I think this playground is one of the best playgrounds in the area and it really brightens up this…read morestreet. The equipment is modern, bright and safe - not like the rusty metal excuses for swings and slides I had when I was a child. This park is safe as although it is one the main street it has a gate and high fence around it - a very busy park on a good day. We are reminded of Holywood's best kept town by the plaque on the wall outside and the children are watched over by the sculpture of 'Johny the Jig' who was designed and made by a local artist and now sits proud of punch near the parks entrance. When I see modern parks like this surrounded in blooming flowers and filled with colour and laughter I always wish I was a kid again.

This is probably one of the nicest children's play parks in Carrickfergus, and strangely, a lot of…read morepeople don't know about it, as it is quite secluded! There are two entrances to Legg Park, one along the main Belfast Road, just up from the Model Primary School, and another entrance facing the Windrose. The park is fully fenced off and really well equipped with soft flooring, swings, slides and climbing frames. The park is also really nicely landscaped with lots of benches making it pleasant to sit around on a sunny day.

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 a great walk on the outskirts of Belfast. It is well hidden from the Manse road entrance…read morebut don't be put off its worth the view! It takes roughly 30 - 40 mins to ascend depending on fitness level. The path leads from a quaint bridge along a stony lane running behind Lagan college. It has quite a steep incline half way through - really gets the heart pumping. The vista over Belfast and the lough are breath taking. I usually catch a plane or ship coming in. Tip 1. Parking can be tight, i recommend parking in local estate Garland Hill and adding to the dander Tip 2. If you don't fancy the strenuous walk up hill there is another entrance with parking on the Lisnabreeny road itself.

I love finding different places to walk without having to travel too far and this is another such…read moreplace. 10 mins by car from my house in Carryduff and nestled in the Castlereagh hills. There's a small car park off Manse Rd easy to miss as it's not signposted. Entry to the walk is through a wooden gate on the left. You are on a par with Cavehill height- wise and when it's clear you can see right down to the port of Belfast or over to the spectacular Mournes. There's a Rath surrounded by trees which is eerily quiet and the gravelled path leads you down towards Cregagh Glen and waterfalls. You walk past the back of Lagan college and enter the Glen via an underpass. Be careful as the old railway sleeper path ways can be treacherous as I found out to my cost recently! They look dry but can be slippery as I ended upon my ass. Fortunately nothing damaged except ny dignity! You can take a detour to visit the monument to American soldiers who served in NI during WW2 or walk on down the Glen which is beautiful especially after rain when the water is really flowing. It is quite a steep walk back up to the car park but there are a few benches dotted around. Hard to believe you are right in the heart of urban Belfast. This place is well worth a visit with kids (there's a little adventure playground) or its a haven for dog walkers or even just on your own.

This is one of my favourite places to take the children and if you know how fussy I am with them ,…read moreyou would know that this is high praise indeed. Snakes and Ladders is huge, with an indoor football pitch, toddlers area, party rooms, motorised car racing track and 'the largest play frame in Northern Ireland'. I think this claim is in fact true - it's massive! My kids can disappear into it for ages and climb, jump, swing etc. As an over anxious mother I go and check on them from time to time as you can't see them if they go right to the middle or top of it. The cars are £1 extra but you can make two kids go on each one if you're feeling miserable, sorry thrifty. What really pleases me is the standard of the food served up in the cafe. Proper fresh chicken gougons, butchers style sausages and Heinz beans for the nippers and a deli style sandwich bar, panninis and baked potatoes for the adults. Not a frozen chicken nugget in site so all good. My only gripe is that at busy times there aren't enough seats for the adults and you may have to stand for a while until you can shame a child into letting you sit down or glare at an adult until they go away. I have it down perfectly. Entry is £4.95 eachwith a loyalty scheme where the eleventh visit is free.

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 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.

This is one of Belfast's lesser known spots for a walk. Lady Dixon as its fondly known is awash…read morewith trees and flower gardens, it's especially scenic in autumn when the trees begin to change colour. The park itself is located on the Upper Malone Road and is well sign posted from the city's main highways. There's great parking and our four legged friends are more than welcome in the park. You could see the whole park in about 30 minutes but likewise you could spend all day navigating the different gardens. Gardening enthusiasts will find the perfectly pruned flower gardens particularly interesting. There's a coffee house at the far side of the garden but unfortunately we didn't make it that far. It really is s lovely spot for an afternoon walk. Who needs to pay in to a National Trust park when you've got Lady Dixon on your doorstep!

Lady Dixon Park is the perfect place for Saturday afternoon picnics, Sunday strolls and great place…read moreto walk the dog. The park itself is very well kept with cut grass and perfectly maintained rose gardens. There is lots of different sections to this park and many picnic tables so you will have no problem finding the perfect spot for your picnic. If you have come unprepared there is a coffee shop on the grounds somewhere (I'm not sure where though) so you should be able to grab a coffee for your walk. Great park especially on the rare occasion when the sun is shinning!

Brought my daughter here on Sunday for the first time and I have to say I was shocked, it's so…read morebig!!!!! The place was completely packed out with people (which put me of abit) but my daughter loved every minute of it. They have a good range of food on offer from burgers to sandwiches to cakes, also a good kids range and lovely teas and coffee's. The place is double the size of places like funky monkeys and it's staff are a lot better with kids in my opinion. They also have party packages and 4 individual party rooms which are a good size. I'll definitely be back even though it's abit of a drive for me but it's worth it. My daughter hasn't shut up about it since lol. The only thing I will say is stay away from it Saturday and Sunday and go during the week if you can because it's less busy.

I Visited here this morning with the nursery school I work for. It's been our third visit here as…read moreour end of term treat. Each visit we as a team have been very impressed by the professionalism shown by Noel and his staff. Friendly and extremely efficient. All the Children all had a ball, many thanks. Looking forward to returning.

Great place to camp! Beautiful scenery, a lake and a castle…read moreon the grounds. Big field where you can pick where to pitch your tent. Friendly wardens. A small cafe on the grounds. Absolutely lovely!

The sun doesn't even have to be shining to put the massive grounds of Castlewellan to good use…read more There is quite a bit of natural shelter from wind and rain. When it is sunny however this place gets very busy, especially by the lake where people don't just picnic - and indeed BBQ - but kayak, fish, walk, cycle, and bring their dogs for a swim. There are plenty of amenities on site or very nearby, such as plenty of parking, clean public bathrooms, a small cafe, and a large shop within easy walking distance. There is also a huge maze for you to try and find your way out of and that alone could take up a good hour. Entrance fee per car is £4.50 - a bargain for a full day's outing. Tip: there are some rubbish bins but not a lot; people tend to take their rubbish with them. The grounds are kept exceptionally clean.