Ayrshire is the birthplace of Robert Burns, the National Poet of Scotland. He was born in the village of Alloway on 25th January 1759, in a thatched cottage built by his father. Ayrshire has many places of interest to discover the world of Burns and to appreciate his particular popularity and influence within the region.

His Alloway birthplace, some two miles from the county town of Ayr, is the ideal starting point for any tour of the Land of Burns. Using the Burns National Heritage Park as a base, you can visit the thatched cottage where he was born. It has now been restored to its original setting as it was in his time.

An adjacent museum houses a unique collection of original manuscripts including, ‘Auld Lang Syne’, paintings and personal artefacts. Within the village is the historic Kirk Alloway (circa 1516) where the poet's father and sister Isabella lie buried. The Kirk and the close-by Auld Brig O'Doon are famed for their scenes in the poet's prose "Tam O' Shanter". Vivid oil paintings of these scenes can be viewed at the nearby Rozelle House Galleries, which also houses the Goudie collection.

Eighteen miles from Alloway is the town of Irvine where, in 1781, Burns went to learn the trade of flax dressing. To understand this important period in the poet's life visit the Irvine Burns Club (founded in 1862), which has its own Burns Museum with many rare manuscripts, and the Vennel Gallery and Heckling Shed in the town’s Glasgow Vennel. Failford, with its Monument, lies two and a half miles west of Mauchline and is where the poet and his 'Highland Mary' met for the last time "on a Sunday in May" in 1786.

In 1780 Burns established a Debating Society in the village of Tarbolton which is now referred to as the Bachelors' Club and houses a small Burns Museum. The property is owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The poet also went to school in Kirkoswald for a short period - thus Souter Johnnie's Cottage at Kirkoswald has a Burns associated Museum.

A visit to Dumfries is a must for those on the trail of Robert Burns. Situated on the wide banks of the River Nith a short distance inland from the Solway Firth, Dumfries is by far the largest town in south-west Scotland and is second only to Ayr for its associations with Burns, who spent the last five years of his life here. Situated in the town's 18th century watermill on the west bank of the River Nith, the Robert Burns Centre tells the story of Robert Burns' last years spent in the bustling streets and lively atmosphere of Dumfries in the 18th century. The exhibition is illuminated by many original manuscripts and belongings of the poet. There is a fascinating scale model of Dumfries in the 1790s and a haunting audio-visual presentation. There are museum trails, visitor information and fun activities to help you explore Dumfries and Galloway's Burns connections.

Pop into the Globe Inn, Dumfries was Robert Burns’ local ‘howff’ (pub) which is a continuing favourite of ‘Doonhamers’ (Dumfries locals) and visitors alike. Dating from 1610, the inn has many claims to fame, including being home to the ghost of Anna Park, a servant girl, and the fact it held the first ever Burns Supper back in 1819. Burns’ chair is still in the bar, but if you sit on it you must either recite a line from one of his poems or buy all the customers in the bar a drink. If you ask the staff, they will show you the bedroom he used during his time as an excise man.