Since we are currently confined to our county borders I’ve been thinking a lot about the wealth of things to see and do within my home county of Wexford. I’ve put together this list of some of the best family friendly things to do in the county, whether you’re living in the area and want to spend an afternoon out or are holidaying nearby. There’s plenty to do to keep everyone happy from adventure sports to history, beaches to playgrounds. I hope you enjoy your time in Wexford, land of the strawberry in the Sunny South East.
Different attractions will have some changes due to Covid19 restrictions so check their websites or Facebook pages before you go and check whether you need to pre-book now too. Have a great day out.
- Hook Lighthouse – one of our top places to visit in County Wexford, family friendly with a play area outside, tours of the lighthouse, a great view from the top and arts and crafts on offer too.
- Wells House – a great family day out, meet the Gruffalo, hunt for fairies, wander in the woods, play in the playground, see the animals and check out various events run throughout the year.
- Irish National Heritage Park – Highly recommended, the tours really bring it alive but if you want to go at your own pace it’s still an excellent day out. If you live in Wexford make sure to sign up online for the Wexford Residents’ Card which is free but gives huge discounts (Reduces a ticket for 2 adults and 3 children from €30 to €10!)
- Kia-Ora Mini Farm – constantly developing and investing and it really shows, Kia Ora is a fantastic mini farm, with opportunities to pet and feed the animals, a go kart track, real mini diggers for kids to drive and a trip on a real fire engine
- Johnstown Castle – a new playground on site puts this lovely destination for a walk right up the list for families, visit the agricultural museum on site too.
- Pirates Cove Courtown – novelty adventure golf, zorbs, bumper boats, the kids love it and the bowling and soft play make it a rainy day hit too.
Hook Lighthouse
- Morriscastle Beach – long stretches of sand and dunes to play in and round the day off with an ice-cream from Lawler’s.
- Enniscorthy Castle – a tour of the castle and out onto the roof is well worth the visit. We visited a few years ago, read all about it here.
- Duncannon Beach – a real family friendly destination with a playground just up off the beach, the sea is shallow and cars are allowed on the beach.
- Tintern Abbey and Colclough walled garden are great for an adventurous wander
- JFK Memorial Park and Arboretum – a brilliant playground, room to roam and a lake to feed the ducks.
- Surf Shack, Curracloe. Surf shack summer camps operate on Currcaloe beach, choose a one, two or three day camp, two hours each, kids 6-18 years.
- Wexford Walking Trails – Climb Tara Hill or Croghan or Lacken Hill or Forth Mountain. The Wexford Walking Trails website is full of information about walks you can take throughout the county.
View from Tara Hill
- Kilmore Quay Playground – a playground with a view (and an excellent chipper)
- Duncannon Fort – Tours around the star-shaped fort are well worth booking, kids will enjoy the cannon and the cell.
- Ballycross Apple Farm – our Halloween favourite usually opens in August for the season and is worth a visit with apples, an animal farm, play area and tractor rides in season.
- Dunbrody Maze – there’s mini golf here too and you can visit the abbey, but the draw for us was the maze, with a high platform in the middle for a great view.
- Seal Rescue Ireland in Courtown Due to Covid19 there’s no drop in any more but as a treat you could booking ahead for the new ‘Seal Feed & Enrichment Experience’. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for public seal releases too.
- Curracloe and the Raven Wood – Curracloe Beach was made famous by Saving Private Ryan wher it masqueraded as Normandy, it’s well worth a visit and a walk through the woods adjacent too.
- Ferns Castle – We drove past for years thinking that it was a ruin but it’s not, tours run throughout the season and you even get to go out on the roof. Kids can design shields in the interpretative centre.
- Hook Head Adventures – try sea kayaking or canyoning around Hook Head
Ferns Castle
- Secret Valley Wildlife Park Visit the lemurs, reptiles, raccoons, monkeys and listen to keeper talks, take part in feeding time, go on the quad train.
- Courtown Adventure Centre had a great high ropes course for the adventurous
- Dunbrody Famine Ship I can’t believe we haven’t made it here yet, we’ve driven past hundreds of times, 2020 it will happen! The reports are great, with a tour of the emigrant ship acted out to give a realistic experience.
- National 1798 Centre Another on our list to visit this summer, we’ll update here when we go.
Where will you go first?
Good Morning Sinead. It’s a Brilliant Blog. Thank you. How about the Athenaeum in Enniscorthy, Rosslare Strand, St Helen’s, Carnsore, Kilmokea, Wells House, Fethard-on Sea…
– M