No visitor to this part of the world should miss visiting Mauchline which was the home of Robert Burns during the most creative period of his life. Here he met many of the characters who inspired his poetry.
Lovers of Robert Burns' poems will also wish to visit beautiful Afton Glen near New Cumnock, ("flow gently sweet Afton"). Part of the way along the Glen a memorial has been created by local Burns enthusiasts.
At The Cross in Kilmarnock town centre stands a statue of Burns and the printer, John Wilson, commemorating the publication of the first edition of Burns' poems close to that site in 1786.
An original copy of the 'First Edition' or 'Kilmarnock Edition' can be seen at Dean Castle, Kilmarnock, along with a collection of Burns' handwritten manuscripts.