Tried and tested family days out: the Let’s Play Cork trail

The Rebel County has a new child-friendly trail.

Are you looking for interactive, educational, and playful things to do with your kids this summer? Cork City has created a new Playful Culture Trail, featuring 30 fun and playful places where kids can explore the city’s culture, heritage and green spaces through play. Last weekend I popped down with my kids to try it out and here is how we got on. Each attraction on the trail will have a unique activity pack for kids on arrival with numerous challenges to complete from scavenger hunts, to sketching tasks, crosswords and investigation work. Our first stop on the trail was to the Cork Butter Museum where our hunt for Blaithin the Lizard began. Along the trail the kids are encouraged to find the elusive lizard and grab a sticker along the trail each time they do. We were also able to have a go at butter churning, create our own butter labels with stamps and measure our bog age. Then we were off to climb to the top of St.Anne's and see the Shandon Bells. We were of course still keeping an eye out for Blaithin but we were also being extremely careful going up the very steep and narrow steps to get an incredible view of Cork City. Usually you can also ring the Shandon Bells but unfortunately due to Covid that part of the experience is currently restricted. Another stop on our visit was to the famous Blackrock Castle Observatory to find out about old myths and legends as well as the observatory's astrological discoveries. During our visit we got to see a chunk of a real meteorite, dive deep into the history of the castle and find out about the studies currently being conducted by the science team. We got to have a little peek into the lab but because of Covid restrictions we couldn't get as hands on with the telescopes like guests usually can.   The Let's Play Cork packs are available all throughout the city and are a brilliant way of knowing not only where all the good tourist spots are but where all the good kid-friendly spots are. The trail pack includes suggestions of sweet shops and milkshake cafes along the route as well as park and public play areas. Honestly as a parent I think it's a brilliant idea and I think more counties should take a leaf out of Cork's book. To find out more about the Let's Play Cork trail you can visit the virtual map here.