The park: Provo’s Kiwanis Park, 820 N. 1100 East, has tennis courts, restrooms, pavilions and an abundance of open, grassy space on which to picnic or play. Kids looking to climb around can also visit the toys at the adjacent Wasatch Elementary School. Best of all, Kiwanis Park has dozens of big, beautiful shade trees.

The takeout: Is there anything more glorious in the summer than a grilled hot dog? Is there? Is there? J Dawgs takes hot doggin’ to an art form, with two simple menu options — polish or beef franks — dressed up a number of different ways. You can add fixin’s like banana peppers, sauerkraut, celery salt and the sweet, tangy house “special sauce.” Wash your meal down with apple beer, and add a side of kettle chips for the ultimate summer indulgence.

858 N. 700 East, Provo, (801) 373-3294, www.jdawgs.com

The park: Orem’s City Center Park, 300 E. Center St. and 100 North, is situated on 24 acres in the heart of Orem and is rarely crowded. In addition to baseball fields, restrooms, a walking path and a playground, the park has two pavilions available to rent (for a fee). We suggest just bringing a blanket and camping out under one of the park’s shade trees.

The takeout: We L-O-V-E Café Rio but H-A-T-E the line to order food. Minimize your wait by calling in your order ahead of time and picking up your food from the takeout counter. The award-winning, quick-serve Mexican restaurant has burritos, tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, salads and soups. Not to be all bossy about it, but here is what you should order: A pork salad with rice, black beans and the cilantro-lime vinaigrette. Trust us on this one.

147 N. State St., Orem, (801) 822-5700, www.caferio.com

The park: American Fork’s Robinson Park, 100 E. Main St., is the ultimate takeout park because of its proximity to The Meadows shopping center in American Fork. Nearby dining options include Paradise Bakery & Cafe, In-N-Out Burger, Rubio’s, Chik-fil-A and Five Guys Burgers and Fries. The park is also located next to the American Fork Library, and the shade from trees nearby the playground area ensures that the slides and climbing structures are never too hot. The park has a pavilion and picnic tables, or visitors can bring a blanket and sit next to the playground.

The takeout: Any of the abovementioned eateries have food great for the park, but for sunny, summery salads, you can’t beat Paradise Bakery & Cafe. We love the Paradise Greek Salad, made with Greek dressing, kalamata olives, feta cheese, vine-ripened tomatoes, sweet red onions and pepperoncinis. And we also adore the Chopped BBQ Chicken Salad, which combines lettuce mixed with ranch dressing, corn, jicama and black beans. The greens are topped with barbecue chicken, tomatoes and pepper-jack cheese. If you are looking for something more filling, Paradise Bakery also offers sandwiches and pastas, as well as soups and ridiculously tasty cookies.

562 W. Main St.  American Fork, (801) 216-8484, www.paradisebakery.com