1/25 Titanic Belfast, Belfast
The ill-fated Titanic was built in Belfast and the city’s fond of saying, ‘she was all right when she left here’. Find out just how fine she was, what went into her construction and what happened at the very end, in this superb, kid-friendly, interactive museum.
Where: Titanic Quarter, 20 minutes walk from city centre
When: 7 days, opening times vary
Price: from £8
2/25 Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills, Co. Antrim
The Giant’s Causeway is an unimaginably ancient landscape of perfectly hexagonal basalt columns stretching out into the Atlantic from Antrim’s coast, this World Heritage site will astound kids. The award-winning visitor centre is excellent and leave time to walk at least some of the lovely Antrim Coastal path.
Where: 5 minutes drive from Bushmills
When: 7 days. Coastline: dawn to dusk. Visitor Centre: 9am to 6pm.
Price: from £5.75
3/25 Ulster American Folk Park, Castletown, Co. Down
Take kids on the same journey, from thatched Irish cottages to log cabins on the American Frontier, made by Ulster’s emigrants in their thousands during the 18th and 19th century. Indoors and out this living museum is hands-on, packed with incredible exhibits and engages children beautifully with dozens of fascinating personal experiences.
Where: Castletown, 10 minutes drive from Omagh
When: Tuesday – Sunday 10am to 5pm. Closed Monday
Price: from £5.50
4/25 Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra, Co. Down
Life was very different 100 years ago and showing kids just how different, is the basis of this excellent heritage museum. Costumed guides are on hand to explain the exhibits and a year-round programme of events keeps the past fresh, no matter how many times you visit.
Where: Cultra, 15 minutes drive from Bangor
When: Tuesday – Sunday 10am to 5pm. Closed Monday
Price: from £5.50
5/25 Mount Stewart House & Gardens, Newtownards, Co. Down
One of the great neo-classical Irish houses, Mount Stewart has now been restored to its original early 20th century elegance. The amazing gardens are some of the country’s loveliest and a wonderful setting for the National Trust’s excellent year round calendar of children’s events.
Where: 10 minutes’ drive from Newtownards
When: Opening times vary
Price: from £4.77
6/25 Ulster Museum, Belfast
Set in Belfast Botanic Gardens, this rich collection of art and artefacts touches on everything from dinosaurs to daily Irish life over the centuries. Ulster Museum boasts an outstanding programme of kids’ festivals and events is especially good during the school holidays.
Where: Belfast Botanic Gardens, 20 minutes walk from the city centre
When: Tuesday – Sunday 10am to 5pm. Closed Monday
Price: free
7/25 Mourne Mountains, Co. Down
Home to Northern Ireland’s tallest peak, Slieve Donard, the Mourne Mountains were the inspiration for C. S. Lewis’s Narnia. From the breathtaking mix of land and sea, wild variety of outdoor adventure and the Ring of Gullion standing stones, a day out here is never short of magic for kids.
8/25 Tollymore Forest Park, Castlewellan, Co. Down
A fantastic day out in a forest filled with follies and Ireland’s oldest trees. There are river walks along the banks of the Shimna and several well marked woodland trails so kids can have fun hunting down descendants of oaks used in the Titanic. With giant redwoods and rocky caves, Tollymore is the perfect place for curious minds to explore.
Where: 30 minutes’ drive from Castlewellan
When: open all year round from 10 until sunset
9/25 Belfast Zoo
Belfast Zoo has over 1500 animals from 150 different species including tigers, lowland gorilla, elephants and lions. Good for children’s events during school holidays and an excellent breeding programme means a high chance of cute new babies on any family day out.
Where: 15 minutes’ drive from city centre
When: 7 days, 10am to 6pm
Price: from £6.50
10/25 Castlewellan Forest Park, Castlewellan, Co. Down
This 450 hectare forest park with brilliant walking and cycling trails, lakes, ponds and Castlewellan Arboretum contains 20 of the UK’s oldest trees.
Where: 20 minutes’ walk from Castlewellan
When: open all year round from 10 until sunset
11/25 Belfast Castle & Cave Hill Visitor Centre
Imposing Belfast Castle stands on a hill of caves, visit for the spectacular gardens, grand building, a tour of the legend-loaded underground caverns, adventure playground and country park – great views of the city too.
Where: 15 minutes’ drive from Belfast city centre
When: opening times vary
Price: free
12/25 Game of Thrones’ Tours
Northern Ireland is home to dozens of locations from Game of Thrones. Take a day tour with kids on the same coach used by the cast and crew with McComb’s Game of Thrones Tours. Visit everywhere from the King’s Road to the cave of the shadow assassin. Props and costumes are all part of the experience.
Where: Belfast to various locations including Giant’s Causeway
When: Daily from 9am
Price: from £35
13/25 Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast
Between 1846 and 1996, infamous Crumlin Gaol incarcerated over 25,000 inmates including some of the most notorious murderers in Irish history. Now fully restored, it’s open to the public for 75 minute guided tours. Apart from the chilling sights and sounds of the gaol itself, the stories are bloodcurdling, tragic and terrible in equal measure, just right for older kids and teenagers – paranormal evening tours too.
Where: Crumlin Road, 20 minutes walk from Belfast city centre
When: daily from 10am to 4.30pm
Price: from £6.50
14/25 Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory, Belfast
Candy and chocolate heaven where kids can take part in sweet making workshops and create their very own confectionery, win prizes and see how the experts make everything from fudge to lollipops. Unsurprisingly, Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory is one of the most popular places to visit in all of Belfast.
Where: Castlereagh Road, 10 minutes’ drive from Belfast city centre
When: Workshops daily at 11am, 1pm and 3.30pm (must be booked in advance)
Price: from £12
15/25 Roe Valley Country Park, Londonderry
Spectacular Roe Valley Country Park is filled with restored machinery and buildings from the 18th and 19th century Irish linen industry. Fishing piers and pretty rivers for canoeing, well-marked walking trails, rock-climbing sites and endless wild places for kids to ramble around, explore and have complete freedom for the day.
Where: 30 minutes drive from Londonderry
When: open all year round
Price: free
16/25 W5 Science & Discovery Centre, Belfast
Whether it’s getting the hang of soft play or exploring the way their planet works, kids love W5’s interactive, learning by fun approach to science and no one’s too young to get involved. There are over 250 exhibits to fill a day or more and a year-round programme of events to pack holidays and weekends too.
Where: The Odyssey, 10 minutes’ drive from Belfast city centre
When: Monday – Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 12pm to 6pm
Price: from £7.50
17/25 Tower Museum, Londonderry
Before you do anything in Derry, visit the award winning Tower Museum and explore the city from prehistory to the present day through its archaeology, people, industry, events, myths and legends. The Discovery Zone is perfect for younger kids, older ones will enjoy the history of the Armada shipwreck and everyone likes panoramic views from the open air terrace.
Where: Guildhall Street, Londonderry
When: 7 days, 10am to 5.30pm
Price: from £2
18/25 Dunluce Castle, Bushmills
Overlooking the wild Antrim coast, Dunluce Castle is a dramatic ruined 16th century castle with a fascinating history beautifully told in the nearby visitor centre. Kids can hunt for treasure, explore the archaeological finds round abandoned Dunluce and there’s a free downloadable app to add to the adventure.
Where: 8 minutes drive from Bushmills on the Antrim coast
When: 7 days, 10am to 5pm
Price: from £3.50
19/25 Corralea Activity Centre, Fermanagh Lakelands
Have a day at Corralea Activity Centre surrounded by the lakes and mountains of Fermanagh. Kids can get up to anything from canoeing and windsurfing, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, caving or just playing for hours in the amazing one-of-a-kind waterpark. There are family holiday cottages too, if one day isn’t enough.
Where: 30 minutes’ drive from Enniskillen
When: open all year round
20/25 Funny Farm Adventures, Castlewellan
In July and August every year, Funny Farm Adventures grows a huge maize maze and invites kids and families to come solve the puzzle. As well as getting lost in the towering corn, there are go-karts and tractor rides, clay pigeon shooting, archery, mini-golf, giant slides and garden games, mini cars and a petting zoo. The atmosphere’s fun and friendly and new activities are added every season.
Where: 5 minutes’ drive from Castlewellan
When: July and August, Monday to Saturday 10.30am to 6pm
Price: £5
21/25 Exploris Aquarium, Portaferry
Northern Ireland’s only aquarium, Exploris Aquarium, is bigger and better after a £2million refurbishment by international marine giants, Nautilus. Kids can get closer than ever to vast tanks of tropical fish, slow moving sharks, deadly piranha and delightful seals. Daily feeding experience add to the excitement and a colourful programme of events fills holidays and weekends with thrills too.
Where: Castle Street, Portaferry, Co. Down
When: 7 days, 10am to 5pm
Price: from £8
22/25 SS Nomadic, Belfast
Hop aboard the last White Star Line ship still afloat, SS Nomadic, and explore the boat responsible for guiding the Titanic out of Belfast on her maiden and – as it turned out – only voyage. Perfectly restored, packed with stories and back home in Hamilton Dock where she was first built, over a century ago.
Where: Hamilton Dock, 20 minutes’ walk from Belfast city centre
When: 7 days, opening times range from 10am to 8pm (seasonal variations)
Price: from £5
23/25 Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Ballintoy, Co. Antrim
The famous rope bridge, suspended over the Atlantic between the Antrim coast cliffs and Carrick-a-Rede Island was made by salmon fishermen in the 18th century. Today 1000s of visitors pluck up the courage to walk across the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, will you and the kids dare? If you do, the views are amazing and bragging rights guaranteed. The bridge has made a few appearances in Game of Thrones too and it’s part of Northern Ireland’s only Dark Skies Discovery Site.
Where: Ballintoy, 5 minutes’ drive from Bushmills
When: Monday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm, weekends 9.30 to 8pm
Price: from £4
24/25 Wellbrook Beetling Mill, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
Don’t know what beetling, scutching and hackling are? Take the kids for a day out at Wellbrook Beetling Mill and find out first hand in this historic linen mill on the edge of Ballinderry River. Weaving demonstrations and workshops let you have a shot at making your own cloth too and the lovely glen is perfect for picnics.
Where: Corkhill, 10 minutes’ drive from Cookstown
When: weekends 1pm to 5pm
Price: adults from £5, no charge for children
25/25 Castle Coole, Enniskillen
Another of Ireland’s grand neo-classical country houses surrounded by wonderful parkland for family walks all year round. Castle Coole itself is spectacular and filled with intriguing features like a servants’ tunnel, the Regency bedroom designed for George V and a fabulous Great Hall.
Where: 15 minutes’ walk from Enniskillen centre
When: grounds open daily from 10am to 7pm. Castle open March to September from 11am to 5pm
Price: from £1.80