Well, I wouldn't exactly call this an amusement park, but it was the closest label available, so…read morewe'll go with it. Bangor has had a funfair for as long as I can remember, although it was always located in Castle Park (which, in my mind, was a far better place, but what do I know?) and was continuously brimming with people. This newest version of the fair is now situated along Bangor seafront, and is a great deal smaller and less interesting than the previous fairs over the years. My two siblings and I had visited last year during the summer, so my me and my sister decided to relive the 'fun' we'd had that day, seeing as it was such a beautiful sunny day. Our first choice was the 'big wheel', from which we had spectacular views, and got a tad windswept. Not too bad, and it was only £1.50 each for numerous spins (not literal spins...but you know what I mean). The second ride of choice was a giant swingy thing (yes, my descriptions are impeccable), which provided so much windswept-ness that my eyes began running frantically. It was slightly more expensive at £2 each. The other rides consist of a few kiddies ones, a little roller-coaster, Mad Mouse (one of those spinney roller coasters...and I mean literally spinney this time) and dodgems. There are few fair games and eating huts, but apart from that, there's not a whole lot to it. Plus it wasn't even that busy when we were down on the Bank Holiday Monday. It's certainly not Alton Towers, that's for sure...

Pickie Park is worth a trip to Bangor for sure. There's so much to do that you can easily spend a…read morewhole afternoon here, but be warned - you will need to have quite deep pockets. The play park itself is free. It's huge and very well equipped with some great slides, climbing frames etc, but lots of them are quite high so you will need to keep a close eye on young kids. The paddling pool is also free and on a hot day, kids have a ball jumping in and out, some of them in their underwear in true Belfast tradition. So all of that you can do without parting with any cash. Then there are the attractions which you have to pay for - the Pickie Puffer mini train, the swan boats on the other bigger pool, and the bouncy castles and go karts. They are all great fun but if you have 2 or3 kids all wanting to go on everything, you'll soon go through £30, especially if you go into the café for ice cream or drinks. You could go for a walk around the marina looking at the fab cabin cruisers or out along the coastal path instead to keep costs down but probably best to set expectations before you go.

Love Pickie, it's a real staple of the seafront of what is still technically a seaside town despite…read morethe fact that it pretty much in no other way tries to capitalise on this. With the former seafront now capitalized by the marina for private pleasure craft there is little else to attract the public to what should be a main feature of the town. Pickie has been around in 1 form or another for generations with the latest incarnation being the most full featured. With the pedal boat swans, remote control boats in the pond, powered bumper boats for younger kids, a café, miniature railway, splash water park (very much Summer only) and the playground, crazy golf and a few other attraction besides there is plenty to do here in most weather conditions for most families. Prices aren't bad and what can be compared such the food, are generally on a par with cafes in the town, although the quality has more of a processed feel than what you might get elsewhere, but it isn't too bad. The prices for the other activities aren't too bad. For example to take the pedal swans out was about £4/£5, which was OK given that you can stay on them as long as you want, although I'm not sure of that's the same at busier times as it was very quiet when we were there. The one and only thing I would say about it which is negative is that it can feel a little bit grubby or run down from time to time, nothing closing for a day and giving it a good scrub wouldn't sort, but it's just enough that I notice it. All in all you'd have to be in a pretty bad mood not to enjoy it.

This was a regular haunt for me when I was around 15 or 16 and is probably the reason I have a…read moreslight penchant for the old gambling machines from time to time. There used to be pool tables that my friends and I would monopolise after school, these have since been removed which has turned this place into more of a gambling den, which is probably why I'm not in here that much anymore. There is a wide selection of machines from high stakes to lower stakes but all of them are pretty standard. The staff are friendly and are always on hand to make you a cuppa or a toastie if you are staying for any sustained period of time. Pretty standard, I just wish they still had the pool tables.

If you enjoy a wee gamble and a wee go on the gambling machines then you have probably called in…read morehere but to be honest it isn't the best. The machines are all quite old and there aren't the higher stakes machines that a lot of people are looking for. The arcade itself is always a bit dingy and never all that clean. The staff are never really that helpful and there isn't the same friendly atmposphere as there is in the likes of the Twilight Zone. Its location just beside the bus stop is handy enough but if you are going to gamble in a place like this you can probably do with giving it a miss.