Top Family Friendly Attractions in Wicklow

Wicklow Gaol – Copyright: Brian Morrison

Wicklow is a beautiful county and a real magnet for those who love the great outdoors, the perfect destination for a family friendly holiday in Ireland.

You will find a county full of mountains, valleys, clear rivers, forests, gorgeous gardens and trails. Wicklow is also known as the Garden of Ireland and one of Ireland’s most beautiful counties.

There are lots of interesting family friendly things to see and do in Wicklow and some pretty amazing scenery too. Wicklow is the perfect family friendly escape, a county of diversity waiting to be discovered.

Belmont Demesne

© Fáilte Ireland

Belmont Demesne is a great choice for a family day out in Wicklow. Situated on a working farm, a new outdoor adventure in Ireland’s Ancient East.

Belmont Bike Farm has 15 kms of fantastic trails and amply outdoor green space for little ones to explore.

After a memorable day exploring, enjoy a wood-fired sourdough pizza from Bak’d at Arthur’s Barn. Located in a Walled Garden with breath-taking views of Little Sugar Loaf.

Easily accessible from the N11 road, and only a 25-minute drive from Dublin City Centre and a 15 minute from the M50 motorway.

Belmont Demesne is a wonderful kid friendly tourist attraction in Wicklow.

Fat Bike Adventures

Mountain bikers at the top of Three Rock mountain, Dublin

Fat Bike Adventures are also based in Belmont Demesne in County Wicklow. Hire a fat bike or choose a fab electric fatty to give you that extra boost. Fat Bikes are mega all-terrain-all-weather bikes perfect for exploring the hidden trails around Belmont Demesne and countryside in Wicklow.

Full and half day family friendly tours are available, a fun and unique outdoor activity for both groups & individuals.

Killruddery House and Garden

Kilruddery House & Gardens © Fáilte Ireland

A wonderful 800-acre estate including a flowering woodland, 17th century gardens, long pond and walls garden.

Visit the farmers market open every Saturday from 10 AM until 3 PM in the Horse Yard. This delightful farmer market is packed with organic vegetables, fruit, pretty fresh cut garden flowers and free-range meat.

Take a guided house tour and learn about The Brabazon Family who have been living at Killruddery since 1618.

Visit the Tea Room located in the old Ornamental Octagonal Dairy, the perfect pit-stop following a walk through their enchanted gardens.

Clara Lara Fun Park

© Fáilte Ireland

Clara Lara Fun Park is an outdoor adventure park situated between the pretty villages of Laragh and Rathdrum. A healthy and creative fun day out for families and groups of children. Located on 30 acres of beautiful countryside in the Avonmore River valley.

This unique outdoor experience has tree houses, tarzan swings, rope bridges, rowing boats, water slides, rafts, canoes and junior go-carts.

Kids will love the breathtaking aqua shuttle – the biggest water slide in Ireland. Other activities include mini golf, miles of hill walking through the spectacular countryside and a junior playground.

There is a picnic restaurant which services a range of hot and cold food and an extensive riverside picnic area with barbecues. Clara Lara Fun Park is the ultimate family escape into the wilderness in County Wicklow.

Splash Valley Aqua Park

For another fantastic family day out in Wicklow venture to Splash Valley. An aqua-park located in the Hidden Valley Holiday Park in Rathdrum. The 1,800-square-metre park includes some 30 obstacles arranged around a small, manmade lake.

Splash Valley is open to day-visitors, with hour-long slots available. To participate you need to be aged 7 or over, and at least 110cm tall. The park is a 15-minute drive from Aughrim Holiday Village, all you need is togs and towel.

Blue Flag Beaches

Greystones Harbour © Failte Ireland

Wicklow has a varied selection of beautiful blue flag beaches, from the large sandy beaches at Brittas Bay to the pebble beach at Bray South Promenade.

Bray beach is located in the North of County Wicklow, a 10-minute walk from Bray main street. The beach stretches between Bray Head to Bray Harbour.

A little further south you will find Greystones beach, a mixture of pebble and sand located at the southern end of this pretty harbour town.

Brittas Bay is a 20-minute drive away from Aughrim Holiday Village. A very popular blue flag beach and a wonderful base for a family day out in Wicklow. This 4 km long sandy sheltered beach is designated as a proposed Special Area of Conservation (SAC). It is an area of ecological importance and habitats of interest include sand dunes, fens and grassland areas.

K2Alpacas

Based in Wicklow, Alpaca Trekking with K2Alpacas is an exceptional family experience. Alpacas are delightful animals, each with their own personality. Get up close to these beautiful animals and hear them hum to each other. Alpaca trekking is a fun activity, and one suitable for all ages and fitness levels, guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Greenan Maze

Situated in the beautiful Wicklow hills, Greenan Maze is situated on a working farm. Spend the day roaming this family farm packed with fun nature activities and a large 1/2-acre hedge maze. The maze is 7 feet tall and is a tricky puzzle to solve, great fun for kids.

The wonderful fairy tree walk encourages kids to learn the names of trees by finding their individual hand-crafted fairy doors.  Kids really enjoy the challenge of the treasure hunt which meanders around the farm allowing the children to lead their parents in an exploration of the natural landscape and farming attractions. 

Wicklow Gaol

Wicklow Gaol © Fáilte Ireland

Wicklow Gaol is a remarkable experience located in the harbour town of Wicklow. Tour the original prison building which tells the stories of men, women and children imprisoned there under British rule. This fully engaging audio-visual experience features holographic appearances of the Gaoler and characters from the prison who share their stories of the times.

The Gaol has also just launched an incredible new Virtual Reality Experience – The Gates of Hell – to bring visitors back in time as active witnesses to the Gaol as it would have been two centuries ago.

Sea Life Bray

Another top kid-friendly tourist attraction in County Wicklow is Sea Life in Bray. Learn and see a variety of sea creatures and journey through the depths of the ocean in the Bay of Rays. Meet the Sharks who have lived in our oceans for more than 420 million years. Or be enchanted by the beautiful Jellyfish in their interactive colour-changing tanks!

Gardens in Wicklow

Powerscourt Gardens © Fáilte Ireland

Wicklow is home to some of Ireland’s most beautiful gardens. Visit world-renown Mount Usher Gardens, the National Botanic Gardens Kilmaccuragh and Killruddery Gardens.

Powerscourt Gardens, voted third best garden in the world by National Geographic! Wicklow is also home to some amazing smaller gardens. For a fun family day out visit The Cool Planet Experience situated at Powerscourt House & Gardens. Kids will love the interactive climate action experience, the first of its kind in the world. Learn about Ireland’s changing climate, the science behind it and learn ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Wicklow Mountains National Park

Glendalough © Fáilte Ireland

Wicklow Mountains National Park is 220-square-kilometre and one of six national parks in the Ireland. The park stretches through County Wicklow as well as small areas of South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in County Dublin

Glendalough is one of the top visitor attractions on Ireland’s Ancient East, a 29-minute drive from Aughrim Holiday Village. This is one of the most important monastic sites in Ireland. This early Christian monastic settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century and from this developed the “Monastic City”. The centre features an audio visual and has a model of the monastic site on display, a wonderful learn experience for the whole family.

Wicklow is the perfect destination for a family break in Ireland. A wonderful holiday destination at any time of the year with an abundance of sights and attractions close to our holiday accommodation in County Wicklow.

2 Comments

  1. Matt McGee says:

    Great article and guide, looking forward to visiting Wicklow.

    1. Eilís McDermott says:

      Where do you think you’ll go first Matt? So much to choose from!

Comments are closed.

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2 Comments

  1. Matt McGee says:

    Great article and guide, looking forward to visiting Wicklow.

    1. Eilís McDermott says:

      Where do you think you’ll go first Matt? So much to choose from!

Comments are closed.