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Photo: Darrendirl, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Gardens and arboretum laid out by the Acton family from 1712. They're now a branch of the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, open all year. The Wicklow soil is acidic and suits species that don't thrive at Glasnevin, such as rhododendron and the monkey puzzle tree. Kilmacurragh House was the Acton's Queen Anne-style mansion, but it's derelict and fenced off.
The National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh is a garden and arboretum outside Wicklow Town, County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a satellite of the main National Botanic Gardens located in Glasnevin, County Dublin. The 52 acre gardens are situated 5 km from exit 18 on the M11 motorway.
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Beyond the Trees
The mansion was the birthplace and home of Charles Stewart Parnell, leader of the 1880s campaign for Irish Home Rule until mired by scandal. The House is open for tours, but most visitors are here for the treetop walkway (fully accessible), spiral viewing tower and parkland.
Notoriously harsh 18th-century jail, which often held convicts awaiting transportation to the colonies. It was extended from 1822 and remained in use until 1924. As well as the standard tour, there's also an immersive virtual reality tour, plus the inevitable ghost tour.
Grand gardens laid out in 1868 along both banks of the river. Open all year, no dogs or picnics.