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 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.

A wonderful exhibition with lots of videos and even a ride I didn't know about that was optional…read morebut very fun! I loved seeing the difference between the first, second and third class cabins, as well as so many rare artefacts, like the life jacket and Malcolm Johnson's pocket watch (stopped right at the time he entered the water). Very haunting but incredible to see. The see-through floor with the wreckage seemingly moving underneath was really well done and the man telling people about the wreckage and artefacts was very insightful. There's a large, red-lit room towards the end that you walk down stairs into. He said that the images of people on the wall floating up tells you they survived and floating down are the people who were lost a sea. Such a beautiful way of showing those who didn't make it. Well worth the visit and the walk around SS Nomadic at the end.

Titanic Belfast is an immersive experience museum. There is a ride that shares the history of the…read moreship and the launch from Belfast over 100 years ago. It shows how the ship was made in Belfast. And survivors share stories after they returned home. It can get crowded in the afternoon. I recommend going early before the traffic.

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.

I love browsing through art galleries and the Engine Room is the latest small gallery in Belfast I…read morehave stumbled upon. Run by East Belfast Arts Collective, this Gallery has moved from its original location in a mill Engine Room to a street-level showroom just a little further east on the Newtownards Road. Since the Engine Room opened in the mid 1990s it has been according to the gallery "an engine at the core of the development of contemporary art in Belfast." The range of works on show include everything from oils and acrylics to prints, video, sculpture, arte povere, installation art and new technology. The gallery also aim to showcase lesser known local artists alongside more well known artists with international profiles. There are new exhibitions every month.

This is a great Gallery space in the heart of East Belfast. It hosts local, national and…read moreInternational exhibition. The latest exhibition from 1st April 2010 is a solo show by Deirdre Robb. works on display are paintings, installations and expeimental prints

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.

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 :)

The new town hall is a very welcome addition to ballymena. The centre offers lots of various…read moreperformances usually at very reasonable prices. The centre is really well decorated with some excellent art work. The acoustics are really good as well. In my opinion this is a really positive change for ballymena and improves the image of the area.

Having many good memories of visiting the museums when I was very young, I was quite keen to go…read moreback again recently. It certainly did not disappoint! The Folk Museum is very interesting, although I would recommend going in summer as there is a lot of wandering around outside! The Transport Museum is equally as good, although unfortunately part of it was closed off for maintenance when we last visited. As that was the case, though, we were not charged for entry in to the Transport Museum because of this which I thought was a kind gesture.

A worthwhile tourist trap. In no universe could I foresee myself 1) discovering that this venue…read moreexisted, nor 2) voluntarily visiting. The Ulster Folk Museum feels like the kind of place that an elementary school class might visit on a field trip. However, I will admit that it was exceedingly charming, informative, and deserving of an hour or two if happen to be in the area. We were warmly greeted by one of the performers (this one happened to be playing the role of a school teacher) and led up to the cinema for a briefing, due to the rain. We learned a bit of the history of the museum, which dates back more than a hundred years, and its purpose for capturing and maintaining the semblance of Irish village life back in the day. We were pointed toward certain artisans and actors that were on site during that day (e.g., the apothecary, printmaker, and blacksmith). Not all of the shops and attractions operate every day, so your mileage may vary. We were then handed maps to navigate the sprawling campus and invited to explore. The rain was pretty oppressive at first, so I ducked into a few of the nearby venues to stay out of the worst of the downpour. I recall visiting a church, some fishing lodges, and the print shop. Once the precipitation eased, I quickly jaunted off to the blacksmith's forge -- the spot that most interested me. It's a healthy ten-minute walk from the entrance of the museum up a hill. I'm so glad I did! I might have been the only one among my tour group to make it this far, because it was just me and the blacksmith in the smithy. When I arrived, he was pretty focused (with good reason!), so I just stood behind the stanchion and watched in rapt fascinating as he worked the bellows, heating a piece of iron until it glowed, then quenched the metal briefly before expertly hammering it into shape on the anvil. The rhythmic pattern of fanning the flames, sizzling water, and clanging anvil was entrancing. During a lull, we struck up a conversation, and I learned that 70-year old Gerald had been smithing for more than a decade, was training several apprentices, and had wrought several custom designs featured on Game of Thrones. So cool. He even invited me to try out the bellows and to beat the anvil a few times. I was surprised at how much effort it took to maintain the fire -- after pumping the bellows for less than a minute, my shoulder started to tire. I can't imagine the stamina it must take to operate the smithy for a full shift! Sadly, I had to hurry back to our tour bus before our group left without me. I could have happily stayed to gab with Gerald for longer, and I didn't have much of an opportunity to scope out the other exhibits of the museum. If you're into immersive historical experiences, I think you could easily spend a half-day or more bopping around. It's like a theme park, minus the thrill rides, and grounded in fact rather than imagination. This was an unexpectedly enjoyable stop on our tour of Ireland and, in the end, I'm grateful we got dragged here!