The Picnic House is the building every Brooklyn wedding photo eventually finds: a 1927 hall on the lip of Prospect Park's Long Meadow, with a working fireplace and a window wall that turns the meadow into the room's backdrop. This permit takes the house and its south lawn for the whole day, which is when the place is at its most alive. If you are crossing the Long Meadow anyway, loop past the terrace to see the park's best interior from outside.
What to expect
From the meadow you will see a busy south lawn and a full house behind the glass, with guests spilling onto the terrace between courses. The building itself is closed to the public while it is booked. The Long Meadow in front, roughly a mile of unbroken grass, stays open, and the Third Street entrance and Litchfield Villa are a short walk away.
Good to know
- The F or G to 7th Avenue, or the 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza, then enter at Third Street and Prospect Park West
- The Picnic House sits on the west side of the Long Meadow, just below Prospect Park West
- The building is a permit-only rental, but the Long Meadow around it is free and open to all
- Shade on this stretch clusters at the meadow's edges; the middle is full sun
- Litchfield Villa, the Prospect Park Alliance headquarters, is a two-minute walk north
- Good for anyone scouting Brooklyn event venues or simply circling the Long Meadow
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Common questions
What is the Picnic House?
A 1927 event building on the Long Meadow in Prospect Park, run by the Prospect Park Alliance and rented for weddings, parties and meetings. It has a fireplace and a window wall onto the meadow.
Can I go inside during a private booking?
No. When the house is permitted the interior is reserved for that event, though the Long Meadow and surrounding paths remain open.
How do I find it?
Enter Prospect Park at Third Street and Prospect Park West and follow the path down toward the Long Meadow; the house is immediately on your left.