Picnic Fare & Picnic Spots--There's plenty of opportunity to picnic in Atlanta, and loads of outdoor spots to spread your picnic blanket. Good bets include Piedmont Park in Midtown, Georgia's Stone Mountain Park, and Grant Park. And here are some places that can help you round up a great picnic lunch:

Alon's Bakery, 1394 N. Highland Ave. NE (tel. 404/872-6000), has loads of delectable baked goods for a snack (some of the best pastries in town), and a variety of made-to-order sandwiches at reasonable prices. Try the garlic-roasted lamb or the Tuscany (goat cheese, arugula, roasted eggplant). There's also a selection of interesting, easily portable side dishes and salads.

The Breadgarden, 549-5 Amsterdam Ave. (tel. 404/875-1166), is tucked away on a little dead-end street, but it's worth seeking out, especially if you want to picnic in nearby Piedmont Park. This shop started out as a retail bread store, but it now serves up sandwiches on its incomparable freshly baked breads. You can design your own sandwich, but it's hard to come up with anything better than the Mediterranean vegetarian--goat cheese, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, eggplant, and olive spread on whole grain bread.

In south Buckhead, the Bread Market, 1937 Peachtree Rd. NE (tel. 404/352-5252), has a variety of baked goods and breads, entree salads, and sandwiches. There are always special lunch sandwiches in addition to the usual combinations.

Located adjacent to the Corner Café, the upscale Buckhead Bread Company, 3070 Piedmont Rd. (tel. 404/240-1978), offers unusual sandwiches to go, as well as authentic French pastries that taste as good as they look.

In the heart of Buckhead, EatZi's Market and Bakery, 3221 Peachtree Rd. NE (just south of Piedmont Rd.; tel. 404/237-2266), boasts that it has more than 1,800 daily choices to take home. Hard to believe, but this is a huge store dedicated to takeout, with everything from bread and wine to main dishes and desserts.

Located in an industrial area that is fast becoming a shopping and dining destination, Mondo Baking, 750 Huff Rd. NW. (tel. 404/603-9995), may be off the beaten path, but it's worth seeking out for inventive sandwich combinations and delectable homemade pastries. They even make a kid-pleasing peanut butter and jelly.