Picnic Shelters & Lodges

Louisville’s Metro Parks system includes five indoor lodges and more than 60 outdoor picnic shelters that are available for family picnics, employee appreciation days, weddings, field trips and more. You may reserve any picnic shelter to ensure that it’s available for your exclusive use. If a reservation notice isn’t posted in a shelter, it is available at no charge on a first come, first served basis. Lodges are available by reservation only.

Important Information

Payment is required in advance

Full payment must be received within two weeks of the date when a reservation is booked. If payment is not received within two weeks, the reservation will be cancelled and the date will be released. Until full payment is made, all reservations are considered tentative and no permits are issued. 

Last-minute scheduling

Any reservations made less than two weeks before the date of your event must be paid in full at the time of booking. Additional fees for last-minute reservations may apply, as crews may need to be scheduled on overtime to accommodate your event. In some cases, Metro Parks will not be able to accept reservations with less than two weeks notice, although every effort will be made to accommodate these requests.

For shelter and lodge reservations, contact our Special Events Office, open weekdays in the Iroquois Amphitheater from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

    Submit your request online!  Click here and fill out an easy form
    Reservation Request Form (PDF)
    Phone: 502/368-5865
    Mail: Special Events Office, Metro Parks, 1080 Amphitheater Rd., 40215

*NOTE* These rates are scheduled to be changed on December 31, 2009 for 2010. Please check back here for more information.

Lodge Rates    Public Rate    Non-Profit Rate
Chickasaw Park $200 $140
George Rogers Clark Park $200 $140
Iroquois Park (Jacob’s Lodge) $100 $70
Shawnee Park (Golf Clubhouse) $200 $140
Victory Park $100 $70


Lodges are available daily between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., except Jacob’s Lodge, which is available on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. As an alternative to paying not-for-profit rates for lodges, neighborhood groups and block watch organizations may use community center meeting rooms at no charge during normal operating hours.

*NOTE* These rates are scheduled to be changed on December 31, 2009. Please check back here for more information.

Shelter Rates (Shelters are available daily between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. year-round.)
FIRST TIER: $125
Cherokee (Baringer Hill, Big Rock or Hogan’s Fountain), Chickasaw, Iroquois (Sunnyhill - out of service; repairs scheduled), Shawnee, Shelby, Sheppard, Sun Valley, Thurman Hutchins, Charlie Vettiner, Wyandotte.
SECOND TIER: $100
Camp Taylor, Joe Creason, Des Pres, Hays Kennedy, Charlie Vettiner (near tennis), Willow.
THIRD TIER: $75
Jefferson Memorial Forest (large shelter in Paul Yost), Lannan, McNeely Lake (near tennis), Riverside Gardens, Riverview, Tyler, Hounz Lane.
FOURTH TIER: $25
Algonquin, Auburndale, Baxter Square, Berrytown, Black Mudd, Blue Lick, Bradley, Buechel, California, Elliott Square, Fairdale Mini-Park, Fern Creek (near playground), Floyd’s Fork, Harrison, Highview Park, Iroquois Park (near Southern Parkway), Jefferson Memorial Forest (Tom Wallace and small shelters in Paul Yost), Klondike (near playground), Klondike (near tennis), Kulmer Reserve, Russell Lee Park, Long Run (remote), Long Run (near boat dock), McNeely Lake (near lake), McNeely Lake South, McNeely Lake (near memorial), G. G. Moore, Norfolk (near playground), Okolona, Parkhill, Petersburg, Portland, Huston Quin, Rubel, South Central, Ben Washer, Watterson Lake.