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 :)

Amazing experience at the Ulster Museum . The experience was fantastic . A vat of information was…read morehad . The cafe was clean and tasty . The price was even better . I would highly recommend this place for all ages .

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.

Museums always get a thumbs up from me, and this one is no exception. Located in the Town Hall…read more(which was originally known as Bangor Castle, though it's not really quite that grand), the Museum depicts life in Bangor from prehistoric times right through until present day. It's usually closed on Mondays, but due to this particular one being a Bank Holiday and officially still summertime, it was open. The friendly chap at the door handed us a leaflet, which outlined the different exhibits and layout of the museum, informing us that one of the exhibits was momentarily closed, but would be open within the next few days. [Unfortunately, to avoid this, we had to go back on ourselves, walk half way round the world to get to the next exhibit, and lose ourselves slightly in the mix...a minor blip though]. The museum starts off by depicting Bangor's early Christian beginnings, with reference to the Christian Heritage Trail in the town. With a few artifacts, such as the Bangor Bell (from the ninth century) and a thirteenth century coffin lid from Holywood Priory, it's pretty interesting. Beyond this lies an exhibition on famous names in North Down - the likes of Ward and Rathgael are mentioned. At this point, the exhibition takes a turn outside, where a replica of a monk's cell lies. It's an impressive ensemble, with just about enough room to squeeze under the roof and into the hut. Nice. The next focus was on Bangor as a holiday town. It was this exhibit that was mainly closed due to maintenance, so there wasn't too much to see, except an interesting fruit machine taken from Barry's amusements, which closed in 1983. After that, we turned upstairs to a section on ancient monuments, followed by a Viking exhibit and longhouse. The latter was very impressive - lots of wood, hay, cowhides etc. My sister spotted an interesting fact about Scrabo, and told me that apparently there were Viking coins found around that area at one stage. After this was a short exhibit on Sir John Newell Jordan, or rather his impressive collection of finds from the Far East, to which he was a "eminent diplomat", and indeed envoy. The next exhibit was downstairs and out through a couple of doors. The cinema room was lined with old posters, and arranged in an authentic fashion, with a film about how WWII affected Bangor. We sat down to watch this, and found it extremely interesting. Pictures of how badly Bangor was hit in Blitz really brought the history home, and the stories of those who lived through it were very poignant. The last exhibition is linked to the North Down Coastal path - a fifteen mile walk from Seapark to beyond Groomsport and Orlock. I'll have to attempt it one day... All in all, an interesting and informative museum, set in the most beautiful building, and surrounded by stunning grounds. Plus it's free!

I'm a big fan of this place. I really like it, its nice to have a quality, fun and inexpensive…read moretourist attraction to take people around when they come to Bangor for the first time. This place is a lovely wee tourist attraction with plenty going on, I recently took my girlfriend here and she really enjoyed it. Me being a Bangor native and having lived here all my life didn't expect to enjoy it but I did. There is a nice restaurant, exhibitions about the local area, the impact the vikings had on the area amongst other interesting exhibitions that are excellent and fun for everyone of all ages. Entry to the building is free, but they ask for donations.

A large and well laid out museum. It had worksheets for kids. There is a good cafe. It covers all…read moreeras of history and all aspects of it too. It changes exhibitions regularly. It is clearly well funded. The staff are vry helpful. There are many terrific artefacts and the place is never too busy.

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.

This museum is state of the art, with some very old artifacts from the Williamite and Jacobite…read moreperiod of UK/Irish history. The guided tour is a must if you want to get a proper indepth understanding of the history of Irish history and the Orange Institution. The tour guides were very open to questions and the museum itself, whilst probably small compared to others, has a lot to see and do, from interactive screen monitors to basic colouring and drawing for young children. There is a well stocked gift shop and a cafe which seems to be very popular with the locals. The history of Ireland has always been contentious and for lack of a better term, troublesome, but it was clear that the museum displays and the tour guides were operating a strictly informative policy, and leaving out any potential bias. I was very impressed with some of the displays, from the Collerette that the footballer George Best wore, to a Jacobite musket, to banners, and statues. I was also surprised to find that Bernardo, the founder of the Banardos charity was a member of the Orange Institution. I would recommend that locals and tourists alike visit this museum. It is a portal to history that literally cannot be found anywhere else in the world and very educational, dispelling a lot of the myth surrounding the history of Ireland. If you are ever in Belfast, pay the museum a visit. Well worth the effort!

I love the Belfast Children's Festival - and I don't' even have kids!…read more It comes around every Spring (usually timed to include the Easter holidays) and there are so many events, I wouldn't know where to start! Basically, there is something for everyone. My favourites this year were the baby rave (yeah, you heard me!) and and event I've forgotten the name of, but which consisted of an author and an illustrator sitting in a room with a bunch of kids making up a story and illustrating as they went. It sound so simple, but it was so stimulating for the kids it was unreal. In a city that's full of festivals, it's nice that there's something that's specifically designed for kids. After all, I'm a firm believer that for the arts to survive, you gotta get 'em while they're too young to argue!

This is a very small museum. The staff was super friendly. It was very informative with a strong…read morefocus on the Second World War.