The 10 Best Free Things to do in County Carlow, Province of Leinster

In business since 1904. Local pub / accommodation. 15 Minutes drive to Kilkenny city. Very central location to visit the south east. 5 minutes walk to the river barrow walk way. Fantastic.

Megalithic monument thousands of years old.

Welcome to Arboretum Your Home and Garden Heaven Commitment to excellence in customer service, high quality products, unbeatable choice and value for money has earned the Arboretum Home and Garden Heaven the coveted title of National Company of the Year 2016 by Retail Excellence Ireland. Based in Co. Carlow on a ten acre site, this family run business is a complete shopping experience with a Five Star award winning garden centre plus interior furnishings, a kitchen Store, fashion outlet, pet zone and home to the award winning Rachel's Garden Café. The Arboretum has also attracted other well-known brands to the centre joining forces with the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and ISE Garden and Forest Equipment which adds to its offering. An entire day can be devoted to just visiting the Arboretum so take some time out and relax with friends and family in the famous Rachel's Garden Café and treat yourself to some of its signature dishes made with the very best local Irish produce. The delicious tempting desserts are all made on the premises and customers' special dietary needs are catered for with gluten, sugar or dairy free options. There is a full children's menu with a playground and maze adjacent in the gardens to keep the little ones entertained. A trip to Arboretum is like no other so pop in store today We look forward to welcoming you!

PLEASE NOTE: OUR CAFE/VISITOR CENTRE IS NOW OPEN ON THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY 12.30-4.30PM. MOULD MAKING SHOULD BE BOOKED ON OUR WEBSITE TO ENSURE PLACES AVAILABLE. YOU CAN PLACE BIRTHDAY, GIFT OR ANY CHOCOLATE GIFT OR COCOONING GIFT OR HAMPER ORDER ON OUR WEBSITE FOR COURIER DELIVERY. Handmade chocolate shop and ice-cream parlour. Visit, and make your own chocolate figure in advance, or just pop in for a tasty coffee with cake or one of our delicious ice-cream sundaes.

Carlow County Museum is located in Carlow’s Cultural Quarter. Admission is free and is entered through the tourist office. Spanning four galleries, the museum has a wide collection of items and artefacts from Carlow county including the original gallows trapdoor from Carlow Gaol; the 6m carved pulpit from Carlow Cathedral; items from Carlow’s Sugar Factory, which operated for almost 80 years; the smoking pipe of Captain Myles Keogh, killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn; items relating to John Tyndall, the Carlow scientist who discovered the greenhouse effect; a 340 million-year-old fossilized squid; a special exhibition on St. Willibrord, an English monk who trained in Carlow before becoming the Patron Saint of Luxembourg; the last cigarette smoked by Kevin Barry, an 18-year-old medical student who was executed for his role in the Irish War of Independence; the printing press used by The Nationalist newspapers… and so much more!

This structure was once one of Ireland's finest examples of a thriving Great House and surrounding estates and was home to generations of the Duckett family, who settled here as major landowners in 1695. At the height of it's ascendancy, this unique castellated building was at the heart of a 12,000 acre (4,856 hectares) estate and has dominated the Carlow landscape for over 300 years. Now, even in a completely ruined state, the surviving towers, turrets and architectural oddities of Duckett’s Grove House form a strikingly enigmatic and dramatic profile, thus making it one of the most photogenic buildings anywhere in the country and a must see in Ireland to visit. The site is managed by Carlow County Council and also features carefully and sensitively restored original Walled Gardens.