Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens in Cork is operated by Irish Heritage Trust, an independent charity. In addition to the fun things listed below, they run regular events for families to enjoy including outdoor theatre shows, markets, workshops and tours so check before what’s on before you visit.

Take a trip to the Victorian walled garden and go Digging for History! Your history lesson begins with a tour around the award winning Victorian working garden.

Next venture into the glass house where kids will learn fun nature and history facts. And finish off with the opportunity to pot their own plant to take home and look after or take away a packet of seeds to plant later.

Queen Maeve’s Honey Bee Adventure at Fota Gardens is the perfect introduction to bees with an activity based talk which will have children buzzing around the farmyard doing their waggle dance and discovering how the hive works.

Pick up garden guides when you arrive, they help younger visitors to learn and have fun as they explore the gardens and grounds.

The Little Explorer’s Tree Trail at Fota Gardens stimulates children’s interest in nature and their skills in making sense of the environment. It’s perfect for young explorers under six!

Fota’s Junior Plant Hunter Trail encourages young visitors of seven years and over to hunt for trees in the arboretum, mark their location on the map, and note their country of origin on the atlas.

Where is Mrs Kevin’s Cat? Mrs Kevin, the housekeeper at Fota House has lost her cat! Can you help solve the mystery and find where the cat has gone?

From the exquisite boudoir to the charming Victorian Nursery, a guided house tour is a must when you visit Fota House. One of the highlights is a visit to the service wing.

Here you will see the working conditions of the maids, footmen, cooks and butlers who supported the lavish lifestyle of the gentry. You will get to see the extensive kitchens, scullery and even the head butler’s quarters!

There is even a special house tour for children, where they get to take fun quizzes and discover places in the house that will inspire the historian in them!

You may not be aware that Fota House is home to one of the finest collections of landscape paintings in Ireland outside of the National Gallery.

Everyone in the family can become an art critic as you discover paintings by Robert Carver, Thomas Roberts, Jonathan Fish and William Ashford PRHA. Which one is your favourite?

Don’t forget to look up too when you visit, the ceilings have been restored to their former glory with beautiful plasterwork and paintings. See if you can recreate the intricate designs on paper!

Have a family adventure by travelling to visit Fota House and Gardens by train. There is a station at Fota and it will take approximately 15 minutes to walk to Fota House. The route is well signposted. Trains to Fota run from Cork city centre.

The Arboretum at Fota House is home to many rare species of trees, flowers and plants. Be sure to take a stroll around it and see if you can discover a tree, plant, flower or shrub you many not have known before. Don’t miss the fern garden!

You will find ducks on the pond in the Arboretum. See if you can spot any ducklings. And count how many different colours are in their feathers.

Hopefully we have inspired you to have a fun day out with the kids at Fota House Cork!