Things to do in Killarney (or somewhere near) interesting for 12 y.o. boy?

joujoujou

Hello everybody.

Keeping long story short - Ms. jou's gonna meet her 12yo grandson on Tuesday, 28th of May (didn't see him for years) and looking forward to spend a day with him doing something interesting from young fella's point of view.

More than likely National Park or pet farm sort of attraction is not really what the boy would enjoy, I'd rather guess sort of military/tech museum, old machinery collection or the likes of rollercoaster etc things.

She's gonna have him just for one day, and considering Killarney and anything in approx. 60 miles/100 km radius.

I am struggling to find what she's looking for, so any suggestions/hints would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

ejmaztec

What about this place in Tralee? I've never visited it but no doubt someone here will say how good or bad it is. 😛

https://traleebaywetlands.org/

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122173967#Comment_122173967

A couple of hours at best

KNP/ Muckross house and farm.

Depending on fitness level, Torc waterfall.

Ciarrai76

If she wanted to go to Tralee you could do the Aqua dome…or beaches (depending on weather!). I guess playdium would be a bit too young for a 12 year old, but there is Bowling Buddies in Tralee too (although I know they will be closing for renovations soon so check first!). Not sure what sort of activity places are around Kerry for that age. I love Kennedy's pet farm, but again maybe a 12 year old might find it a bit boring!

ejmaztec

I've never been here either. 😛

https://kilgarvanmotormuseum.ie/wp/gallery/

Kilgarvan Motor Museum.

joujoujou

Thank you all, very interesting things indeed. The missus chose playdium, bowling (as there's also other attractions over there) and motor museum. Sadly, both playdium and bowling are closed on tuesdays so only motor museum left. Well, we have to ring them first thing monday morning to make sure they are open. Anyway, thanks, much appreciated. :-)

jackboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122184603#Comment_122184603

It's not possible to know what a 12 year old would like anyway so ye are on the right track keeping it simple. It would be worth asking him first what kind of thing he would like to do. He may be into outdoor things or he may just be into staring at screens all day. Chances are a food option also will be critical as 12 year olds quickly get ravenous, which has a bad effect on their mood😀

amber2

https://www.falconrykerry.com/hawkwalks

https://www.irishadventures.net/irish-adventure-activities-dingle-killarney/kayaking-killarneyactivitiesseakayakingdinglecanoekerryireland.html

https://muckrosslakeboattours.com/?fbclid=IwAR0BxpAEZfTmbKTL4p8MTh6wayAosWspe6NihRh6aS-mX1nRvYC9zxhMCwQ

https://killarneylaketours.ie

Would Dingle oceanworld be a bit of a trek from killarney, could drive onto Inch beach on the way back to dingle, ….. don’t get stuck though and have a bit to eat at sammys bar and restaurant on the beach front.

joujoujou

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122184651#Comment_122184651

Aye. Initial plan was to have a few attractions to choose from and asking young lad which one(s) he's interested in. However, seeing weather forecast for next tuesday I'm afraid outdoor activities would be quite risky to plan. ;-)

Ciarrai76

ah sorry didn't realise it was for Tuesday, it does limit the amount of things to do so. If it was during summer they would be open more days. If all else fails, the cinema is as good an option as any!

Ciarrai76

Another option could be the Lartigue Monorail & Museum. My parents took my son and nephew there last summer and said its great. My son is a bit younger, but my parents thought it was a lovely place. Its near Listowel.

https://www.lartiguemonorail.com/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1BL0Mn2xriQZfeo-9DpgGgDzHy3doYB7ApDR6GeeqsWwVQgrDVkJTDy1k_aem_ATz-LZMcK4U7JebV5JQpM9f4l0GRNtd2g5GpfGP3RzohpWxTiKATYfyXbVNf5DpAA0yv49P17UTRck16iR-liK13

joujoujou

Thanks a million, totally forgot about monorail! And it's also on my personal must-see list!

On the list so far - Kilgarvan Motor Museum, Crag Cave, Killarney Falconry and Monorail. Young fella will decide.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122188889#Comment_122188889

What did you do in the end?

joujoujou

Ahh, very sorry for late update, and thank you for reminding me. :-)

Now: young lad decided (with our very delicate suggestion) to visit Crag Cave and Lartigue Monorail. The trip (including lunch at Crag Cave facilities) took us 6-7 hours. Young fella liked caves a lot (as well as myself and the missus), not so much excited with a monorail. My personal opinion regarding monorail - it is REALLY great that a group of enthusiasts/volunteers restored it and keep it alive, and really, really fair play to them! However, one thing that disappointed me, it is now diesel powered. I am obviously aware that steam engine would be way more complicated (and costly) to run and maintain, but still…

Anyway, yet another big thank you for all Boardsies suggestions, much appreciated!

Ciarrai76

That's great! Glad he had a good time! Its a pity the Tralee - Blennerville train can't be brought back. One of the reasons being the steam train is too expensive to refurbish, but also due to the council not wanting to do anything about it! Such a shame as it was a great tourist attraction! I lived very close to it so remember it growing up.