Phew, what a mouthful! Despite sounding extremely posh, the Museum and Civic Centre isn't really,…read moreEncompassing a cafe, registrars office, art gallery, offices for council departments, a tourist information and a museum, this building really is rather odd. I remember the Knight Ride, which was a tour around the ceiling in a giant helmet, taking you through different exhibits on Carrick's history. Unfortunately, this was closed down several years ago, and the building has since been made into this civic centre. Sadly. Upon entering the civic centre, the large, open plan area is mainly a cafe, with a few of rooms for the other aforementioned uses. The first room on the left is the tourist information centre - a large, bright space with plenty of information (you'll be glad to here), guides and gifts. Beyond this is the 'museum', or rather an exhibition displaying the history of Carrickfergus, right from its naming (which apparently was done by King Fergus and means 'Rock of Fergus') to the 20th Century, and everything in between. There's a couple of interactive elements - one of a map of the town in 1560, and another map reading one. As well as a huge red fire brigade dating back to 1908, there are plenty of exhibits detailing everything from war to trade, from coins to food and drink. It's certainly a good history lesson on all things Carrick related. Perhaps the most interesting snippet of information that I discovered was the huge influx of people to Carrickfergus between 1951 (when only 8,500 lived there) and 1998 (when 38,000 was the population). It just really begs the question, "what on earth were they thinking?!" Ahh, who knows. Carrick isn't all that bad...

Located at the far end of the Carrickfergus Civic Centre, unfortunately it is probably easily…read moreoverlooked by those not au fait with Carrick! I used to pop in to have a sandwich made up when I worked in the area, and they were always quick, fresh & good value - much better than the Subway across the town! As well as fresh sandwiches/salads, they tend to offer several different cooked options like pies & soups. As previous reviwer stated, it has comfy seats & decent coffee (also does a selection of home-made desserts). Worth a visit if you're in the area.

I visited this castle when I was vacationing in Ireland earlier this year…read more We were driving on the main road and this castle was right next to the road, so getting here and was really convenient, as well as parking. There are public restrooms outside of the castle, which is definitely a plus! The castle was really cool and so fascinating that it is still standing. The exhibits inside were really interesting too. The employees at the entrance were really nice and friendly. I would definitely visit this castle again.

Gord and I took a train to Carrickfergus and spent a few hours wondering around Carrickfergus…read moreCastle. Carrickfergus Castle was built by John de Courcy in 1177 as his headquarters, after he conquered eastern Ulster and ruled as a petty king until 1204, when he was ousted by another Norman adventurer, Hugh de Lacy. It was an interesting spot to spend a couple of hours!

Went to the Crumlin road jail as it's the top ranked attraction on trip advisor. It was…read moreinteresting that the site is owned by the Govt but run by a private company. It cost £6.50 (had a £2 discount coupon). The last tour of the day is at 4:30pm but it's also cool that the main building is open till late because of the restaurant located inside. Hearing about what went on was truly horrific but overall this was an okay experience for me. I think I was expecting more info about the troubles and the political prisoners but that wasn't really our tour guide's focus. He also started the tour by asking for volunteers but nothing was done involving a volunteer! It's an hour's tour and the visit to the tunnel plus the hangman info was the most interesting bits of the tour for me. Another tip - Don't miss checking out the beautiful but now derelict courthouse opposite the street. The govt sold it for £1 but it's going to take a fair bit of bob to put it back to rights! So overall it was interesting tour but maybe Note: #222 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016

I had been meaning to come here for absolutely years, and just never got around to it…read more I am a huge fan of anything of historical interest, however my first visit, surprisingly, was for the Ghost tour this Halloween! I booked the tickets online and came along this October hoping for a spooky experience. We were greeted at the gates by security who explained how to get around into the car park, and got parked up with no issues. We waited in the coffee shop 'The Crum' - and had a wine and beer each prior to the tour. When the tour started, we were initially taken into a holding area, and then began by being taken into the tunnel linking the jail to the courthouse, where allegedly, paranormal activity has taken place! Unfortunately (or thankfully, maybe) we experienced no such activity on our trip. We were then taken into a side room where an employee was said to have met a grisly end, and we were instructed to record audio on our phones. Next, we were taken to one of the wings where we could see the cells (and inside the cells) and last but not least, we were shown to the condemned man's cell, and behind the book case to the gallows, before being taken down into the basement. We didn't experience any ghostly going's on in our trip, but I would definitely come back again, this time during the day, so I can get a proper look at the inside of the jail, since the tour I did was in the dark or low light. Recommended!

We walked through the Botanical Gardens which are located adjacent to the university. As like…read moreeverything else in Ireland, the whole grounds were bright green and full of different plant species and lots and lots of flowers. I particularly liked their greenhouse. The beautiful white medal perfectly balanced the contrast between nature and industrial features while complementing the space and giving these particular plants a specific place to grow, such as succulents. The rose gardens reminded me of something from Alice in Wind with how the grass paths were weaved between the rose bushes and some of the flowers looked fake because they were so healthy and vibrant.  There are two newer greenhouses that were built specifically for tropical plants. Inside of each of these greenhouses, the temperature and humidity was set to stay at the perfect settings for these tropical plants to thrive. They were multiple stories so that the trees could grow tall and the vines could grow long and even go all the way up to the rafters. A great place to see and spend time on a sunny or partly cloudy day!!

Beautiful grounds near Queen's College in Belfast. So peaceful and sprawling. The grounds…read moremeticulously kept. The grounds included some magnificently lush green lawn for taking in the nice weather being experienced during our stay. The Ferris Wheel was well worth the nominal expense. The rose garden was beautifully laid out.

We visited the Ulster Museum after we had done quite a few other attractions and decided to only…read morefocus on one of the displays, namely the section dedicated to the Troubles. Extremely informative and well-presented.

Great museum with a wide variety of things- like a national museum. So many genres, and we got…read moreextra lucky that there was an exhibit of current artists with art for sale. That exhibit was gigantic and impressive. Only downside of the museum was no acoustical/ absorption to buffer the screeching children. It was well worth a visit if you have spare time in Belfast.

Before planning our trip here, I was unaware that the Titanic originated in Belfast. This museum…read moredid an incredible job of detailing all that went into the ship as well as all that went wrong after they were at sea. The place is very large and the tour takes a couple hours. You're taken through the processes that occurred during the massive undertaking it was to construct the ship, to the setup onboard and ultimately the voltage itself. The place flows very nicely, there's a delightful ride and the pictures/audio tell quite the story. It's a very powerful place. The SS Nomadic outside is the last surviving ferry ship in the fleet was great to walk on and around. This is a must see spot when you're up in Belfast!

I was blown away by this museum! Sure it's an extremely popular historic event with a huge movie…read moreto gather even more attention, but Belfast had done it right. I enjoyed every aspect to the gigantic museum, from the surrounding area , before you enter, to each and every floor full of displays, movies and interactive activities. Masses of people will be there, yet I never felt rushed or overwhelmed as I worked my way through. So many thumbs up to this iconic museum. Must see!

I first went to the Folk Museum when I was at school and now I love taking my own kids there. If…read moreyou're planning to go, wait for a dry day as you'll spend a lot of the time outside and trudging about in the rain is no fun for anyone. First things first and parking is easy as there is a large car park. Then buy your tickets - a family ticket for both Folk and Transport Museums will set you back £20 which is fantastic value as visiting both with lunch in between will take a full day. You can bring your own snacks and lunch to keep costs down too and there are plenty of places to stop for a picnic. The folk museum is totally fascinating and is based around a full size village with a school, a pub, a bank, church, shop, a cinema, town and rural buildings, all of which have been painstakingly taken down brick by brick and moved from their original site, moved to the museum and rebuilt brick by brick. You can look round inside all the buildings which have been furnished with the appropriate furniture etc and even go upstairs in some. Most days there are museum guides on duty who are dressed in period costume and on school holidays and Bank Holidays, there are activities to join in with like basket weaving, butter making and traditional street games. Kids and adults will really enjoy the Folk Museum as its so interactive - history will suddenly get interesting!

We went to the Folk Museum on Halloween. What a great time. There were kids everywhere. What a…read moregreat pleasure. The park was full of visitors and the staff was up for the day. They were having as much fun as the children and their parents. The only downside, do not have a reason to call over the weekend, because they do not answer the phone. This is the problem having government officials. They can make rules that are not helpful and do not see us as customers that deserve service. They think of themselves first.

Mossley Mill, the other name for this centre which includes council offices and exhibition space in…read moreaddition to the theatre, is a triumph in the art of repurposing an old industrial building. The architects have come up with a glass fronted extension to the Victorian mill which looks brilliant especially with original chimney standing beside it - a wonderful combination of modernity and history, on an impressive hillside site. It's certainly drawing plenty of people, at least there was a good number of visitors on the evening I saw a powerful exhibition there about Anne Frank, which was on tour and is now moved elsewhere. There is a wide programme entertainment on offer at the theatre throughout the winter including both professional productions and shows involving local groups hopefully providing a healthy mix of culture and community.

Went to Theatre at the Mill for the first time this week to see the Harlem Gospel Choir. I was very…read moreimpressed with the theatre, particularly the setting- the restored mill is stunning! The acoustics were great so at times, the choir was able to sing without microphones. The theatre has free parking and a licensed bar. I will definitely look to see what future shows are coming up!

W5 is officially described as 'an interactive discovery centre' which doesn't sound half as much…read morefun as it really is. It is an educational place, but boy is it fun! The first time we went, my kids were absolutely blown away - there is nothing else in Belfast in this league. There are 4 separate areas - START, GO, SEE and DO and each has loads of fun stuff for kids and the adults with them to do. START is best for younger children - although my 9 year old still secretly loves it. You can't imagine some of the exhibits and best of all, you are allowed to touch and get involved with everything. First thing you'll see is the fully functioning mini branch of Tesco - shelves, fruit, veg, packets and a chilled counter with fake lobsters and mussels and even a till which beeps as you put each item through. Genius. Then there's the real Mini car which you can tinker around with, a mini building site with crane and foam bricks and roof tiles, a huge water play area (they even provide waterproof aprons), and how great is this - a recording studio where you can watch yourself on screen as you play a wooden guitar. I mean the children can watch themselves, obviously I haven't done that. GO is all about space so will appeal to junior astronauts. You can sit on pulley chairs which you have to use your own body strength to lift, join in a massive tug of war, experiment with magnets, and build and race K'Nex cars. SEE - I love this bit. You can create cartoons and add sound effects. I think I missed my vocation in life. Even better, you can make music with lights and your movements. This section is quite 'laboratory' like and will appeal to even too cool for skool pre and early teens. Finally there is DO, where you can get stuck in building robots and learning all about our weather systems. Like anything you make in W5, you have to respect the rules and leave your model behind for someone else to dismantle and use the materials. There is a café but it sells a limited selection of scones and sandwiches. But the good news is that there are picnic areas so you can bring your own food, saving money and ensuring that your kids will have something they like. There's also a shop which sells reasonably priced gadgets and toys. A stroke of genius is that there are lockers on the ground floor so don't have to carry bags and coats etc which I think is fab, especially in winter when you'll have hats, scarves etc too. A ticket for 2 adults and 2 children will cost £22. That might seem off putting at first glance but bear in mind that your ticket is valid for the full day and you can leave for something to eat in one of the nearby restaurants and go back in. You could easily spend 3 -4 hours at W5, especially on your first visit. I cannot recommend W5 highly enough for a family day out , just one word of caution, wet days in the summer holidays can be crazy busy in W5, so go first thing or later on in the day.

Recently visited w5 with a very hyperactive 1 year old godchild and she as well as i loved it! It…read moreis great for tiny people to explore and run away with their imagination! In particular the kids seemed to enjoy the discovery area which is for under 8's only. It is a great place for children to get into role play as it is set out in real life situations and allows children to learn about themselves and the world around them as well as encouraging them to experiment. There is a little water area which is particularly good for sensory and motor development and the little ones appeared to have a ball in here! One tip is to bring an extra set of clothes for them because if they are anything like this child they (and everyone else around them) will be soaked from head to toe!! Children under 3 years go free and £8.50 for an adult. They also do great family offers and all in all it is a great family day out for all ages :)

Anyone who restored any old machine back to its former glory immediately has my respect. This…read moreorganization is actively restoring and preserving local history and a small section of the railway line up to the old abbey on the outskirts of Downpatrick, on some occasions you can get a ride on the steam engines which is great for kids and adults too. Its living history not from a textbook or stuck in a museum, these are working engines and preserving skills that would otherwise not be needed and be lost. Worth checking when trains are running for a visit.