1925). If the rumors are true, who can blame him? You'd be hard-pressed to find a more alluring spot to take a load off in all of Glendale.

This gorgeous section of Angeles National Forest is sure to be a total zoo over the holiday weekend. That's because it's arguably one of the most beautiful and refreshing swaths of wild space in the Southland. You'll find plenty of picnic tables near the head of the trail, which is also where you and yours can freshen up in the Arroyo Seco Creek. If you follow the creek downstream for about a mile the herd will thin and you'll run smack-dab into the crystalline waterfalls. From there if you follow Bear Canyon Trail you'll arrive at more waterfalls and a gorgeous natural swimming hole. Don't succumb to the urge to disrobe entirely; the secret water wonderland is much more public than it actually feels.

Originally named Agricultural Park, Exposition Park was developed in 1876 as a place for agricultural and horticultural fairs to take place. Since that time, Exposition Park has grown and expanded to include such famous sites as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The L.A. Memorial Coliseum, a major athletic stadium, was built in 1923 and named in honor of those who died in World War I. The stadium was the site of two Olympic Games and the first Super Bowl. The park also is home to the California Science Center, Aerospace Museum, Imax Theatre and the California Afro-American Museum. If one is more in the mood for a casual stroll or a relaxing day outdoors, the Exposition Park Rose Garden is the place to visit. With more than seven acres and close to 16,000 rose bushes, the Rose Garden has been designated a Los Angeles County Point of Historical Interest. There is a water fountain in the center of the garden and a few benches here and there to sit and rest.

Echo Park is arguably one of the city’s most picturesque inner-city parks. With its gorgeous duck-filled lake, 1932 Spanish-Colonial boathouse, paddle boats, majestic fountain and stunning views of downtown; it is the central gathering spot of one of L.A.’s oldest and most eclectic neighborhoods. On the weekends, particularly holiday weekends, the park comes alive with families, food and music. Vendors sell ice cream, hot corn with mayonnaise, chili and lime, bacon-wrapped hot dogs and all manner of snacks and sodas. Impromptu yard sales crop up along the sidewalks and taco trucks park up and down the streets. While enjoying the bounty of your picnic basket be sure to check out the neighboring Angelus Temple, which was built by mega-evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson in 1919.

At the southern tip of San Pedro, with a scenic view of big ships in the nation's busiest container port, Cabrillo is two beaches in one: a calm swimming beach inside the harbor and a bigger rough-water beach facing the open ocean. Picnic at the grassy park by the inner beach where there are barbecue grills on pedestals. The outer beach has eight or 10 fire rings on the sand. Separating the two beaches is a curving arm of land that points to a perpendicular rock jetty. Beyond is the long breakwater reaching out to the Angels Gate entrance to Los Angeles Harbor. Opposite the jetty inside the harbor is a relatively new fishing pier.

Will Rogers State Beach is one of the nicest family beaches in Los Angeles County. Residents of tony Pacific Palisades consider it to be an extension of their back yard. There is some play equipment for children. At the foot of Chautauqua Boulevard, serious volleyball is played. Rocky little inlets interrupt the straight stretches of sand to make a stroll interesting. The beach is not wide, especially toward the northern end, but it is more than 3 miles long, the county's second longest behind Dockweiler. A few years ago, a Times writer rated Will Rogers high for having the most wholesome beach-goers and the handsomest lifeguards.

A gorgeous stretch of Malibu coastline that is largely empty due to a vigilant home owner's campaign to make the public believe the beach is private. Pay the private property signs no mind. The rocky, sandy wonderland is supported by your tax dollars. Parking can be found on Bunnie Lane near where it intersects with Broad Beach Road. There you'll find a somewhat hidden wrought-iron gate that opens up to 89 wooden steps that will transport you--and your picnic basket--to paradise.

Barnsdall Art Park is a small, grassy, self-contained oasis perched atop a hill overlooking Hollywood. It is home to Hollyhock House, the Municipal Art Gallery, the Barnsdall Art Center, the Junior Arts Center for Children and a small, beautiful cultural events theater. Hollyhock House, which was designed in 1917 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Lain Barnsdall, houses its own art gallery and is open for tours between noon and 3 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The Municipal Art Gallery features exhibits by Southern Californian artists and often provides opportunities to meet and speak with them as well. It also hosts other cultural events such as poetry readings. Children and adults can learn to be artists themselves at the Barnsdall Art and Junior Arts centers, where art classes such as life drawing, ceramics, loom weaving, jewelry making, animation and photography are offered in eight- or nine-week sessions for a fee.