“May your troubles be less and your blessings be more
And nothing but happiness come through your door”
Who enjoys celebrating holidays? We certainly never miss an opportunity to celebrate and what better way than to combine travel and holiday? Check out these 4 travel ideas for St. Patrick’s Day!
1. Jameson Whiskey Distillery Tour
While on vacation in Ireland, I knew one of the “must do” things was to visit the Jameson Distillery. Are you surprised that whiskey tops my list?
In addition to the history and distillery tour, there is a tasting session for some lucky people chosen from the audience. We sampled three whiskey’s: Jameson, Jack Daniels and Johnnie Walker. It was a fun experience to taste these side by side while learning about the subtle differences which make each unique.
In the end, you receive a commemorative “taster” certificate! I am a certified taster and I take the job quite serious these days! haha.
2. Chicago’s River Dyeing
We lived in Chicago for a few years and this was one of our favorite holidays in the city. The parades, drinking and eating were great, but the dyeing of the Chicago River was always the best part of the day. In our opinion there is no better place in the states for travel for St. Patricks Day than Chicago!
Make sure to be there early to see the process from the beginning, it’s quite the experience to see. A boat comes by with an orangish powder and as it mixes in the river it turns a vibrant shade of green.
It was a great time to set up the trip-pod to get some great shots of the city with the green river!
The green dye last 5-6 hours at the full green color. Depending on how many drinks you have, determines how much longer the river stays that color!
3. Guinness Tasting Experience
I don’t like beer… but being that we were in Ireland, we knew a visit to Guinness was a must. It’s a great tour Guinness provides it’s visitors.
You are able to learn about the history of the area, people who started the business, the entire brewing process from start to finish and it all finally ends at the top of the building in a bar. What’s on the menu? Guinness of course. I must admit, I took one sip and then set the pint down. I said it before, I don’t like beer!
Fun Fact learned on the tour: Arthur Guinness started brewing in 1759 in Dublin. On December 31, 1759, he signed a 9,000 year lease for an unused brewery.
4. Nerd it up and learn something about the Irish
A visit to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells – The Book of Kells is believed to have been created in 800 AD.
Pro Tip: Get to Trinity College before opening and get in line to see the Book of Kells. This will be the shortest time you will wait in line. It’s worth it to start your visit with a little wait because as the day gets later, the line gets longer.
Another great travel idea for St. Patrick’s Day is to explore Trinity College campus in Dublin. The architecture around the campus is gorgeous and provides a great way to spend the day.
Áras an Uachtaráin – This is the official residence of the President of Ireland. Remind you of another “White House”? This one has 95 rooms inside and was completed in 1751.
We hope you enjoy St. Patrick’s Day as much as we do and you got some inspiration for travel ideas to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
Are you doing anything special for St. Patrick’s Day this year or have a favorite travel memory celebrating?
Let us know in the comments.
2 comments
These sound like great places to visit. I don’t like beer, either, but touring Guinness would be pretty cool. That’s pretty fascinating about the 9,000 year lease! It would also be interesting to see the Chicago River dyed green sometime!
I would prefer windy city(Chicago), nearly everything and everyone will be in green, and you’ll find green beer everywhere you go. Really, great to think about it!!