I was here last night for the first time and I was hugely impressed by the facilities - It's…read moredefinitely had a recent facelift! I was there to play football and having played at a number of different sports facilities I have to say that these were right up there with the best. The have 6 floodlit 3G pitches that are available to hire. There are also two full size 4G floodlit pitches. They have rebranded the sports pitches 'V36' and they have obviously thought about the logistics of the centre as it now comes with a refurbished car park. Great facility all in all and relatively cheap to hire in comparison with other pitches.

Newtownabbey Council has put a lot of time and money into sprucing up the Valley Leisure Centre,…read moreand they've done a great job in my opinion. Back when I was young, the Valley was pretty dark and everything was brown or cream, but now the lighting's a lot better and you don't really feel like this is a place where joy comes to die. The slide in the pool was the main attraction when I was growing up, and it remains to this day. Beyond that, there are squash courts, indoor football pitches and rooms for classes. There's also a gym upstairs, which my brother is a member of and loves. Municipal gyms are some of the cheapest going and I think they're the best option if you're thinking of joining a gym. The Valley is also the location for many a children's birthday party and they provide a bouncy castle, so it's pretty easy for parents to organise.

A great park in the centre of Lisburn. It has quite a large play area for kids with loads of…read moredifferent pieces of equipment for them to climb and swing about on, including a zip line. There's also a small basketball court next to the play area. In addition to the play area, the park has some of the best indoor tennis courts which can be used throughout most of the year. These are situated within a large dome. There's also a cricket pitch; an outdoor gym; specific cycle lanes around the paths and a duck pond. Can get very busy on nice summer days or when an event is held in the park but still a lovely park to visit:)

I love this park...it's a bit away from me, but I love going here with the kiddies…read moreThe actual park has many aspects like cricket pitch, football pitch, tennis court, outdoor gym, walks & cycle tracks, toilets (so handy with kids!)duck pond and of course the kid park! But...the thing I love most about it is the fact that once you get parked and begin the walk from the entrance, it reminds me of Narnia! The old fashioned lamp-posts peeking out between ancient trees lining the edge of the path right along the length of the park always have me squealing inside in a very much fangirl way lol! I love it all year round, but especially in Autumn...when the leaves literally blanket the whole ground...it's almost magical...and there's nothing better than kicking up the leaves with the kids in our wellies with a nice hot choc from the coffee cart...absolute bliss!

If you don't have children you may be baffled by my enthusiasm here, but if you do have children,…read moreyou'll understand. If your kids are anything like mine, there aren't that many places you can go for more than half an hour without the brattish distress call of 'I'm BORED'. I love them dearly really. But Stormont Park is one of those places and then some. It's a massive children's play park with the added advantage of being slap bang in the middle of Stormont grounds which you can also explore. This is a well equipped and well maintained park. The super efficient park wardens see to that. 'Jobsworth' is a very cruel term, they just take their responsibilities seriously. There is something to amuse and tire out every age of child from toddlers right up to teens. Slides, monkey bars, tyre swings, zip line, large and small climbing frames and more. There are also picnic tables and portable BBQ stands so that you can 'make a day of it' as they say in Norn Iron. There are toilets too, not always clean at the busy times in summer, but any port in a storm. Just take your tissues and hand sanitiser and you'll be good. Even if you have to travel a few miles, Stormont Park is well worth a visit.

Gosh, it seems like only yesterday this place was built, and I was a mad, boisterous little thing…read moredesperate to try out the coolest play park in town. How time flies, yet so much remains the same... This was the park of parks. I mean, you really couldn't get much better than Stormont play park. It always reminded me of the really cool park up in Portrush that cost a couple of pounds to get into, except Stormont is free (parents can breathe a sigh of relief at this point...), and superior. The setting is a beautiful one - the park is nestled in amongst the trees at the edge of the estate, yet at the same time it's safely separate from the forest...so no missing little ones! As the two previous reviewers commented, there are a huge variety of different activities to keep the kids entertained for hours, plus a number of benches dotted around the place for mum and dad to chill. My favourite aspect of Stormont play park is the ever popular zip-line, which had a never-ending queue and was always surrounded by those cheeky wee louts who kept stealing everyone else's turn. Once you got on, you didn't want to get off, but unfortunately that had to be the way of it. Climbing ropes, swings, slides, frames and the rest are all there. And they're all so well maintained, which is lovely to see. If I was ten years younger, I'd be back in an instant...

I love these places and used to go to one a lot when I lived in Spain - I had never seen one in…read moreNorthern Ireland and was very excited when I spotted this one in 'The D' I took my sister and her little boy as a treat a few weeks ago. We called in the middle of the day so it was very quiet and we had plenty of space and time to pick our pottery, choose a design and get them all painted up. It was a fun, cheap afternoon with an entrance fee of only £4.00 each and then our chosen pieces which range in price but nothing that is going to break the bank. My finished pair of shoes are now sitting by the front door with a small plant in them! A good value day out for all the family.

Seaside Ceramics offers an alternative to the usual birthday parties. It is a pottery studio that…read moreis primarily aimed at children but can be fun for adults too if you don't mind getting messy with clay and paint. Seaside Ceramics also offers jewellery making but don't expect any Tiffany diamonds, this is all plastic and child friendly. The good thing about Seaside Ceramics is that it has a large space to make pottery in and is ideal for kids parties. It seats 28 people but is rarely full so if you are protective of your unique designs as I was you can keep away from little copycats. It is relatively cheap too, there is a £4 studio fee during the day and a £5 fee in the evenings but this is relatively reasonable when you consider Seaside Ceramics is an all day activity. You can purchase additional keepsakes for a further £4 but who knows one of your purchases could fetch millions in a future auction.

The school summer holidays can seem very, very long, so I like to plan ahead for 2 days out a week…read moreduring July and August. I know, I am sad. One of the places that's on my list at least twice is Delamont. As it's a country park, you obviously need a dry day unless you enjoy sliding through mud and rain and then throwing away all the kids' clothes when you get home. Along with your sanity and sense of humour. And your promise to yourself not to drink wine during the week. So, Delomont, what's it got going on? Lots. I really do get that feel good factor from a day having fun in the fresh air and that's exactly what I get at Delamont. You pay £4.50 to get in an park the car and after that you don't have to spend any more money. There is a brilliant park which keeps my kids amused for literally hours - lots of climbing and rope swings and giant slides. There are a few picnic tables in this area too, but not enough so bring some picnic rugs and sit on the grass as there's loads of space to spread out. After lunch go for a walk on one of the trails through the beautiful scenery (high praise indeed from me as my usual preference for scenery is shop fronts or a TV screen). Even lazy teens will enjoy the trails as they are dotted with interesting sculptures and things to climb on. An added bonus is the schedule of events during the summer which are just every child's dream - bug hunts, night time paddling, Viking battles and boat trips to name a few. It really is an Enid Blyton kind of place. Check the website before you choose a date for your day out. There is a small shop so you can grab an ice cream or cold drink to revive you after your walk. The only other thing you may need to spend money on is the mini railway, but if your kids are older than 6 or 7, this is likely to be dismissed as 'for babies'. If you do go on it, you will feel like a complete plonker, but suck it up, the little kids love it!

Delamont is the perfect place to enjoy the great outdoors and view the amazing scenery of…read moreStrangford lough and surrounds. I am a bit biased, as I used to live less than half a mile from Delamont and I loved it. I walked around Delamont up to 3 times per week I know every part of it and I miss it after moving to Belfast. It costs £4 entry to the car park, which is right in the heart of the country park. There are several walking routes you can follow and they are signposted from the car park and along the way. Most have view points from where you can see right accross Strangford Lough and it's islands right over to Portaferry with the Mourne Mountains to the right. There is a canoe trail from where you can paddle over to the islands and have a walk around. Along the walking trails you can come accross an old Rath, a bird watching hut and an outdoor education centre from where schools have their field trips. The tall stone was erected in 2000 and can be seen from many towns surrounding Strangford Lough. During September there is a re-enactment of the vikings landing 'Magnus Barelegs Festival'. The kids play park is fantastic, as it includes tower like slides, climbing frames, swings and a super zip line. There is a miniture railway with a coal fired train, this costs £2.50 and is really fun. It takes you around the track sounding its horn, taking you through the tunnel and past all of the outdoor gym equipment. Delamont was one of the first places to have these installed and they are a great addition to your walk. There is a small caravan park at the entry. Delamont really is a must for anyone wanting to see the real beauty of the rolling drumlins of Co Down.

There are a couple of open farms around Belfast but what sets this one apart for me is the fact…read morethat they produce their very own ice cream from their very own cows. How cool is that? The grass grows, the cows eat the grass, the cows make milk and the clever people at Streamvale make ice cream from the milk. You can even watch them making it. Of course the bet bit is eating the ice cream which is lush. The rest of the farm is well worth a visit, with all the usual farm type animals - horses, sheep, goats , ducks and chickens. When there are lambs on the farm, kids can even give them a bottle feed of milk which they love. The kids that is. Although I suppose the lambs love it too. Kids can also have a pony ride, feed the chickens and enjoy the slide through the hay bales. At Christmas, Streamvale is just magical - an elf tells a Christmas story and then you take a tractor ride up to the top field to see the herd of reindeer which live at Streamvale. After the kids have fed the reindeer, you then walk back down to the farm by torchlight singing Jingle Bells. Truly enchanted for kids big and small. PS the reindeer are very popular at Christmas so make sure you book well in advance.

Spring has sprung, summer's in the air, but wait...my little cuckoo has grown up and left the nest…read morefor college. That's why I borrowed my nephews to go to our fav farm for a day out. Streamvale is dead easy to get to (behind the Dundonald Ice Bowl) and ticks all the boxes for a family trip. Nature walks, baby animals, big animals, petting and cuddle-time...everything that's fun and informative about animals and farming. For the parents there's a tea room and toilets (again, I seem to have a toilet obsession going on, but when a 5 year old says 'toilet', you jump to it!). Streamvale has seasonal events too - and a great up-to-date website. And to finish mums off, there's insects and a Mouse Farm-bleuch! But on the plus side: Grandparents go free in May (god forbid you should want to spend time away from your precious little ones, but Victoria Square is surely a 'me-time' destination?!!!)

We were in Belfast for a few days and decided to visit the zoo. The weather was great, which…read morehelped. The place was very clean and well maintained. We arrived early, so that we could spend as long as we like here and take our time. Would highly recommend Belfast Zoo

My kids loved every moment of their time at the Belfast Zoo. The staff were incredibly friendly and…read moregave up tips every time we interreacted with them. The walk around the zoo was pleasant, although a bit hilly at times, but it was so calm and tranquil. The animals were clean and looked well cared for, so what more could you ask? There is a cafe on premises which is very popular.

The tower itself is closed to the public but the grounds are accessible at any time,I'm not a hippy…read moreor anything but I really want to get up early some morning in the summer and walk up to scrabo tower and have a bowl of cornflakes as the sun rises. The views on a sunny day are fantastic over Belfast,comber and the Irish sea. The walks through the quarries and through killyneither woods are long and challenging in places, great for a bit of exercise and peace and quiet , bring food and a disposable bbq there's lots of picnic tables throughout the park. Great place to bring your kids or walk your dog. Would benefit from a shop here for drinks and snacks. You can have dinner in the golf club though.

My beloved Scrabo has been part of my life since I was dragged up to it on a school trip, I…read moreremember being able to actually run up the hill to the tower in my youth, but years of kebabs mean I take a slower pace these days, the view from the hill and the Tower itself is pretty spectacular, if you can avoid looking down at West Winds, mind you, you can always pretend you're looking down from the Enola Gay. The forest park is pretty spectacular, a nature lovers dream, certainly a nature minded friend was in his element describing all that he saw with great gusto. The only downside, is that the car park at the top of the hill can be full on busy days, and crossing the road can be dangerous as you get ignorant twats from the golf club trying to run you over.