Are you searching for the best things to do with kids in Wexford? The Irish National Heritage Park is an expansive open-air museum venue located on the banks of the River Slaney in County Wexford. It serves as a fantastic outdoor historical destination where families can wander through thousands of years of human history, explore ancient built homesteads, and enjoy an educational day out discovering how early ancestors survived.

Prices start from £0.00 for children under five years old, while standard adult, student, and senior tickets are structured affordably. Booking your family passes directly provides full admission to all historical trails, scenic valley overlooks, and the large outdoor playground areas on-site.

If you are looking for the best place for a day out with family and kids that blends deep historical trails with high-energy outdoor exploration, this heritage park is a prime option. It offers a wonderful natural backdrop for kids to see what life looked like during prehistoric, Celtic, and Norman times while burning off energy on forest walks.

Key Features

• Educational Day Out: The park layout features 16 separate reconstructed historical sites covering the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and early Christian eras.
• Sensory Play Elements: The earthy smell of authentic wattle-and-daub huts, whispering pine woodlands, and gravel trails offer a great natural sensory playground.
• Interactive Exhibits: Families can explore open ringforts, try out traditional archery ranges, or search for hidden carved figures hidden inside the woods.

Detailed Highlights

• The Stone Age Campsite: Step back to the very first human settlements in Ireland. Kids will be fascinated to see real timber huts, simple flint tool replicas, and learn how ancient hunters cooked their meals.
• The Crannog Lake Dwelling: Built entirely over a real water lagoon, this defensive island fort shows how ancient families stayed secure from wild animals. Children love crossing the wooden walkways and peering inside the thatched rooms.
• The High Ringfort: This massive earthen and timber fortification represents a prosperous early Christian farmstead. Children can explore the protective inner tunnels and get a clear picture of old agricultural security.
• The Viking Shipyard Area: This section details how Scandinavian raiders landed on the Wexford banks. Kids can look out across the water margins and discover the woodcraft techniques used to shape traditional longships.
• The Imposing Norman Castle: A wooden fort built high on a steep ridge overlooking the river banks. It gives older kids a genuine sense of military defense as they explore the wooden towers and look out for approaching forces.

Specific Named Attractions & Features

• The Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherer Camp
• The Neolithic Portal Tomb and Cult Site
• The Bronze Age Cist Burial Ground
• The Early Christian Monastery and Scriptorium
• The Round Tower Monument
• The Fulacht Fiadh Ancient Cooking Place
• The Viking Settlement and Boat Building Shed
• The Norman Castle and Moat System