Nore Valley Park
Set in Bennettsbridge, County Kilkenny, Nore Valley Park is a family-run camping and caravan park as well as an activity centre and open farm with a variety of animals. Mobile homes and Lodges are available for rental. For children who adore animals, Nore Valley Park offer families an opportunity to bottle feed the baby lambs, or handle a small rabbit. Picnics are encouraged and a small on-site shop offers coffee and tea and home baked treats.
Visit: www.norevalleyfarm.com
Medieval Mile Museum
No visit to Kilkenny is complete without a trip to the Medieval Mile Museum in the converted St. Mary’s Church. Situated in the centre of the city and of the Mile, this is a wonderful place for families and group tours to experience life centuries ago in the city. Entry to the Museum by means of an ‘Interactive Audio Tour’ is €8.50 per adult, €3.50 per child, and the museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and events.
Visit: www.medievalmilemuseum.ie
Castlecomer Discovery Park
For families who love an adrenaline filled day followed by a picnic, then Castlecomer Discovery Park is the ideal place. The 80-acre activity park features a wide range of exhilarating activities for all ages, from the fun and challenging tree-top walk high amongst the sycamore trees to archery and Ireland’s longest zipwire. For the younger children, there’s a playground, an elf and fairy village, a giant bouncing net and a Junior Woodland Adventure Course where children navigate a series of low-risk challenges, balancing and steering their way through the obstacles.
This Spring they are thrilled to bring a brand new activity for their younger visitors, the Junior Adventure Course. This is a extended low ropes courses which sees children navigate a series of obstacles that support developing coordination and encouraging physical exercise. This activity is bundled with giant bouncing nets, which kids adore, jumping around under the trees.
Visit: www.discoverypark.ie
Hawkeye Falconry Family Experience
Learn about the world of Falconry in a fun and interactive manner. Even before recorded history, our ancestors flew birds of prey. From the Steppes of Asia, to medieval Europe, from five thousand years ago to the present day, Falconry has become a way of life for Falconers around the world. Whether or not you have experienced Falconry before, you will get a chance to handle these magnificent creatures, letting them fly from your gloved hand and returning to feed. It is a profound experience to interact so closely with a hunting animal.
The Private Family Experience is tailored to families with children aged 7 – 12 years of age who are too young to participate in the other falconry experiences. This experience will begin with a guided tour around the falconry school where you will meet a selection of their birds of prey. Then it’s time to meet the cutest members of the team…… the Owls! The excellent guides will teach you about the species of owl you are flying while capturing some fantastic photos and they do love an Owl selfie!! They you will be introduced to one of the friendly Harris Hawks before they take the bird into the field for some free flying. Here the Hawkeye Falconry guides will teach each member of the family how to call the bird from the trees to your gloved fist and help you get some great photos and videos.
Visit: www.hawkeyefalconry.ie
Kilkenny Castle Parkland & Playground
Kilkenny Castle is one of Ireland’s most iconic and historic sites, year-round tours are available, and the parkland of the castle has 50 acres to explore. Kilkenny Castle Parkland provides the ideal spot for a picnic no matter how big the family are!! The park also has one of Kilkenny’s only outdoor cinemas which runs throughout the summer; woodland walks & a superb children’s playground with swings, slides, bridges and benches for adults too and is open until 8.30pm during the summer.
Visit: www.kilkennycastle.ie
Kilkenny Famine Experience
Visit Kilkenny Union Workhouse, adjacent to Kilkenny Train Station, now beautifully restored as MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre to take this FREE audio visual self-led tour. Hear the heartbreaking and poignant human stories recorded in local newspaper articles and minute books from the Board of Guardians, a true reflection of the Kilkenny Famine Experience from the perspective of the Workhouse inmates and staff.
Visit: kilkennyfamineexperience.com
Woodstock Gardens & Arboretum
The stunning Woodstock Gardens are located in the south east of Kilkenny just outside the picturesque village of Inistioge. The gardens, overlooking the River Nore Valley, offer visitors a wide variety of attractions and are a relaxing and beautiful environment in which to spend a day!
There are picnic tables around the gardens, a playground and an orienteering course for the more adventurous families. There is a €5 admission fee per car, payable on exit.
Visit: www.woodstock.ie
Kilkenny Cycling Tours
What better way to see the city while taking in some exercise than taking a guided cycling tour! Kilkenny Cycling Tours offer three guided cycling tours per day during the summer from customer’s hotels or a pre-arranged location in the city centre. The tour is approximately two hours and can be shortened or extended to suit all ages.
Bike and Hike involves cycling from Kilkenny City to scenic Bennettsbridge. The cycle is about 10km and takes approximately 45minutes. Self- guided tours are also available.
Visit: www.kilkennycyclingtours.com
The National Reptile Zoo
Meet some of the world’s rarest and most unusual animals at Ireland’s only reptile zoo! Situated in Kilkenny City, the National Reptile Zoo is dedicated to the conservation of these amazing creatures and their habitats. Open 10am to 6pm, seven days a week, year round, the zoo has over 50 exhibits, Animal Encounter Zone, Nocturnal Realm, Media Room, Education Rooms, Coffee Shop, Souvenir Shop and Play Area, we can keep the entire family entertained and educated all at once! When it comes to looking for things to do, the Reptile Zoo is the obvious answer!
Visit: www.nationalreptilezoo.ie
Kilkenny City Tour by Road Train
All aboard! The Kilkenny City Tour by Road Train is a wonderful way to see all the historical sites and points of interest in Kilkenny city. Departing from Kilkenny Castle you will be taken on a historical and fascinating tour with a full commentary of detailed insights, facts, and folklore of the medieval city. Rated as the number 1 Tour it has also seen it been awarded the “Certificate of Excellence” by Tripadvisor.com, which is awarded based on consistently earning great reviews from travellers!
Visit: www.Kilkennycitytours.com
Laser Combat
Laser Combat, Kilkenny offer a range of activities including Archery, Laser Clay Shooting, Laser Combat & Target Shooting. Laser Combat is a great day out for Adults or Kids. Their state-of-the-art laser tag guns have realistic sound effects and look just like something fresh out of Call of Duty. Fitted with real telescopic scopes and adjustable shoulder stock, it’s as close to being inside an action movie or online computer game as it gets. With an accuracy of up to 200 meters our laser tag guns fire totally safe infrared beams. Also on offer is Archery where fully qualified instructors will teach even the most inexperienced of novices the art of this medieval sport of Archery.
Visit: lasercombat.ie
River Kayaking with Pure Adventure or Go with the Flow
For families looking for outdoor adventure, Kilkenny offers a range of kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddle-boarding activities, taking you right into Kilkenny’s unspoiled countryside. Around every corner, you’re bound to come across a waterfall, a fallen tree, an old mill or the remains of a castle as you experience the thrill of the rapids.
Canoeing and kayaking trips take advantage of Kilkenny’s dramatic landscapes, mysterious wooded valleys and the old navigation systems that were once used by the historic Guinness barges. So, pack a picnic and take a half-day guided tour for a truly memorable experience.
Pure Adventure and Go with the Flow both offer a half-day guided tour.
Kilkenny Airsoft
Kilkenny Airsoft is the first fully automated airsoft indoor shooting range in the whole of Ireland. The facilities are there to cater for everyone, from experienced shooters to those who have never held a gun before. They offer an indoor range where visitors can try test their skills at ‘archery tag’. Special packages are on offer for families (all participants must be 8yrs or older).
Visit: kilkennyairsoft.ie
Countryside Leisure Activity Centre
Countryside Leisure Activity Centre, offer a range of activities with the best of facilities that allows them to operate in all weather conditions. Activities include Clay Pigeon Shooting, Indoor Rifle Target Shooting and Archery.
Test your strength and accuracy to the full with experienced instructors who will teach you how to load, aim, shoot and score no matter what the weather. Archery is available as a stand-alone activity or as part of their package deal of three activities.
