The Best Family Attractions

The Ark: A Cultural Centre for Children (Dublin): The Ark provides a unique chance for kids to have hands-on exposure to art, music, and theater in workshop sessions with artists. There are also excellent theater productions for families.

Dublin's Viking Adventure (Dublin): This is a fun learning experience. Kids travel back in time to be part of Viking life with "real Vikings" working and interacting in a model Norse town. It's on the site where the Vikings made their home in Dublin.

Dublin Zoo in the Phoenix Park (Dublin): Kids love this nearly 24-hectare (60-acre) zoo, with its array of creatures, animal-petting corner, and train ride. The surrounding park has room to run, picnic, and explore for hours (or days!).

Irish National Heritage Park (County Wexford): Nearly 9,000 years of Irish history come alive here in ways that will fascinate visitors of all ages. The whole family will be captivated by the story of ancient Ireland, from its first inhabitants to its Norman conquerors.

Fota Island Wildlife Park (County Cork): Surprise! In this honest-to-goodness wildlife park, rare an endangered animals really do roam freely. You'll see everything from giraffes and zebras to kangaroos, flamingos, penguins, and monkeys on 16 hectares (40 acres) of grassland. Add in a small amusement park for toddlers, a tour train, picnic tables, and a gift shop and you've the makings of a fabulous family day out.

Muckross House & Gardens (Killarney, County Kerry): This stunning Victorian mansion with its exquisite gardens is also home to skilled artisans at work. Nearby are a series of reconstructed traditional farms, with animals and docents, providing a gateway to rural Ireland as it was for centuries.

Fungie the Dolphin Tours (Dingle, County Kerry): Every day, fishing boats ferry visitors out into the nearby waters to see Fungie, the friendliest dolphin you're ever likely to meet. Fungie really does swim up to the boat, and the boatmen stay out long enough for ample sightings. You can also arrange an early-morning dolphin swim.

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park (County Clare): Kids are enthralled by this great restored medieval castle and re-created 19th-century village. It's complete with a school and loaded with active craftspeople.

Marble Arch Caves (Marlbank, County Fermanagh): Adventurous families are guided by boat through well-lit underground waterways to explore caves and view amazing stone formations.

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