Things to do in Co. Wexford
29 places
1.Baginbun Beach
site of first Norman landing 1170
A sheltered sandy cove on the Hook Peninsula — calm waters, golden sand, and a quiet slice of history where the Normans first landed in 1170.
- Highlights
- Green Coast Award beach for water quality
- Sheltered cove — calm, swim-friendly waters
- 19th-century Martello Tower on the headland
2.Carrigfoyle Quarry
turquoise quarry lake with pink cliffs
A dramatic disused quartzite quarry on Forth Mountain, where a turquoise lake sits enclosed by pink-hued cliffs and pine forest — just 15 minutes from Wexford Town.
- Highlights
- Turquoise quarry lake surrounded by pink-orange quartzite cliffs
- Two waymarked walking trails (easy accessible loop + moderate hill climb)
- Panoramic views over Wexford to the Irish Sea from Windgap Rocks
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
3.Curracloe Beach
Stand-in for Omaha Beach in Saving Private Ryan
An 11km sweep of powdery white sand backed by towering dunes — Curracloe is one of Ireland's finest Blue Flag beaches, famous as Spielberg's stand-in for Omaha Beach in *Saving Private Ryan*.
- Highlights
- 11km of fine white sand — one of Ireland's longest beaches
- Blue Flag status with excellent water quality
- Hollywood history: Saving Private Ryan & Brooklyn filming location
4.Edenvale Woods and Waterfall
hidden riverside trail with waterfalls and mill ruins
A hidden riverside forest on the outskirts of Castlebridge, Edenvale Woods follows the gentle River Sow past a series of waterfalls, mossy mill ruins, and an old stone bridge — a short, enchanting walk that still feels like a local secret.
- Highlights
- Multiple waterfalls along the River Sow
- Moss-covered 19th-century mill ruins
- Flat, buggy-friendly trail (~2.5 km)
5.Hook Lighthouse
world's oldest intact lighthouse
The world's oldest intact operational lighthouse — an 800-year-old medieval tower at the tip of the Hook Peninsula with guided tours, a clifftop café, and sweeping sea views.
- Highlights
- Oldest intact operational lighthouse in the world
- 115-step climb through 800 years of history
- Life-size hologram guides (St Dubhán & William Marshal)
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
6.Seal Rescue Ireland Visitor Centre (Please visit our website for visit availability)
feed seal pups at Ireland's only seal rescue hospital
Ireland's only seal rescue centre — a working rehabilitation hospital in Courtown where you can meet rescued seal pups, learn their stories, and even help feed them before they return to the wild.
- Highlights
- Ireland's only seal rescue centre in the Republic
- Feed seal pups yourself on the enrichment experience
- See behind the scenes of a working seal hospital
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
7.The Raven Nature Reserve
Winter home to 35% of world's Greenland white-fronted geese
A 589-hectare coastal nature reserve where a mature pine forest planted on an old sand spit meets dunes and a shell-sand beach — home to rare plants and one-third of the world's Greenland white-fronted geese each winter.
- Highlights
- 6.5 km looped trail on compacted stone — flat, accessible
- 35% of the world's Greenland white-fronted geese roost here in winter
- Ireland's only population of round-leaved wintergreen
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
8.Carne Beach
Blue Flag beach with shallow waters
A sheltered Blue Flag crescent of golden sand in Wexford's sunniest corner, with shallow, slow-arriving waters that make it one of the most dependable family swims in the southeast.
- Highlights
- Blue Flag beach with excellent water quality
- Shallow, gentle waters — ideal for families
- Firm sand, walkable for 1.5 km
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
9.Forth Mountain Walk
500-million-year-old Cambrian quartzite
A 235m quartzite ridge rising just southwest of Wexford Town — 500-million-year-old rock, sweeping coastal panoramas, and two waymarked trails steeped in 1798 Rebellion history.
- Highlights
- 500–600 million-year-old Cambrian quartzite — among the oldest rock in Ireland
- 1798 Rebellion sites: Three Rocks campsite, Ferrycarrig Castle, Barntown Castle
- Panoramic views across five counties on clear days
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
10.Irish National Heritage Park
Walk through 9,000 years in one afternoon
An open-air museum spanning 9,000 years of Irish history across 35 acres of woodland, wetland and riverbank — where you can walk from a Stone Age campsite to a Viking boatyard in a single afternoon.
- Highlights
- 16 full-scale reconstructions spanning 9,000 years
- Three free guided tours with costumed guides
- Hands-on falconry with owls, hawks and falcons
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
11.Johnstown Castle
86-metre underground servant passage
A romantic 19th-century Gothic Revival castle set on a 120-acre estate with ornamental lakes, walled gardens, and one of Ireland's finest rural-life museums — all just outside Wexford town.
- Highlights
- 86-metre servants' subterranean passageway — Ireland's longest
- Free-roaming peacocks across the grounds
- 4-acre Victorian walled garden with restored glasshouses
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
12.Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens
home to Ireland's longest servants' tunnel
A romantic 19th-century Gothic Revival castle set on a 120-acre estate with ornamental lakes, walled gardens, and Ireland's longest servants' tunnel — all just 10 minutes from Wexford town.
- Highlights
- 86-metre servants' tunnel — Ireland's longest
- Gothic Revival castle designed by Daniel Robertson
- 19 exhibition spaces in the Irish Agricultural Museum
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
13.Kia Ora Mini Farm
a pay-once farm where kids drive real diggers and ride a fire engine
A family-run open farm where one entry fee unlocks everything — pet animals, ride a real fire engine, operate mini diggers, and race pedal go-karts, all in a relaxed, welcoming setting between Gorey and Courtown.
- Highlights
- Pay once, unlimited access to all attractions
- Real fire engine rides with wheelchair access
- Operate genuine mini diggers
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
14.The Shell Cottage
a cottage covered in 50,000 seashells
A 19th-century thatched farmhouse whose every wall is encrusted with over 50,000 seashells arranged into intricate nautical murals — the life's work of sailor Kevin L. Ffrench, perched above Cullenstown Strand on Wexford's south coast.
- Highlights
- Over 50,000 seashells covering walls, roof, chimney and outbuildings
- Intricate shell murals: lighthouse, pirate ship, birds, dolphin
- 30-year labour of love by sailor Kevin L. Ffrench
15.Tintern Abbey
22 carved monster heads in a 13th-century abbey
A hauntingly beautiful 13th-century Cistercian abbey nestled in a wooded valley on the Hook Peninsula, where medieval ruins meet a restored Georgian walled garden and miles of waymarked woodland trails.
- Highlights
- 13th-century Cistercian nave, chancel, tower, chapel & cloister
- 22 carved monster heads on the chancel corbel table
- Colclough Walled Garden: 2.5-acre restored Georgian garden with stream
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
16.Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience
Emigrant Flame lit from JFK's eternal flame
An authentic full-scale reproduction of an 1840s emigrant vessel moored on the New Ross quayside, offering a powerful, costumed guided journey through Ireland's famine emigration story — from the ticket office to the coffin ship to the New World.
- Highlights
- Full-scale replica of an 1840s three-masted emigrant barque
- Costumed performers bring the famine emigrant story to life
- Irish America Hall of Fame with inductees including JFK, Biden, and Flatley
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
17.Gorey District Park
a free 13-acre park open around the clock
A free 13-acre municipal park just north of Gorey town centre with playgrounds, a skate park, sensory garden, outdoor gym and a café, open around the clock.
- Highlights
- Free entry, open 24 hours
- 13 acres of parkland a short walk from town
- Two playgrounds plus a splash fountain
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
18.The Kennedy Homestead
birthplace of JFK's great-grandfather Patrick Kennedy
The birthplace of President John F. Kennedy's great-grandfather Patrick Kennedy, this working farm and museum tells the story of five generations of the Kennedy dynasty — from Famine emigrant to the White House.
- Highlights
- Working farm still farmed by Kennedy descendants
- JFK's 1963 homecoming and tea with his cousins
- Exhibition built with the Kennedy Library, Boston
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
19.Blackwater Open Farm
Best Family-Friendly Farm Attraction 2022
Award-winning family-run farm near Blackwater village where kids can handle rabbits and chicks, milk a model cow, ride pedal tractors, and even bring the dog along for its own agility playground.
- Highlights
- Awarded Best Family-Friendly Farm Attraction (Irish Enterprise Awards 2022)
- Model milking cow 'Jessie'
- Dog agility playground — rare for a family farm
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
20.Dunbrody Abbey Visitor Centre
one of Ireland's only two full-size yew mazes
A 13th-century Cistercian abbey ruin on Wexford's Hook Peninsula, paired with one of Ireland's only two full-size yew hedge mazes, a pitch-and-putt course, craft shop and tearooms. You collect the key from the visitor centre to unlock the abbey yourself.
- Highlights
- Founded 1170, completed 1220 — one of Ireland's longest abbeys at 59 m
- Full-size yew hedge maze with central viewing tower
- 9-hole family pitch & putt beside Dunbrody Castle ruins
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
21.Leisure Max
3 themed escape rooms and zip line
Wexford's biggest indoor and outdoor family entertainment centre, packed with over 20 activities from bowling and laser tag to escape rooms and an outdoor adventure tower — all just 5 minutes from Wexford Town.
- Highlights
- Over 20 indoor & outdoor activities
- 3 themed escape rooms
- 12-lane bowling alley
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
22.Secret Valley Wildlife Park & Exotic Animal Rescue
Rescued ex-lab primates and capybara encounters
The only fully licensed zoo in southeast Ireland — a 14-acre family-run wildlife park where rescued exotic animals, hands-on encounters, and all-weather fun come together in the Wexford countryside.
- Highlights
- Only fully licensed zoo in southeast Ireland
- Rescued ex-lab & ex-pet primates including rhesus macaques
- Capybara & meerkat hands-on experiences
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
23.The National 1798 Rebellion Centre
interactive museum of Ireland's 1798 uprising
The National 1798 Rebellion Centre brings Ireland's 1798 uprising to life through hands-on, multi-sensory exhibits, a dramatic Battle of Vinegar Hill re-enactment room, and guided weekend tours — all in Enniscorthy, a 15-minute walk from the railway station.
- Highlights
- Hands-on, multi-media exhibition on the 1798 Rebellion
- Multi-sensory Battle of Vinegar Hill re-enactment room
- Weekend guided tours at 1:30pm and 3:00pm
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
24.Playzone
Affordable €8 entry for 2 hours
A 10,000 sq ft indoor adventure playground in Wexford with a huge multi-tier play frame, 4-lane Astro Slide, and dedicated zones for babies through to 11-year-olds — plus an on-site café so parents can relax.
- Highlights
- 4-lane Astro Slide
- Dedicated baby, toddler & main zones for different age groups
- No pre-booking needed — just turn up and play
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
25.Wells House & Gardens
a 480-acre Victorian estate with fairy trails, dragons and a Gruffalo walk
A Daniel Robertson-designed Victorian manor on 480 acres in the Wexford countryside, where woodland walks meet fairy trails, a Gruffalo trail, an animal farm, and beautifully restored terrace gardens — one of Ireland's top family attractions.
- Highlights
- Two 1.2km enchanted woodland walks with fairies, Gruffalos, trolls and a 20ft dragon
- Daniel Robertson-designed Victorian terrace gardens, restored to 1830s plans
- Adventure playground with adjacent picnic area
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
26.Active Tribe Courtown
25m pool, zip wires and free woodland trails
Courtown's adventure and leisure centre pairs a heated 25m pool, gym and health spa with high-ropes courses, zip wires and 25 hectares of free Victorian woodland, all a five-minute walk from the beach.
- Highlights
- 25m heated pool + 60m summer water slide
- Dual 150m zip wires and 20m-high ropes courses
- Free Victorian woodland trails (Wexford Walking Trails)
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
27.Enniscorthy Castle
a rare 16th-century swordsman carved in its dungeon wall
A Norman castle towering over the River Slaney that has seen knights, rebels, and merchants across nearly 1,000 years — now a lively museum with rooftop views, a rare medieval dungeon graffito, and a permanent exhibition on modernist designer Eileen Gray.
- Highlights
- Three floors of exhibitions spanning 1,000 years
- Rare late-16th-century swordsman graffiti in the dungeon
- Rooftop views over Vinegar Hill and the River Slaney
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
28.Wexford Lavender Farm
4 acres of lavender, maze, café and playground
Wexford's only lavender farm spreads across four acres of organic purple rows, with woodland walks, a kids' maze and playground, a craft shop and a café in converted stables.
- Highlights
- Four acres of organic lavender
- 24 m x 18 m wooden maze
- Free woodland walking trails
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access
29.Pirates Cove
Ireland's largest adventure golf course with bumper boats & bowling
A pirate-themed family entertainment centre in Courtown Harbour with Ireland's largest 18-hole adventure golf course, plus bowling, bumper boats, arcade, and a casino — all with no entry fee, just pay for the activities you choose.
- Highlights
- Ireland's largest adventure golf course
- No entry fee — pay only for what you do
- BYOB adult bowling sessions
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Restrooms · Wheelchair access