Powerscourt — Photo courtesy of Powerscourt Estate
The Powerscourt House and Gardens lies about 45 minutes from Dublin's city centre, but feels as though you're stepping into another world entirely. Located in lavish grounds atop the village of Enniskerry, Powerscourt dates back to the 16th century and many of those who originally worked on it never lived to see its completion. The work on the gardens took over two-and-a-half centuries and, as a result, feature the most incredible, intricate areas from the military pepper pot tower to the Japanese gardens and Italian stone terraces that look over the Sugarloaf.
Powerscourt — Photo courtesy of Emily Carson
This is a great place to visit as a family; it's somewhat of a wonderland for kids with areas that change in theme and architecture and definitely spark the imagination. Meanwhile for the adults, there's magnificent scenery, beautiful sculpture and really well-kept gardens that are more regularly seen on the continent.
The Avoca restaurant indoors has a great selection of food and both vegetarian and celiac options. Factor in the spectacular red and yellow of the foliage as you take the mile-long avenue of beech trees to the house and there are plenty of spectacular photo ops on offer to commemorate the day.
