Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens in Cork is operated by Irish Heritage Trust, an independent charity. The Gardens extend to over 40 hectares and the Arboretum is set in over 11 hectares. The Arboretum is home to a unique collection of rare trees and shrubs. In addition, visitors can enjoy an ornamental pond, orangery, sun temple, formal gardens and much more.

There is no charge to visit the Arboretum and Gardens where you can enjoy walks, digging for history, a honey bee adventure and lots of fun outdoor activities and events suitable for all ages. For those looking for more eco-friendly options, did you know that you can even get to Fota House by train? So leave the car behind and head to Fota House for a eco-friendly adventure designed to be family-friendly!

The Fota Junior Pollinator Trail is the perfect introduction to bees with an activity trail around 12 stations that will have children buzzing! They will learn about pollination, the Queen Bee and other types of bees, plants and flowers that bees love and they will also get to observe a working hive.  Trail maps are available free from the welcome desk.

There are several outdoor fun nature trails to enjoy at Fota House including:

• Junior Plant Hunters Activity Trail collect your activity book and take the trail to discover everything there is to see and do in the Gardens and Arboretum. A fun way to spend a morning or afternoon discovering nature.
• Little Explorers Trail is a fun trail around the Gardens and Arboretum to explore the wonders of nature.
• Plant Hunters Tree Trail is a trail to identify rare and unusual species at Fota. It is a free-ranging trail suitable for families with older kids and teens and adults.

You will find ducks on the pond in the Arboretum. See if you can spot any ducklings. And count how many different colours are in their feathers.

The Arboretum at Fota House is home to many rare species of trees, flowers and plants. Be sure to take a stroll around it and see if you can discover a tree, plant, flower or shrub you many not have known before. Don’t miss the fern garden!

There are some wonderful spots to enjoy a picnic on your visit to Fota House. Pack some goodies to enjoy before you leave home or you could stop by the Bakestone Café and buy some treats.

Throughout the year you can enjoy events at Fota House, Arboretum and Gardens. During the summer months many of these take place outdoors including outdoor cinema screenings, outdoor theatre and markets. Be sure to follow Fota House on Facebook to keep up-to-date with all the upcoming events that are happening there.

For eco-friendly travel to visit Fota House and Gardens why not go by train? There is a station at Fota and it will take approximately 15 minutes to walk to Fota House. The route is well signposted. Trains to Fota run from Cork city centre.