Picnic Road

"Wow, this place is really beautiful! Nothing like bright, blooming flowers and abundant sunshine... In fact, it's so nice, I think we should stop and have a picnic."

- Olivia

Picnic Road is a location in Paper Mario: The Origami King, a mountain road connected to the Earth Vellumental Temple. It is located in the red streamer district. Several Toads can be found here, as well as near the temple. Notably, both the Earth Vellumental Temple and the Sensor Lab Headquarters can be found in this area. Picnic Road is located directly east of Peach's Castle and Toad Town, and south of Overlook Mountain.

In his flashback, Bob-omb reveals he traveled to Picnic Road first after washing up in Toad Town.

Layout
Right at the start, there is a Not-Bottomless Hole just to the right with a pile of leaves on the other side trapping a Green Toad. Coming up north, there are a few holes in the walls and caves, as well as in the ground near the flowers and plants. There are a few enemies in the area, such as Goombas, as well as a Not-Bottomless Hole below a ? Block containing a 100-Coin. Notably, some of the nearby flowers have butterflies which can be hammered to be revealed as Toads. In fact, some of the tulips are really folded Toads. To the left is a small, fenced area with a few folded Toads and a Shy Guy as a Folded Soldier. There are a few small holes in the cave or ground Mario can hit to reveal a scroll, which is actually a Toad.

In the middle of Picnic Road is a sign next to a Koopa Troopa, who asks him if he has come seeking "shellvation", referring to the Earth Vellumental. Suddenly, another Koopa Troopa appears and tells him there is a situation at the temple. Notably, the sign here directs to the Earth Vellumental Temple, asking for worship and donations. Mario can also hammer the back of the sign to reveal a Toad in clever hiding position. Behind the sign is a small pond with an origami swan floating in the center. Mario can hammer around the right side of the pond to reveal a set of Hidden Blocks allowing him to hammer the swan, revealing it as a Toad. From here, Mario can head southeast to the temple area, where it is revealed a Folded Soldier Shy Guy is stealing the Shell Stones. Mario must hit the Shy Guy and defeat him to prevent him from stealing the last Shell Stone, then go out to find the four other stones.

From this point, Mario can head north and follow the trail leading out of Picnic Road and into Overlook Mountain. Just outside the entrance is a Toad disguised as an origami dog (who is revealed to be the Battle Lab Toad). There is an area nearby that appears to be a golf course. Mario can grab onto the Goal Pole and slightly lower it to reveal a set of stairs, allowing him to reach the top of the flag pole (akin to Super Mario Bros.), revealing both the ball at the top and the flag as disguised Toads. At the west end of Picnic Road is a building that serves as headquarters to Sensor Lab; however, it is initially inaccessible due to a red streamer wrapped around the building. After the streamer is cleared, Mario can then enter the Sensor Lab, where he rescues the Toad Researcher; as thanks, the Toad Researcher provides Mario with his first gadget he developed, the Toad Radar, which allows Mario to track down Toads, especially useful in areas with tall grass. Additional gadgets, such as the Lamination Suit and the Hidden Block Unhider, are also developed at the Sensor Lab and become available at later points in the game.

Shop
Mario can buy various items and Collectible Treasures from a stand outside the Earth Vellumental Temple.