A Family Visit to the Guinness Storehouse

Guinness Storehouse

While researching things to do during our trip to Ireland, there was one place that I knew we had to visit.

For years I’ve heard about the Guinness Storehouse, home to the iconic Guinness Brewery. It seemed that no trip (or at least first visit) to Ireland would not be complete without checking it out.

Since Kim and I enjoy visiting breweries and beer-related sites, we decided to stop by on the day we arrived in Ireland.

Some might wonder if the Guinness Storehouse or other breweries might be a kid-friendly activity.

The Storehouse is seven floors of interactive displays, bars and restaurants located throughout. After purchasing tickets, we waited online to start our beer- filled experience. The place was packed but luckily the line moved fast.

We then walked through a couple of floors which showed the beer making process. I was pretty tired and not particularly interested. This was probably due to how busy the areas were. If I tried to take a photo it seemed like there was always a person walking into it. I don’t think people were being rude, it was just that busy.

Lucas seemed to enjoy seeing the variety of equipment. The exhibits were well done and many had computers where you could get more details & info.

One thing that really caught our eyes was this old train which I believe used to run through the Guinness property. (Maybe I made that up!) Overhead were some model planes, you can see the shadow of one above the train.

Guinness Storehouse

Admission at the Guinness Storehouse comes with one drink per person. You can choose where to get it. There are many bars as well as the Guinness Academy which was our pick.

Guinness Storehouse

During your visit to the Guinness Academy, you get a chance to pour the perfect pint. There are even certificates given out to honor the accomplishment!

Guinness Storehouse

Pouring a pint of Guinness in Dublin had to be the highlight of my visit and it’s not even like I enjoy their beer! Regardless, it was a lot of fun!

a man holding a baby

Theo seemed to enjoy the visit. You can see him eyeing one of our pints. Lucas enjoyed too even though there were no kiddie drinks to be had in the academy.a group of people posing for a photo with a glass of beer

Besides visiting the Guinness Academy, our other favorite part of the visit was an area dedicated to advertising.

a boy sitting on a statue of a seal

Lucas enjoyed climbing on and posing with some of the interesting ad props.

a harp in a glass case

An old harp was on display which I believe is the original that Guinness’s logo is based on.

a city with a tower

We finished our visit on the top floor which may have been the busiest place in the whole building. The 7th floor bar was jam-packed with people drinking and enjoying 360° views of the city.

It was impossible to walk around with a stroller but I took Theo and wandered through the crowds for a few minutes to check out the views. I liked seeing some of the other brewery buildings that we passed while walking through the Guinness Complex to the museum entrance

Overall, the Guinness Storehouse is a must-visit. Was it my favorite brewery tour/ museum that I’ve been to? No! But it was still interesting to learn about the history of such an iconic brewery.

And is the Guinness Storehouse kid-friendly? Absolutely! The brewery is stroller accessible, you can visit at your own pace and many exhibits appeal to kids- the brewing equipment, interactive displays and Lucas’s favorite, the world of advertising.

Have you visited the Guinness Storehouse? If so, what did you think?

Find out more about the Guinness Storehouse at their website here.

3 thoughts on “A Family Visit to the Guinness Storehouse

  1. Currently in Ireland and just did the Guinness thing yesterday. It wasn’t as crowded when we went in, and we got discounted tickets online for our time slot, which we were happy about.

    It got crazy busy up on Floor 7 around 12.30pm – literally no spots to sit/stand, maybe a huge bunch of tour group people just arrived, or maybe because we went on a cold, rainy Wednesday morning that put people off

  2. DaninMCI- What time did you visit? I wonder if getting there very early helps. The gift shop was really nice. We didn’t really buy anything but there were some things we considered.

    We almost went to the Cliffs of Moher but we opted for the Giant’s Causeway which we loved! The Trinity College library was also on our list but time wasn’t on our side plus it prob wouldn’t be great with a 5 year old. There’s always next time.

  3. My wife and I visited there last March. It was a little touristy and still fun. We must have picked the right day because it was fairly quiet and slow. We enjoyed the bar at the top with the view. We liked the advertising section and the gift shop was really good as well. I’ve really turned into much more of a Guinness fan after our visit there.

    We enjoyed the Titanic museum in Cobh and the the Cliffs of Moher on the Western Coast a lot as well.

    Dublin is fun town to walk and enjoy. The book of Kells is good and so is the Chester Beatty library but I’m not sure they are great for kids.

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