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family · Saturday 15 August 2026 · 10:00 AM 
Heritage Week at Mount Congreve: Kids Go Free
At Mount Congreve Gardens · Mount Congreve, Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford
At Mount Congreve Gardens · Mount Congreve, Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford
Mount Congreve Gardens marks National Heritage Week by letting children in free with a paying adult from Saturday 15 August to Sunday 23 August 2026. The offer runs daily from 10am to 3.45pm and needs no separate booking beyond an adult garden ticket.
Every child gets a free Chinese Pagoda Explorer activity sheet at the entrance. The sheet is built around one of the estate’s landmark structures and asks children to draw the pagoda, add the birds, butterflies and flowers they spot on the way round, and pick up some of the history of how the folly came to be there. Completed sheets earn a certificate. The point is to give younger visitors a reason to look closely at seventy acres of woodland garden rather than simply walk through it. Mount Congreve holds one of the largest private plant collections in the world, and mid-August is a good time for hydrangeas, late summer borders and the walled garden. The activity is funded under the Historic Gardens and Designed Landscapes Events Fund 2026 through the National Built Heritage Service, and is run with support from the Follies Trust. Buggy-accessible paths cover much of the main route, and there is a cafe and a garden buggy loop on site for anyone who does not fancy the full walk.
Mount Congreve is at Kilmeaden, about ten minutes’ drive west of Waterford city on the N25 towards Cork. Coming from the city, follow the N25 and take the signed turn for Mount Congreve near Kilmeaden village. From Dungarvan, take the N25 east. There is free parking on site. The Waterford Greenway passes close to Kilmeaden, so cyclists on the greenway can detour to the gardens, and the Waterford and Suir Valley Railway terminates at Kilmeaden station nearby. There is no direct bus, so a car is the practical option.
Heading to Mount Congreve Gardens in Kilmeaden? Waterford has plenty more to see. Read the Kilmeaden area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.