Things to do in Co. Wexford

1.Baginbun Beach

sheltered cove where the Normans landed in 1170

A sheltered, sandy cove on the Hook Peninsula, famous as the spot "where Ireland was lost and won" after the Norman landing of 1170. Low cliffs keep the bay calm, making it a quiet, family-friendly swim and picnic beach.

Highlights

• Norman landing site of 1170
• Green Coast Award for water quality
• Calm, sheltered swimming water

2.Carrigfoyle Quarry

a turquoise lake ringed by pink quartzite cliffs

A turquoise man-made lake fills a disused quartzite quarry on Forth Mountain, ringed by pink cliffs and pine woods — and it's free to explore, just 15 minutes from Wexford Town.

Highlights

• Man-made lake in a quarry abandoned in 1984
• Pink and orange quartzite cliffs over turquoise water
• Flat multi-access trail to the water's edge

Facilities

Wheelchair access

3.Curracloe Beach

11km of Blue Flag sand backed by a pine forest

One of Ireland's longest strands, Curracloe runs for 11km of soft white sand backed by grassy dunes and the pine woods of the Raven. It is an easy, family-friendly beach for walking, swimming and learning to surf.

4.Edenvale Woods and Waterfall

A free riverside walk to a hidden waterfall

A quiet, free woodland walk along the River Sow in south Wexford, where a short riverside trail passes several low waterfalls, the mossy ruins of a 19th-century mill and an old stone bridge. Locals know it; most tourists do not.

Highlights

• 2.5 km riverside trail through mature woodland
• A tall waterfall plus several wide, lower cascades on the River Sow
• Moss-covered ruins of a 19th-century mill

5.Hook Lighthouse

the world's oldest intact working lighthouse

Purpose-built in the 13th century by William Marshal, Hook Lighthouse is the world's oldest intact operational lighthouse, still flashing over the seas off the tip of the Hook Peninsula.

Highlights

• 800-year-old medieval tower built by William Marshal
• Climb 115 steps to a 360-degree balcony
• Life-size holograms of St Dubhán and William Marshal

Facilities

Wheelchair access

6.Seal Rescue Ireland Visitor Centre (Please visit our website for visit availability)

Feed rescued seal pups behind the scenes

Ireland's only seal rescue centre, where visitors meet and even feed the orphaned seal pups being nursed back to health for release into the wild.

Highlights

• Meet rescued seal pups up close
• Only seal rescue centre in the Republic of Ireland
• Every ticket funds seal rehabilitation

Facilities

Wheelchair access

7.The Raven Nature Reserve

a 7km pine-wood loop with red squirrels

A pine-planted sand spit at the mouth of Wexford Harbour, The Raven combines a near-7km woodland loop trail, native red squirrels and a wild golden beach in one free coastal reserve.

Highlights

• 6.9km loop trail through Corsican pine woods
• Native red squirrels, pine martens and common lizards
• 35% of the world's Greenland White-fronted Geese winter here

Facilities

Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access

8.Carne Beach

a 1.5km Blue Flag strand with step-free access

A Blue Flag curve of firm, east-facing sand in Wexford's sunny south-east corner, sheltered by dunes and anchored by a small working fishing pier.

Highlights

• Blue Flag beach
• 1.5km sandy strand
• Firm sand, easy walking

Facilities

Wheelchair access

9.Forth Mountain Walk

1798 battle ground with 235m coastal views

Forth Mountain is a 235m quartzite ridge a short drive south-west of Wexford town, threaded with waymarked trails over 500-600 million-year-old rock, a 1798 battlefield and a flooded quarry lake.

Highlights

• 235m quartzite ridge of 500-600 million-year-old rock
• Skeator Rock: panorama from Rosslare to the Waterford estuary
• Battle of Three Rocks, 1798, and rebel campsite

Facilities

Wheelchair access

10.Irish National Heritage Park

16 rebuilt villages spanning 9,000 years

A 35-acre open-air museum at Ferrycarrig where 16 full-scale reconstructions trace 9,000 years of life in Ireland, from a Stone Age farmstead to a Viking boatyard and a Norman castle.

Highlights

• 16 reconstructed sites across 35 acres of woodland, marsh and shoreline
• Three costumed guided tours run through the day
• Falconry centre with owls, hawks and falcons

Facilities

Wheelchair access

11.Johnstown Castle

Gothic castle tours and an 86m servants' tunnel

A fairytale gothic-revival castle on a 120-acre Wexford estate near Murntown, where guided tours of the castle meet formal gardens, lakes and the Irish Agricultural Museum.

Highlights

• Gothic revival castle with a rare 86-metre servants' tunnel
• 120-acre estate and gardens designed by Daniel Robertson
• Irish Agricultural Museum with 19 exhibitions

Facilities

Wheelchair access

12.Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens

an 86m servants' tunnel under a gothic castle

A turreted Gothic Revival castle on a 120-acre Wexford estate, with romantic gardens by the designer of Powerscourt, three lakes, and a treasure-trove museum of Irish rural life.

Highlights

• Guided tour of the neo-Gothic castle and its 86-metre servants' tunnel
• Irish Agricultural Museum: 19 exhibition spaces over three floors
• 4-acre restored Victorian walled garden and plant sales

Facilities

Wheelchair access

13.Kia Ora Mini Farm

Hands-on petting farm with fire engine rides

A family-run open farm near Gorey, welcoming visitors since 1991 with hands-on animal handling, pedal go-karts, mini diggers and a real fire engine ride. The name "Kia Ora" is Māori for hello — chosen after the founders' trip to New Zealand.

Highlights

• Flat €11 entry for adults and children alike
• Hands-on petting and feeding, with small animals handed out by staff
• Ride a real fire engine through the farm's young forest

Facilities

Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access

14.The Shell Cottage

A thatched cottage clad in 50,000 seashells

A 19th-century thatched cottage above Cullenstown Strand, its walls, sheds and garden wall encrusted with more than 50,000 seashells arranged into murals by one man over 30 years.

Highlights

• Over 50,000 shells worked into birds, a pirate ship and a Tuskar Rock lighthouse mural
• Kevin L. Ffrench's 30-year life's work, begun on the family farmhouse
• Sits on a 6 m embankment directly across from Cullenstown Strand

15.Tintern Abbey

A 1200 Cistercian abbey turned into a family home

Founded around 1200 by William Marshal and later turned into the Colclough family home, Tintern Cistercian Abbey still stands beside a restored Georgian walled garden on the shore of Bannow Bay.

Highlights

• Cistercian abbey founded c.1200
• Colclough tower house and long gallery library
• 22 carved heads on the chancel walls

Facilities

Wheelchair access

16.Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience

Step aboard a replica 1840s famine emigrant ship

An authentic reproduction of an 1840s emigrant vessel moored on the New Ross quayside, where costumed performers and guided tours relive the Irish famine emigration. It is a designated Heritage Island Premier Attraction and a Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice winner.

Highlights

• Guided tours with costumed performers
• Living emigration museum and audio-visual
• Savannah Landing Point exhibition

Facilities

Wheelchair access

17.Gorey District Park

Playground, splash fountain and a free weekly 5k

A 13-acre municipal park on the edge of Gorey town, rebuilt in 2021 around a café, playground, splash fountain and one of Ireland's first municipal skate parks. Free, fully accessible, and open to dogs.

Highlights

• 13-acre park combining the old park and Show Grounds
• Playground with splash fountain
• Free timed 5k parkrun every Saturday, 9:30am

Facilities

Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access

18.The Kennedy Homestead

birthplace of JFK's great-grandfather

Birthplace of President John F. Kennedy's great-grandfather Patrick Kennedy, still farmed by his descendants and now a state-of-the-art visitor centre telling five generations of the Kennedy story.

Highlights

• Birthplace of Patrick Kennedy, JFK's great-grandfather
• State-of-the-art interpretative exhibition
• Audio-visual recreation of JFK's 1963 homecoming

Facilities

Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access

19.Blackwater Open Farm

Feed the animals, then milk a life-size cow

A hands-on family farm in the sunny south east where children pet bunnies and chicks, feed the larger animals and milk Jessie, a life-size model dairy cow — with go-karts, play zones and a café to round off the day.

Highlights

• Petting and handling bunnies and chicks
• Model life-size milking cow, Jessie
• Indoor and outdoor play areas, zip line and climbing frame

Facilities

Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access

20.Dunbrody Abbey Visitor Centre

A 59m medieval abbey with a giant hedge maze

A 13th-century Cistercian abbey ruin on the Hook Peninsula, where you can explore medieval stonework, get lost in a giant yew hedge maze, play family pitch & putt and relax in a courtyard tearoom.

Highlights

• 13th-century Cistercian abbey ruins, founded 1170
• One of Ireland's longest abbeys at 59 metres
• 1,500-hedge yew tree maze with viewing tower

Facilities

Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access

21.Leisure Max

Over 20 activities from laser tag to bowling

County Wexford's biggest indoor-and-outdoor family entertainment centre, five minutes from Wexford town, with more than 20 activities under one roof — from ten-pin bowling and laser tag to zorbing, zip lines and a giant play centre.

Highlights

• Ten-pin bowling
• Laser tag arena
• Indoor adventure play centre

Facilities

Wheelchair access

22.Secret Valley Wildlife Park & Exotic Animal Rescue

The South East's only fully licensed zoo

A 14-acre family wildlife park in the Wexford countryside, home to more than 200 rescued animals across 40-plus species, with hands-on encounters, keeper talks and all-weather play. Founded in 2007, it is the only fully licensed zoo in the South East.

Highlights

• Hand-feed llamas, alpacas and goats
• Rescued primates, capybaras, meerkats and otters
• Bookable Capybara and Meerkat encounters

Facilities

Good for kids · Wheelchair access

23.The National 1798 Rebellion Centre

Step into a battle re-enactment of 1798

A hands-on, multi-media exhibition in the heart of Enniscorthy that brings the 1798 Irish Rebellion to life, from the age of revolution to the bloody Battle of Vinegar Hill.

Highlights

• Multi-media, hands-on exhibition on the 1798 Rebellion
• Immersive Battle of Vinegar Hill re-enactment room
• Weekend guided tours and group tours

Facilities

Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access

24.Playzone

A 10,000 sq ft indoor playground with a four-lane slide

Playzone is Wexford town's purpose-built indoor playground: 10,000 sq ft of multistorey climbing frames and slides, split into zones by age, with a café so adults can sit back while the kids burn off energy.

Highlights

• 10,000 sq ft multistorey play area
• Four-lane astro slide
• Dedicated infant play area for under-5s

Facilities

Wheelchair access

25.Wells House & Gardens

Victorian estate with fairy trails and a troll wood

A 480-acre Victorian estate in Wexford where restored formal gardens and woodland trails share the grounds with trolls, fairies, an animal farm and an adventure playground.

Highlights

• 480-acre estate of woodlands and restored gardens
• Guided tours of the Victorian house on selected dates
• Mogue's Enchanted Woodland Walk with dragons and trolls

Facilities

Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access

26.Active Tribe Courtown

High ropes, 150m zip wires and a 25m pool

A modern pool, gym and Health Spa wrapped around 25 hectares of Victorian woodland, five minutes' walk from Courtown's Blue Flag beach. High ropes, zip wires, archery and laser tag run from the same base, and the woods themselves are free to walk.

Highlights

• Altitude high ropes: two aerial trekking courses up to 20m and dual 150m zip wires
• Climbing wall with three climbs
• Archery range and outdoor laser tag

Facilities

Wheelchair access

27.Enniscorthy Castle

1,000 years of history above the River Slaney

A Norman keep on Castle Hill looking over the River Slaney, Enniscorthy Castle packs nearly 1,000 years of Wexford history into four floors, a dungeon and a rooftop you can walk. Its exhibitions cover the castle, the town and the designers and rebel families who shaped them.

Highlights

• Nearly 1,000 years of history in one keep
• Rare medieval 'Swordsman' graffito in the dungeon
• Rooftop battlements with views over the town

Facilities

Good for kids · Wheelchair access

28.Wexford Lavender Farm

€6 per car to wander four acres of lavender

Wexford's only lavender farm spreads four acres of purple across two fields, with a family wooden maze, a children's playground and a café in converted stone stables.

Highlights

• Four acres of organic lavender over two fields
• Entry charged per car: €6 in May, €9 June–August
• 24m x 18m children's wooden maze

Facilities

Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access

29.Pirates Cove

18 pirate-themed holes, bumper boats and bowling

A pirate-themed family entertainment complex in Courtown Harbour, Co. Wexford, packed with Ireland's largest adventure golf course, bowling, arcades and water rides — all a short stroll from the beach.

Highlights

• Ireland's largest adventure golf course
• 18 pirate-themed holes with caves and waterfalls
• Water bumper boats and bubble rollers on the lagoon

Facilities

Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access