Description
Are you searching for the absolute best things to do with kids in Kilkenny? This historic museum complex and hidden walled garden offers families a brilliant step back into medieval Ireland right on the city's famous Medieval Mile. Whether you want to explore ancient merchant rooms, let your little ones take part in an interactive scavenger hunt, or stroll through orchard trees from the 1600s, this unique heritage attraction provides a wonderful mix of educational fun and active exploration.
Ticket prices depend on whether you choose a self-guided stroll or a structured tour, with entry starting from just €4.00 (approximately £3.40) for children aged 7 to 17. Little adventurers under the age of six enter completely free of charge, and full self-guided family ticket packages are available for €24.00. For families wanting the full history brought to life, fully guided family tickets cost €30.00, making it an affordable options for a memorable historic outing.
If you are looking for the best place for a day out with family and kids that combines fresh air, hands-on learning, and old-world mystery, this atmospheric merchant estate is an ideal choice. It offers parents a wonderful, weather-proof destination where children can discover centuries of social history across three interlinked houses, secret courtyards, and open-air lawns.
Features
- Paid
- Host birthday parties: No
Features
Key Features
- Interactive Children's Scavenger Hunt: A specially designed activity trail that keeps younger visitors engaged by tracking down hidden details across the rooms.
- Beautifully Restored Walled Garden: A stunning, half-acre historic space full of period-accurate vegetables, medicinal herbs, and loaded fruit trees.
- Living History Merchant Rooms: Authentic 16th-century spaces filled with heavy timber frames, large stone fireplaces, and historic costumes.
- The Costume & Artefact Collection: A fascinating museum setup featuring ancient everyday household items and clothing from Kilkenny's rich mercantile past.
Detailed Highlights
- The Cobbled Courtyards: Two historic stone courtyards that connect the individual houses, giving children a safe space to spot ancient architecture and carved crests.
- The Tudor Kitchen: A grand room featuring a massive stone fireplace where families can imagine how historic cooks prepared giant banquets for eleven children.
- The Medieval Apple Orchard: Part of the expansive garden where kids can walk among real heritage apple and pear trees, seeing how food was grown 400 years ago.
- The Jettied Oriel Window: A striking wooden box window structure that hangs out over the courtyard, giving kids a great view down into the historic paths.
- The Secret Priest Hole: A hidden architectural space tucked safely behind one of the fireplaces, which local guides reveal to show how people hid during historic conflicts.
Museum Exhibits and Hidden Objects
- The John Rothe & Rose Archer Marriage Stone (An intricate carved stone crest celebrating the original 1594 founders of the estate).
- The Timber Framed Great Hall (A soaring upper chamber featuring beautifully restored oak beams and period furniture).
- The Kilkenny Archaeological Society Members Library (An archive room containing historic handwritten wills, maps, and local records).
- The Medieval Herb Border (A specific garden inventory section filled with historic medicinal plants like lavender and sage).
- The Historic Costume Display (A collection of authentic period apparel that showcases what wealthy merchant children wore in the 1600s).
17.36 miles
