Advertisement
Dean Castle and Country Park

Dean Castle and Country Park

Dean Castle and Country Park
4.5
Nature & Wildlife AreasCastlesParks
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Dean Castle Country Park is an excellent free day out for all the family. The Country Park boasts a 14th century castle and beautiful woodland walks. The Country Park has completed a project to upgrade its Rural Life Centre, play park and Visitor Centre. The Castle is now closed for restoration and works will begin in June 2018. From June 2018, you will be able to see the museum collections normally on display in Castle at the Dick Institute, Elmbank St, Kilmarnock. Join us for different holiday activities with the Ranger Service over Easter and summer.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

See what travellers are saying
  • Siona L
    12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A great day out
    Had a lovely day with a group of cubs scouts. They had a wonderful time. The staff were very helpful and nothing was too much trouble. The only criticism I have was that the gift shop was card only. When a lot of children, school trips etc visit here and there is a lot of pocket money toys available surely card only isn’t practical. The leaders had a tricky time and their own money making sure the children could get the gifts they wanted. Why can’t their be facilities for both.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 11 May 2024
  • DTPybus
    Dumfries, United Kingdom148 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Quite a (pleasant) surprise
    Kilmarnock is quite a day trip from Dumfries so we hadnt been before but my Uncle and his partner were reminiscing from 50 years ago so we had a quick trip up to see Dean Castle. I was ever so pleasantly surprised - there isnt a lot there but what there is is worth the trip. Some early modern and 18thC armour, weapons (and a Viking sword) and a small but excellently presented and curated collection of 17-19th C musical instruments
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 28 June 2024
  • hapihols
    United Kingdom178 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Loved our visit. Fabulous!
    Absolutely loved Dean Castle. Oldest part dates back to 14th century. The exhibits are fab and very interesting. The castle has been well maintained. Beautiful. Thoroughly enjoyed the castle and grounds. Definitely worth a visit. It’s also free!
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 August 2024
  • Rebecca
    Winschoten, The Netherlands64 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A beautiful Country Park!
    Such a beautiful country park. Unfortunately, didn't get to experience a full on "walk", per say, due to the really bad rain that hit during our visit. However, I got to experience the Dean Castle which was beautiful, as well as see the deer off to the side. Looking forward to coming back though 100% once the weather is better!
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 29 August 2024
  • Alan H
    Glasgow, United Kingdom43 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Rare find
    Really enjoyed our visit. Haven’t been before and sure to come again. We arrived to the glorious sun ( very rare ) and visited the sites. There’s plenty of play areas for the kids and the slide looked very popular. Also plenty of toilets on site and a cafe. The scenery was amazing so there last plenty of pictures to be taken… My seven year old really enjoyed the visit and wants to come back again. Definitely worth a visit
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 31 August 2024
  • JanandMik
    Prestwick, United Kingdom96 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Castle Tour, park and cafe
    The castle is fabulous with some great exhibits. Free to walk round some areas but my husband and I went on the very first castle tour (6/9/24) on which we got to see and experience some hidden parts of the castle and learn more about the history. Gary, our guide was very knowledgeable and humorous. Great park with lovely walks. The cafe is a treat too.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 September 2024
  • Sharon G
    274 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    There Is Something For All at Dean Castle Country Park
    We went for an experience... And got it! We went for Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream (although it was the Autumn Equinox). I go a LOT to Dean Castle Country Park for many reasons and with disparate groups of friends. It's a venue that had something for everyone. Wee weans love the park, I love an accessible walk in the forest with my son (who is a permanent wheelchair user), the museum in the castle is a treat for anyone that enjoys a bit of history.... But I seriously recommend tying up a visit to the Castle and its collections with an Event.. Halloween, Christmas, Easter. ... etc We did Fairies in the Forest. Magical.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 23 September 2024
  • Beth M
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Recommend tour of Dean Castle
    I had a really informative, interesting and fun tour of Dean Castle on Friday. Our guide, Gavin shared many local anecdotes about the Boyd and DeWalden families. This tour is not to be missed. I would absolutely 💯 % recommend.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 23 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles541 reviews
Excellent
301
Very good
173
Average
43
Poor
13
Terrible
11

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

Dennis Smalley
Glasgow, UK3,197 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Friends
Unfortunately the Castle area is fenced off and covered in scaffolding, so no luck there. There are some lovely trail and forest walks. Farm animals and plenty of activities for kids. On such a glorious weather day it was so nice just to walk in the peacful forest.The Treetops Cafe is very reasonable and has a good selection of mainly pre packed goods. Soup in a cup was great. Our walk ended with a visit to the mysterious Blue Angel(Google it). Very interesting piece of history. Entry to the park is free. Not the easiest place to find,so satnavs at the ready.😊
Written 16 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dawn N
Livingston, UK17 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Family
We had a lovely day out despite the main cafe being closed due to a flood. The staff were very quick to set up a temporary cafe space with soup, sandwiches and snacks. I was also very pleased to find a warm and comfortable baby feeding and changing room in the visitor centre. It made things so much easier for us visiting with our wee one.

We had a lovely walk around the park. I used to come here a lot as a child and was pleased to see the chrome bumper dragon sculpture is still there, albeit it’s sadly worn and rusting in its old age. I was also sad that there weren’t as many animals as there used to be, but there’s still lovely wildlife areas.

We’re looking forward to going back for some longer walks and a look round the castle once it has reopened.
Written 4 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Siona L
Skelmorlie12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Friends
Had a lovely day with a group of cubs scouts. They had a wonderful time. The staff were very helpful and nothing was too much trouble.
The only criticism I have was that the gift shop was card only. When a lot of children, school trips etc visit here and there is a lot of pocket money toys available surely card only isn’t practical. The leaders had a tricky time and their own money making sure the children could get the gifts they wanted. Why can’t their be facilities for both.
Written 11 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David
North Ayrshire, UK4 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Family
Went recently with friends with young children and was somewhat underwhelmed.
We bought deer food from reception and attempted to feed the deer who honestly showed little interest in it. So we walked on, only to find a sign on the deer enclosure saying "do not feed the deer". A slight mixed message there. Ended up going home with a bag of deer food.
After this we walked on and saw the pigs, this was quite interesting but felt the fencing prevented the smaller children from seeing them very well.
When we reached the play park, which on first glance looked very nice, the kids took off to play. It was only when we got closer we saw just how dangerous and messy it is. The climb up the left side to the slide goes over a bridge with gaps large enough a small child could easily fall through,with nothing to prevent a 20 foot fall down the enbankment onto tree stumps that have been cut and left uncovered at the bottom. The right side cargo net and steps etc was better, but leaf up to a slippy mud bath the children have to negotiate to get across to the slide. A very poor design seemingly built with a 1970s attitude to health and safety.
I might go back to explore the rest of the country park but I will not recommend this to anyone with small children with the play park in the state it is in.
Written 17 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sharon G
Darvel, Scotland, United Kingdom274 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Family
We went for an experience... And got it! We went for Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream (although it was the Autumn Equinox).

I go a LOT to Dean Castle Country Park for many reasons and with disparate groups of friends. It's a venue that had something for everyone. Wee weans love the park, I love an accessible walk in the forest with my son (who is a permanent wheelchair user), the museum in the castle is a treat for anyone that enjoys a bit of history....

But I seriously recommend tying up a visit to the Castle and its collections with an Event.. Halloween, Christmas, Easter. ... etc We did Fairies in the Forest. Magical.
Written 23 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CapeTownian-NRWler
72 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Friends
Free entry, beautifully renovated, rooms very authentic, impressive musical instrument collection, volunteers let you try on a chain mail or sword. There are many rooms upstairs (not wheelchair accessible). The park is rather small but beautiful. We saw pigs, ducks and deer, a farm exhibition for small children and a walk along the river are possible. All free of charge.
Google
Written 26 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Aloz
Glasgow, UK49 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Family
Lovely walks, farm animals and a play park. However the castle has been closed for renovation for years now, the park is closed off regularly and the breastfeeding room in the cafe the seats need a good clean. Otherwise is usually a nice day out.
Written 1 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jimmags12
Kilmarnock, UK7 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
A good park to visit close to the centre of town. Some good walks around park but can also be extended out into the country north of town. Castle well worth visiting when open(getting worked on just now) and some animals for the kids to see. Lots of locals use it for picnics in summer and popular for school parties. A nice convenient place to get out in the fresh air
Written 6 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JanandMik
Prestwick, UK96 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Couples
The castle is fabulous with some great exhibits. Free to walk round some areas but my husband and I went on the very first castle tour (6/9/24) on which we got to see and experience some hidden parts of the castle and learn more about the history. Gary, our guide was very knowledgeable and humorous.
Great park with lovely walks.
The cafe is a treat too.
Written 10 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joe S
Kilmarnock, UK4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
Revisited this lovely park and always impressed by its history and upkeep. A sunny day rounded off with a snack on the cafe terrace, with a view to the castle as a bonus. Made me a little regretful at complaining about my council tax which helps maintain this treasure.
Written 11 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 536
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

DEAN CASTLE AND COUNTRY PARK (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

All Kilmarnock HotelsKilmarnock Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Kilmarnock
All things to do in Kilmarnock
Theatre & Concerts in Kilmarnock
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday HomesTravel StoriesCruisesCar Hire