Marine Gardens is one of the nicest features in Carrickfergus. Situated along the Marine Highway,…read morethe gardens and park are close to Carrickfergus Castle and have fantastic views across Belfast Lough and beyond. The park has two adjacent car parks. At the 'far' end, going towards Larne, there is a medium sized, free car park. At the other end, the car park is bigger, but is pay and display. There is also a limited amount of on street parking. The area comprises a War Cenotaph, complete with an army tank and cannon, a large 'green' area with small rolling hills, plenty of park benches, trees, and a paved path going around it. The next part up, over a small bridge, is a large children's play park. The largest in Carrickfergus. This is a modern, newly installed, soft play area, with climbing frames, swings, ziplines slides, and features a large Pirate Ship. As you would imagine, the park is very popular and on bank holidays and especially on sunny days, it is absolutely packed! The entire park is enclosed from the road by a stone wall. The park has public bathrooms available within the 'Clock Tower' and is well loacted for cafes nearby within the Courtyard, and Mauds Ice Cream. The town centre of Carrickfergus is also a very short stroll away.

Fantastic green and park with stunning views of Carrickfergus castle, Belfast lough and beyond. The…read morecouncil have invested a lot in a great kids park with pirate ship etc and loads of parking and amenities nearby

I'm a bit confused by the other review for the Amphitheatre, because this is not what I experienced…read moreat all. Before joining the gym, you must pay for an induction, which costs a tenner, but if you do decide to go ahead and sign up for a membership, they refund this charge. Monthly membership is £28.00 which I think is a fantastic deal, because when I was with Fitness First, I was paying a hell of a lot more than this and their facilities were horrendous, wheras the facilities at the Amphitheatre are top class. My membership fee also includes use of the pool, sauna, steam room etc. I paid my tenner for my induction, and I got a really thorough one, I was taken round every piece of equipment and given a full walkthrough of how to use them, which was good, because the equipment is so state of the art, I hadn't used anything quite like it before. The guy who gave me my induction also gave me lots of good tips and pointers for my workouts, which I appreciated. I love this gym!

Here with daughter number two for a birthday party. Great location, facilities and parkingread more

Brought my two daughters to Marine Gardens for some fun in the park. The park facilities were…read moreexcellent and clean. The apparatus was challenging for them and they loved it, nice scenery also.

I loved this place when I was younger. It was simply the most exciting place in the world as far as…read moreI was concerned and now I am older I see how great it must have been for my parents too. Let your kid run wild for 45 minutes and then watch as he sleeps like an angel for the rest of the day. The playground is an eclectic mix of rope swings and climbing frames, with the big net climber in the centre as the hub for childhood adventuring. I still have memories of racing friends to the top and back down again. Overall this is a great place to bring the under 12's in your life. It is a fun and exciting place for them to run around and tire themselves out.

I used to go here as a younger, more athletic....oh God lets face it, I was never bloody athletic…read more But I did go here with friends and family when I was younger and could run for longer than ten seconds without getting out of puff. I blame the 90s. Anyway, this is a great place for little ones and young people to blow off some steam, get some fresh air, and have fun. It's like a Peter-Pan-Esque playground, with treehouse type structures and slides and climbing frames and even a zip wire, which always scared me - I was never brave enough. It's got handy parking and it's in the environs of the gorgeous Cavehill, so if it's a nice day, and you have sprogs - get them up here for a day of fun.

This is handy for people visiting the nearby duck pond with young children or indeed following a…read morevisit to the leisure centre. The park itself was refurbished along with the leisure centre approximately 6 years ago and now looks a lot more modern. The play area has soft flooring to help little ones avoid cuts and bruises while playing with the equipment, and the park is generally kept very clean and tidy.

This is a super place for kids called Ludo Time in Carrick Leisure Centre. Great as part of a…read morebirthday package (like my little one attending).

Shaftesbury Park has been an occasional haunt for me ever since I was a child. It's not a massive…read morepark, basically a square 'green' surrounded by trees, and some benches, which is great to sit out at on a good day. There is a path leading all around the green on level ground which is popular with dog walkers and joggers, and at the far side, there is a children's play park. There are three entrances to the park, the 'main entrance' is at Joymount, with another leading from St.Bride's car park, passing by the Bowling Club, and the third is a little tunnel, which leads from Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, making it a nice walk to tie in with a walk around the duck ponds!

One of my favourite spots for a walk. Seapark is great as it offers a lovely park in and of itself…read morewith play facilities for kids as well as parking (limited when it gets really busy) and can also be used as the starting point for long costal walks. it also offers one of the best seaside views of Belfast Loch and it is good to see the big ships coming and going from the Harbour. On warmer days there is often a decent ice-cream van there too.

Seapark is a hidden jewel in the North Down crown. The North Down coast is not lacking beauty spots…read morebut Seapark is right up there with the best. On a sunny the day the views over Belfast Lough are unbeatable. The park itself is a 5 minute walk from Holywood High Street and local amenities but you'd think it was a million miles away due to its tranquility. The park facilities include a huge grassy area ideal for summer BBQ's and walking dogs. There's also a refurbished play park, which is always a hit with kids. On a summers day an ice cream van will park up in Seapark and you'll be able to grab yourself a snack in between playing. Seapark is also the beginning of the National Trust North Down Coastal Path that snakes along the coast all the way to Groomsport. If you fancy a walk or cycle on a nice day then look no further than the coastal path. At every corner you'll be hit with stunning beauty and culture (Grey Point Lookout). This is a popular route for dog walkers and you'll often see friendly pooches off their leads, so if you have little ones with you keep them close especially if they are a little bit sheepish around dogs.

Perfect for those with an interest in gardening, flowers and plants. Carrickfergus regualrly wins…read moreawards for floral displays. Free to visit and good for those seeking ideas for their own gardening projects.

Love the atmosphere, and you can see they are trying hard. Staff very attentive. Food is just a…read morelittle short of the mark that the previous owners set. Keep working at it... Menu could be a little better

We recently joined the National Trust in order to get in to some of the country's best parks and…read moregardens but after a walk at Crawfordsburn and down the North Down coast we began to question why, especially with scenery like this on our doorstep. Around 15 minutes from central Belfast and the same from Bangor Town Centre Crawfordsburn really is as convenient as they come! Dog walkers, day trippers and joggers come here in their droves and I don't blame them because there's something for everyone. There's lovely woodland walks through the park itself, a beautiful beach with a large grassy area for picnics and a walk along the coast with views over to Carrickfergus and beyond on a clear day. Yesterday was one of those majestic days at Crawfordsburn where the spring sunshine shimmered on Belfast lough reflecting a warm glow of happiness throughout the whole park! We decided on the coastal walk as we had Ted (our dog) with us. We walked all the way from the park itself to past Carnalea Golf Course, this walk winds all the way up the coast. There's plenty of benches to to stop at and plenty of places for you to get a photo of Belfast Lough in all it's glory (as you've probably seen from my uploads). The park itself has seen a good bit of investment recently with new picnic tables being installed and the welcome addition of a play area that doubles as a nature reserve. There's toilet facilities and plenty of parking (at least 3 car parks). Yesterday there was an ice cream van parked on the grassy area by the beach but he only comes out when the sun is shining. All in all this is a fantastic place for a walk on a sunny day, beware of summer bank holidays as it's known for drinking but otherwise it's a wholesome day out for everyone with loads to see and do!

An absolutely class park. You feel like you're not in Northern Ireland, that's because the…read morefacilities are so good - you have an outdoor gym, a kids play park and a fully equipped cafe - not to mention an enclosed caravan park. The walk itself is short, it stretches around 2km perfect for walking a tiny dog. The views are fantastic, you can look over Belfast lough at North Down and on a clear day you can pick out individual buildings. There's plenty of informational signs at Loughshore explaining the different wildlife one might expect to see at the park. One criticism would be the amount of litter on the beach area of the park, obviously there's nothing they can do of people choose to chuck their empty beer cans on the beach but perhaps it could be better enforced! All in all a great park, a lovely fresh walk with great faciliti

This is a nice place for a stroll along the shore. The terrain is flat and suitable for prams and…read morewheelchairs etc. It's quite a short walk and has a few benches along the way to rest and take in the views of Belfast Lough. Theres also a lovely little coffee shop beside a large kids play area. The play area was packed with some very happy kids so it definitely must be a thumbs up. Theres a large parking area and a separate caravan park nearby. Worth a little stop off if you've an extra half an hour.