Things to do in Co. Laois
7 places
1.Castleview Open Farm
Meet 100+ friendly animals at a working farm
A family-run working farm in the Laois countryside, home to over 100 friendly animals plus indoor play barns and outdoor activities for a full family day out.
- Highlights
- Over 100 friendly animals, indoors and outdoors
- Giant rabbits, alpacas, Highland cows, buffalo, silver foxes
- Briana the Eagle Owl and peacocks
2.Glenbarrow Car Park
Trailhead for a three-tiered riverside waterfall
The main gateway into Glenbarrow Woods in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, where the River Barrow spills over the three-tiered Clamp Hole waterfall. It is the trailhead for four way-marked loops, with free parking and a riverside picnic site.
- Highlights
- Four way-marked loops from one car park
- Three-tiered Clamp Hole waterfall on the River Barrow
- Bluebell woodland in late spring
- Facilities
- Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
3.Rock of Dunamase
A ruined hilltop fortress you can climb for free
A ruined Norman fortress perched on a limestone crag about 46m above the Laois countryside, with sweeping views towards the Slieve Bloom Mountains. It is free to explore, unguided, and open in daylight all year round.
- Highlights
- Free, unguided OPW-managed ruin
- Sweeping views to the Slieve Bloom Mountains
- Traces of a 9th-century fort and Norman castle
4.Abbeyleix Bog Project
Free boardwalk trails across a 500-acre raised bog
A 500-acre community-owned raised bog on the southern edge of Abbeyleix, with free flat walking trails along an old railway line, volunteer-built boardwalks and a peatland that local volunteers are bringing back to life.
- Highlights
- Two flat loops: 3.6 km and 7.5 km
- Trail follows the old Portlaoise-Kilkenny-Waterford railway line
- Volunteer-built boardwalk and bog bridge
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
5.Emo Court House
a Gandon mansion with a servants' basement
A James Gandon neo-classical mansion at the heart of a 1,000-acre Laois demesne, with restored period rooms, a servants' basement and free parkland walks around a lake.
- Highlights
- James Gandon neo-classical mansion, begun 1790
- 60-minute guided tour including the basement
- Free parkland walks, lake and formal gardens
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
6.Heywood Gardens (Designed by Lutyens)
A Lutyens garden with a sunken turtle pool
A rare surviving garden by Sir Edwin Lutyens, laid on a sweeping hillside where circular terraces drop to a sunken pool and grand fountain, ringed by an 18th-century romantic landscape of lakes, woodland and follies.
- Highlights
- Sunken garden with an elongated pool and turtle fountain
- One of only four gardens in Ireland attributed to Sir Edwin Lutyens
- Red-tiled loggia inscribed with lines from Alexander Pope
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
7.Dome Entertainment Centre Carlow
8,000 sq ft jungle soft play, bowling and laser tag
The Dome is Carlow's largest indoor family entertainment centre, sitting on the Carlow–Laois border in Graiguecullen. An 8,000 sq ft 3D jungle soft-play zone sits alongside interactive bowling, a space-themed laser arena, a sports simulator, darts and an arcade.
- Highlights
- 8,000 sq ft 3D jungle-themed Congo Quest soft play
- Renovated toddler area for ages 0-2
- Pins on Strings interactive bowling, wheelchair-accessible lanes
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access