We hope you have fun visiting them all and be sure to let us know how you got on and what you thought of them, we always welcome feedback!

The first time you venture through the entrance to Galway Atlantaquaria, Ireland’s largest aquarium, we guarantee you’ll jump!  That’s because their first exhibit is Ireland’s largest “Splash” tank!

You’ll also enjoy the ray pool, ocean tank, fin whale skeleton, touch pools and heaps of activities and fun things to do while you visit such as feeding the fish and touching starfish and crabs.

The National Museum of Ireland – Country Life in Castlebar, Co Mayo, brings to life the traditions of rural life in Ireland.  Exhibitions are full of wonderful objects from long ago.  See what schools were like, the toys children played with and how they marked special events like Halloween & Christmas.

Learn about how people lived in the towns and countryside, cut turf, caught fish and worked in the home. Workshops, exhibitions and family programmes for all ages. Free entry, and great for those rainy days.

Lough Key Forest & Activity Park offers hours of entertainment for all the family.

Be guided back in time through 19th Century tunnels and stroll Irelands only Tree Canopy trail on the Rockingham Remembered Tour. The Boda Borg Challenge will test the mental skills and physical agility of everybody over seven! Take a well-earned break and enjoy the vista of Lough Key in the Lakeside Café. You can even stay over in the landscaped Caravan and Campsite.

Other fun activities in the park included Woodland Segway offering fun Glides and Historical Tours, Electric Bike trails with Traditional and Electric Bikes, Zipit Forest Adventures, Lough Key Boat Tours and Orienteering Trails!

Brigit’s Garden located between Moycullen and Oughterard, is a magical place for families to explore.

With family-friendly Celtic gardens, Kids’ discovery trail, willow play area and sandpit, Nature trail, ring-fort and crannog, Gift shop and The Garden Café, recommended in the Georgina Campbell and Bridgestone guides.

There’s a giant sundial too where you can tell the time (provided it’s sunny!). Check their website before visiting as they run events throughout the year.

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Galway City Museum is a spacious, modern building, situated in the heart of Galway City, on the banks of the River Corrib, overlooking the Spanish Arch and the Claddagh.

The museum, which is free of charge, tells the story of Galway’s past and regularly hosts touring art and craft exhibitions. There’s also a Sea Science exhibition for children of all ages. The museum also holds a regular programme of events with activities for all ages.

Zipit Forest Adventures offers up to 4 hours of tree-top, fun-filled, thrilling experiences in a healthy, outdoor setting for adults and children from age 7.

At their location in Lough Key in Roscommon, you can climb poles and climbing walls, swing into cargo nets, balance on a rope bridge, hurtle down a zipwire.

From beginners to adrenaline junkies, you can have a fun experience with guidance and encouragement from qualified instructors, knowing you are secure in your harness.

Funny Bones House of Fun is a children’s activity and play centre based in Collooney, just outside Sligo.

For younger kids there’s a soft play area, and for older children, there’s Vertigo – a unique adventure zone which has a specially built 6 meter climbing wall and high ropes adventure course. Go Karting and Laser Fun are also available.

Located in Ballina, Co Mayo, the Jackie Clarke Collection showcases one of the world’s leading collections of historical Irish material.  Discover 400 years of Irish history through the self-guiding family friendly interactive touch screens. In the memory pod you can record and share your stories and memories.

Discover something new about your family history by searching the in-house census and eviction records. Learn about Irish Native trees, organic vegetable gardening and the importance of our hedgerows in the Urban Walled Garden.

Admission is FREE and you can enjoy lunch in cafe after your visit.

There’s plenty for families at Westport House & Pirate Adventure Park. Set on the 480 acre estate, the Pirate Adventure Park is a treasure trove of family fun with its Grace O’Malley-themed amusement park with rides and activities ideally suited to families with children under 12.

Enjoy the log flume water ride, swinging Pirate’s galleon, a ride on the miniature railway, Swan Pedalo Boats, Cannon Ball Run slide, pitch & putt, indoor soft play, paint your own pottery and outdoor playground in this beautiful parkland setting.

The house has plenty to offer families too, where the grown-ups will enjoy the beauty of the entire House, children will love the basement area where the dungeons host an installation depicting Grace O’Malley’s maritime lifestyle – an ageless favourite of children since the house opened in the 60’s. There are funny mirrors, an antique coin operated puppet show , and a bunch of illusions and tricks to keep everyone entertained. 30 min tours for under 12 yrs.

For something completely different, head out to Kilmacduagh to see the “Leaning Tower of Galway”! Located 5 km from the town of Gort, 7th century Saint Colman, son of Duagh, established a monastery on land given him by his cousin King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin of Connacht.

Kilmacduagh’s tall round tower is not only a good example of an Irish round tower but has a noticeable lean, over 2 feet from the vertical. There’s plenty of room for kids to wander around and it’s enclosed so you don’t need to worry about them getting out on the road, quiet enough as it is.

Escape the bustle of urban life on the longest off-road walking and cycling experience in the country – The Great Western Greenway. The 44-km long Greenway traverses Ireland’s Atlantic coast between Westport town and Achill Island and visits the picturesque villages of Newport and Mulranny.

You can rent bikes at several locations to save bringing your own.

A family run farm just off the M6 Dublin-Galway motorway near Loughrea, Turoe Pet Farm makes a perfect spot to break the journey if you are travelling with the family this summer but there is enough to do there to make a visit a full day out.

Stretch your legs on the all weather nature trail, where you can meet lots of friendly animals including “Larry the Lama” and “Curley the Alpaca”. Cuddle rabbits in Pet’s Corner, enjoy the playground and football pitch.  Jungle Town is a fully supervised indoor activity centre on the site while in Inflatable City you will find a massive 8,000ft bouncing castle!

The Burren Nature Sanctuary, Kinvara, is an interpretive centre for the natural history of the Burren. There’s an Adventure Playground with excellent equipment, including a fantastic sand pit.

Afterwards, take the 1K Nature Trail, a gentle loop walk where you can feed the sheep and see llamas. Kids can do a nature trail activity where they can make rubbings of leaves and other nature items on the way around and return their sheet for a “reward”. Indoors there’s an artisan cafe, and soft play area with slides, ball pool and climbing frames.

A visit to Glendeer Pet Farm (5 miles west of Athlone, exit 13 off M6, follow signs for Drum) is an interactive experience where people can feed, pet & hold some of the animals, which include deer, pigs, llamas, emu, ostrich, goats, donkeys, sheep, and lots more including monkeys, wallabies & a tortoise, not to mention all the babies the new arrivals every year incl. kid goats, llamas & pups.

As well as all the animals, kids will enjoy the fairy trail, playground and more.

Strokestown Park, Gardens and Irish National Famine Museum is a great spot for families. You can visit Strokestown House, a Georgian Palladian mansion, the family home of the Pakenham Mahon family, with daily guided tours giving an insight into life in The Big House, upstairs and downstairs.

The six acre walled pleasure gardens have been restored with a fernery, lily pond, Victorian rose garden, pergola, peach house, and more.

The Irish National Famine Museum tells a different story and highlights the parallels between a tragic chapter of Irish History and contemporary global hunger.

The highly entertaining and interactive shows at Ireland’s largest sanctuary for Birds of Prey and Owls, the Irish Raptor Research Centre Eagles Flying offer excitement, plenty of photo opportunities, and the chance to get up close with birds of prey.

Experience Eagles, Hawks and Vultures flying right over your head or landing next to you. If you are lucky, you can fly or touch one of them during the show. If your kids like more cuddly creatures they can visit the animals in their large supervised pet zoo.

Image: Glencar Waterfall © Tourism Ireland

Glencar Waterfall is situated near Glencar Lake, 11 kilometres west of Manorhamilton, County Leitrim. It is particularly impressive after rain and can be viewed from a lovely wooded walk. There are more waterfalls visible from the road, although none is quite as romantic as this one. There are also on-site picnic facilities and an information kiosk.

Acres Lake Boardwalk is Ireland’s first floating boardwalk.

The 600m boardwalk, in the picturesque village of Drumshanbo, is the start of a 6.5km linear walking and cycling trail along the Shannon Blueway from Acres Lake to Battlebridge Lock, near Leitrim Village.