Toddler Time Wednesdays at Rathwood

What to Expect

Rathwood, the garden centre, restaurant and family attraction on the Carlow side of Tullow, runs Toddler Time every Wednesday. The site is set up for small children in a way few places in the south east are: the Ark playcentre for indoor play, the Rathwood Express woodland train that runs through the trees, a deer park and animal area, and the Maze of Ireland for children aged four and up. Toddler Time is the midweek slot pitched at the preschool age group, before the after-school and weekend crowds arrive.

Rathwood also runs a set of themed express-train experiences through the year that suit the same age group, including Little Keepers, where the train takes children through the woodland trail to meet the animals at feeding time, Build Your Own Teddy Bear with a picnic box on board, and the Little Princess Tea Party. Those are booked separately and are ticketed. The garden centre, restaurant and shopping side of Rathwood sits alongside all of it, which is why the site works as a full morning out with a small child rather than a half-hour stop.

Good to Know

• Every Wednesday at Rathwood, Rath, Tullow, Co. Carlow.
• This listing is dated to Wednesday 19 August 2026, the next occurrence.
• Session times and the price are not published on the Rathwood events page. Phone 059 915 6285 or book through the Rathwood events site before travelling.
• Aimed at toddlers and preschoolers, with an adult in attendance.
• The Ark playcentre, woodland express train, animal park and Maze of Ireland are all on the same site and are booked separately.
• The Maze of Ireland has a minimum age of 4.
• Restaurant, coffee shop and garden centre on site.

Getting There

Rathwood is signposted off the N81 between Tullow and Rathvilly, roughly 5km north of Tullow and about 20km from Carlow Town. There is a large free car park on site. A car is effectively necessary: Bus Eireann route 132 runs along the N81 corridor between Carlow, Tullow and Dublin, but the entrance is outside any village and there is no local town service to the door.