Description
Woodville House and Gardens is a spectacular historic estate that offers a fascinating, educational look into Irish cultural heritage for visiting families. Standing proudly above the River Barrow just two miles from New Ross, this classic Georgian manor has been carefully preserved by five generations of the same family since 1876. It serves as a brilliant cultural landmark with mature, enchanting grounds, making it one of the best things to do with kids in County Wexford for families looking to experience authentic local history and nature together.
Admission prices for a comprehensive tour of the house and gardens start from €7.00 per person. There are no complex online booking tiers or mandatory booking fees listed, allowing parents to enjoy a flexible and low-stress day out with older kids. It provides an exceptionally rewarding and affordable cultural stopover for families exploring the sunny south-east coast of Ireland.
If you are looking for the best place for a day out with family and kids that pairs vintage elegance with peaceful outdoor trails, this historic family manor is an excellent choice. The preserved rooms and expansive outdoor spaces allow children to step straight back in time to discover how people lived over two centuries ago. It serves as an ideal weekend or holiday excursion where older children can engage with classic architecture, explore rare botanical gardens, and see a real working farm in action.
Features
- Paid
- Host birthday parties: No
Features
Features
- Historic Georgian Manor: Tour a beautiful 1800 country home featuring classic five-bay windows and a grand two-storey over basement design.
- Victorian Walled Garden: Explore a 0.5-hectare historic garden packed with fruit trees, colorful borders, and beautifully maintained box hedging.
- Tranquil Water Garden: Wander through a shaded haven built under an old railway embankment, filled with pools and water-loving ferns.
- Active Working Farm: Walk along long avenues cutting through green pasture land where a resident flock of sheep has grazed for two hundred years.
Detailed Highlights
- The Billiard Room Replicas: Inside the historic home, families can view spectacular period decorations and antique furnishings. A major highlight for history-loving kids is the former billiard room, which features faithfully copied and reprinted original Victorian wallpaper.
- The Messenger Conservatories: The estate features beautiful, historic glass structures built by the Messenger Company back in the 1880s. Children can step inside the greenhouses to see where exotic fruits like peaches, nectarines, and historic grapevines are carefully grown.
- The Giant Specimen Trees: The long avenues leading up to the house are lined with dramatic, exotic trees. Kids can crane their necks to spot giant Sequoia, cedar, cypress, and a rare modern addition known as the prehistoric Wollemi pine.
- The Prehistoric Mouse Plant: Tucked away in the shaded water garden beneath the old New Ross to Macmine Junction Railway line is a collection of unique flora. Children love looking out for the Arisarum proboscideum, an unusual plant affectionately nicknamed the "mouse plant" due to its look.
- The Historic Dairy Walk: Families can retrace the exact footsteps taken by 19th-century farmworkers from the main yard down to the basement dairy. Depending on the season, this path comes alive with a spectacular, bright red blaze of Chilean firebush flowers.
Beyond the Main Attraction
- The Dunbrody Famine Ship: Drive just two miles into New Ross to climb aboard a world-famous, full-scale replica of an 1840s emigrant vessel.
- The Ros Tapestry: Visit the nearby center in New Ross town to look at a stunning series of embroidered panels tracking Celtic and Norman history.
- Kennedy Homestead: Head a short distance south to explore the birthplace of Patrick Kennedy, great-grandfather of US President John F. Kennedy.
- JFK Arboretum: Visit this massive, nearby state park dedicated to tree conservation, featuring a large lake with ducks, forest trails, and a playground.
- Enniscorthy Castle: Travel slightly further east to tour an imposing Norman fortress that lets kids explore ancient dungeons and rooftop viewpoints.
8.22 miles
