Hey, check out this bear just chillaxing at the Irvine Park Zoo. He looks laid back
but will totally hog the potato salad.

Summer's coming to a close, but that doesn't mean there aren't a basket-load of good picnicking days left. To help you out on your next excursion to the land of checkered  blanks and bug spray, here's a list of local places to NOT have your picnic. Just don't do it. Ever. Have fun.

1. Eau Claire Wastewater Treatment Plant

Sure, it’s on a big piece of city-owned land and there are pools there, but this is not the kind of place you’ll want to enjoy a summer evening on your red-checkered blanket. Whatever you’ve got in your picnic basket, it’s unlikely to pair well with the sights, sounds, and smells of 5.6 million gallons of churning wastewater.

2. Irvine Park Zoo Bear Caves

The appeal of lounging on the rocks inside the Chippewa Falls-based park's bear habitat is certainly appealing, but picnics typically involve eating lunch, not being eaten for lunch. True, the hairy, be-clawed denizens of Irvine Park aren’t guaranteed to eat you, but it’s advisable to enjoy your bologna sandwiches on the outside of the glass just to be safe.

Not great.

3. Shores of Lake Menomin

This picturesque lake in the middle of Menomonie turns grotesque when the blue-green algae blooms. On the plus side, the stinking, stomach-churning masses of cyanobacteria may help you stick to your diet – or at least turn you off to kale-infused smoothies.

4. Chippewa Valley Regional Airport Runway

Pluses: Lots of open space and easy access to the rest of the world. Minuses: Noise, lack of shade, and jets careening toward you at high speeds. Really, if all you want is a bite to eat while watching the planes, may we recommend the airport restaurant, The Farm on Starr?

5. Former Huebsch Laundry Building

Voted one of the ugliest spots in our annual Best of the Chippewa Valley poll, the crumbling brick monolith on North Dewey Street is kinda cool if you’re into urban decay. Still, trespassing is a crime and it would be much more comfortable to nibble your pasta salad in nearby Phoenix Park than to dine here in the weedy parking lot.