Join us on immersive experiences and guided tours. Take in the natural beauty of our countryside, encounter water’s edge wonders, charming towns and villages and our delicious food and drink. Our local people are ready to welcome you and share their passion and skills.
Be captivated on a historic guided walking tour, embrace your creative spirit, or try something new on our stunning coastal waters and loughs.
Find out more and choose your adventure visitardsandnorthdown.com/experienceAND
Explore Ards and North Down
With 115 miles of scenic coastline for you to explore, from the edge of Belfast Lough, on to the Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough, you will find many beautiful and lesser-known beaches as well as Seaside Award winners, dotted along your journey. Plan beach days out and enjoy fun both on and off the water; build sandcastles, explore the shore, enjoy rock pooling, or just take in the scenery and reset and recharge, the choice is yours.
Why not go for a dander in one of our many parks and open spaces? Enjoy stunning outdoor spaces, five of which have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award. So, pack a picnic and look for fairies in the woods, burn off some energy in the parks, or plan a trek with friends. Spot the local wildlife on your way, when you make time to connect with nature.
Explore more at visitardsandnorthdown.com/explore
Coffee with friends
From Belfast city centre, enjoy the scenic journey to one of our distinctive towns and villages, where you can relax as you enjoy the coffee culture and delicious local food and drink available in one of our many award-winning eateries. After, indulge in a spot of shopping with wonderful local weekly and monthly markets, exquisite gift shops, boutique clothing, galleries, and independent stores, you are sure to be spoilt for choice.
An Afternoon Tea treat in Ards and North Down
As we head into summer there are many things to celebrate and there is no doubt that Afternoon Tea really is something special. Whether it be a birthday, time with friends, or catching up with loved ones, Ards and North Down has a host of unique options.
From luxury to relaxed and cosy, something tailored to kids or maybe an afternoon tea with a difference! You will be sure to enjoy delicious sweet and savoury treats in beautiful surroundings.
Find out more visitardsandnorthdown.com/afternoontea
Family favourites
Keep the kids entertained and create lasting memories this summer with a huge variety of family friendly activities throughout the region. We’ve top class visitor attractions to enjoy and two favourites are Pickie Funpark, Bangor and Exploris Aquarium, Portaferry. At Pickie Funpark, pedal a giant Pickie Swan around the lagoon, share a round of Pickie Golf, jump into the watery fun at the splash pads, enjoy the Adventure Playground or climb aboard the Pickie Puffer for a railway journey around the colourful landscape.
pickiefunpark.com
Why not visit Exploris Aquarium and Seal Sanctuary, Northern Ireland’s only aquarium and seal rehabilitation centre? Be wowed with a diver’s view of marine life from around the world, view sea creatures through an underwater glass tunnel in the NEW Under the Sea Experience.
The colourful coral reefs in the Tropical Ocean zone play host to over 100 species and the team of aquarists and guides are on hand to answer your questions. Pick up the aquarium map and take part in the stamping trail, answer trivia questions and complete your map as you go!
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Find lots of free and low-cost ideas to inspire you this holiday season, to help you keep to a budget, explore more of our Blog section at visitardsandnorthdown.com/blog
Ards and North Down event highlights
Annual events are a highlight in our calendar;flagship days out for locals and visitors who travel afar for our renowned programme. These events are FREE to attend (with some activities and refreshments for purchase).
Find out more about our annual events and more at visitardsandnorthdown.com/whats-on
Find out more about great value short breaks in the area, go to visitardsandnorthdown.com/offers or you can contact our friendly Visitor Information Centre Team in Newtownards (028 9182 6846) or Bangor (028 9127 0069). Why not pop in and chat to them while you are here to make the most of your trip?
While there, look around the Discovery Hub in Ards Visitor Information Centre, an exhibition area with monthly displays on history and heritage, events and local produce. Find details on these monthly exhibits in our What's On calendar.
We look forward to welcoming you soon!
