Clara Lara Fun Park
If our Kid’s Outdoor Adventure Park looks fun, just wait until you get to the Clara Lara Fun Park! This family outdoor adventure park has an abundance of activities including waterslides, boating lakes, tree houses, playgrounds, assault courses and go-carts. This 100-acre fun park, set amongst breathtaking scenery, is just minutes away.
Gardens
Wicklow has many famous gardens including Powerscourt House (47 acres of landscaped gardens) and the National Garden Exhibition.
Brittas Bay Beach
Brittas Bay is one of the finest beaches on the east coast of Ireland. This award-winning beach offers 5km (3 miles) of beautiful, clean beaches and white sand dunes. The beach has won a European Union (EU) Blue Flag for five consecutive years. Ideal for swimming, bathing, sailing, and walking, it is home to native wildlife species and plants.
Greenan Museum and Maze
A popular attraction in beautiful countryside, the museum offers tearooms, animals, craft shops – if you can find your way out of the maze of course! Nature walks and exhibits dating back over 100 years ago when traditional hill farming was horse-powered.
Avondale House
Avondale house, of 18th century design, is situated amid the beautiful surroundings of Avondale Forest Park in Rathdrum. Built by Samuel Hayes in 1779, this two-storey house is now a museum to the memory of one of the greatest political leaders of modern Irish history, Charles Stewart Parnell. The extensive grounds are well-marked with nature and trekking trails.
The Motte Stone
The fabled Motte Stone, a remnant of the last ice age, perches on the summit of the 800-foot high Croneblane Ridge. A single, solid quartzite boulder, it oversees the Wicklow Mountains and five of the counties of Ireland. Measuring nearly three metres in diameter, local legend suggests that the Motte Stone is not the result of glacial erosion, but that it belonged to a local giant. The view from the stone is incomparable: on a clear day, it seems that the whole of Ireland is at your feet.
Meeting of the Waters
Inspiring enough for poet Thomas Moore to pen an ode to, the Meeting of the Waters is the point at which the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers come together to form the Avoca River. Here, you will find a tranquil spot for a picnic, as well as a thriving Irish pub with live music and cold Guinness.
Glendalough
Meaning literally ‘Valley of Two Lakes’, the Glendalough valley features an ancient monastery founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century built on the wooded slopes of a valley with two clear water lakes beneath the sheer cliffs. Attractions include the church of St. Kevin, a full round tower and St Kevin’s cross. St Kevin’s bed – where St Kevin is alleged to have lived as a hermit – cannot be accessed due to its difficult location, but it can be seen from the east bank of the upper lake. The monastic settlement has been a centre for pilgrims and visitors since its foundation and the surrounding valley provides a plethora of enticing walks and treks for all ages and abilities.
Mount Usher Gardens
These intricate, beautiful gardens are a perfect example of the splendour of Wicklow’s past. With plants and trees dating from 1860, the gardens comprise 20 acres of breathtaking flowers, lawns, glades and shrubbery. The River Varty threads slowly through the garden, forming the foundation of the exquisite scenery: elegant suspension bridges, delicate cascades and over 5000 different species of plants from all over the world.
Wicklow’s Historic Gaol
Not just for the history buffs, this imposing gaol has been on its present site since 1702. Until 1924, thousands of prisoners of all ages have passed through its doors. The dark recesses of humanity still seem to linger the corridors and cells, and spooky night tours are available upon request. A graphic exhibition portrays the life during the gaol’s turbulent history, including the 1798 rebellion, the potato famine, life in the gaol during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and transportation to the penal colonies of Australia. A perfect outing for a rainy day, visitors can relive the hardship of enforced labour in the gaol’s yard area and the insufferable loneliness of the claustrophobic cells.
Hilltop Quad and Sporting
This local club offers quad biking adventures, shooting lessons, clay shooting, air rifle and target rifle, archery and a gun shop. These exciting outdoor activities in beautiful scenery are perfect for the entire family or group outings. Bookings are highly recommended.
Bridgewater Shopping Centre
For those rainy days, why not head out to the Bridgewater Centre in Arklow for a movie, shopping and lunch? This contemporary shopping centre offers top names in fashion and a number of eatery options all under one roof. The nine-screen multiplex shows all the latest blockbuster movies. Parking is available and Arklow Town is just a short walk away over the bridge.
Angling
The Avonmore river is a lovely wide river with deep pools which flows through the stunning Vale of Clara, one of the most beautiful wooded valleys in Ireland. The river holds a good stock of brown trout. The lower reaches of the Avonmore from Clara Vale to the Meetings of the Waters are club-controlled by the Rathdrum Trout Angling Club. Day Tickets are available from Stirabout Lane. Pat also offers the service of gillie.
“Angling for All” in Aughrim village offers all year round angling facilities and wildlife park, with over 4 acres of fully stocked game fishing. Also Annamoe Trout farm is open from May to September.
Annamoe Trout Farm
Annamoe Trout Farm offers a well-stocked, 4-acre lake for fly-fishing and a separate junior bate fishing pond. The trout fishery is set on the banks of the Avonmore River between Roundwood and Laragh. Rod hire and bait are available. The park also offers adventure play areas, rafts and canoes.
Golf
Stirabout lane is close to many well-known Golf Courses, which include the following: Druid’s Glen, Woodenbridge, Glenmalure and Coollattin.
Ballykissangel
Avoca village is the location of this very popular TV series. The village set includes the church of Saints Mary and Patrick, built in 1862, and “Fitzgeralds” the local watering hole.
Crafts
Wicklow Vale Pottery, built in 1860, is now the showrooms for the Wicklow Vale Earthenware collection and Avoca Blue painted giftware.
Walking
The Wicklow Way has a variety of walks to suit all walkers. Starting from the foothills of the south Dublin mountains through the glens of “Glendalough” to the dramatic mountains of Aghavannagh.