Life is a Picnic!
GADSDEN, Ala. (WBRC) - A few months ago, we introduced you to a place called Destination Resorts near Lake Martin where they specialize in something called Glamping. But if you don’t have time for a whole glamorous camping experience now, you can still enjoy a couple of hours of luxury with U Pic Nic.
“I’ve always been interested in events, in design, and in making things pretty. I was just scrolling on my phone through TikTok, those reels that you see, and saw this reel of somebody doing like a relaxing, kind of a Zen vibe picnic on their back porch, and I thought that would be easy to do,” remembered Maria Hawkins, one of the ladies behind U Pic Nic.
“When she threw the picnic idea to me, I was like, Yes! That’s a great creative outlet,” says her partner, Traci Gunter.
So, Maria and Traci decided to join forces outside their work at a local medical facility in Gadsden, and U Pic Nic was born.
“We travel anywhere that somebody has a place to set up, and we even give our options of where we can set up, anywhere, any public place. We have set up in people’s pastures. We’ve set up in people’s backyards on their pier. We’ve done Noccalula Falls. We’ve been to Mountain Brook and set up on the mountain overlooking the city,” says Maria.
U Pic Nic is a little more than a basket and a blanket on the ground.
“We have more cake, fruit, charcuterie boards, which are full of meats, cheeses, pickles, olives, crackers, all that sort of thing. And we do use all real dishes. It’s not anything paper. Real glasses, silverware,” according to Traci. “We both like to do a lot of thrift store shopping, antique shopping, and when we see pieces that really would be of good use at our picnic, that are unique, as well, we try to grab those and use those.”
Maria remembers, “We did have one weekend where we had four in one weekend. We did an eleven o’clock brunch picnic out in Leesburg out on the lake, and then by six o’clock we were back in Gadsden setting up on the lake behind Buffalo Wild Wings on the pier. So, we’ve done two or three in a day before, and it’s a hustle, but it’s so much fun. We set up about an hour-and-a-half beforehand, get everything set up. They show up at their times, stay for two hours, enjoy and they get to leave, and we come back right after and pick up everything.”
And the eternal picnic question.
“The ants provide themselves. They are included,” laughs Traci.
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