tourist attractions antrim

The first battalions of this elite force were volunteers from other American army units based in Northern Ireland. The troops came to Carrickfergus for their initial training and induction. This force still continues its job with the American Forces throughout the world....

Here at Bushmills we invite you to experience for yourself the craft and skills of making an Irish single malt whiskey....

The Lagan Valley Regional Park was established in the late 1960s, to protect the countryside of the Lagan Valley between Belfast and Lisburn and to develop the area for wildlife conservation and informal recreation....

Its long and fascinating history began during the late 18th and early 19th centuries when there was an upsurge of interest in botany, horticulture and gardening, encouraged by the range of new plants being brought back from the East and the Americas by plant hunters.

The formation of "Botanic Gardens' became fashionable, and gardens had already been established in Dublin and Cork when the Belfast Botanic and Horticultural Society was formed in February 1827. Under its president, th...

Along the entire sea-front a magnificent mile-long promenade has been built running from the headquarters of the County Antrim Yacht Club towards the cliffs at Blackhead. Two thorough-fares in the town give easy access to it, each leading to an extensive car park right at th water's edge, with a magnificent view across the lough and out to the open sea....

Glenariff Forest Park covers an area of 1185 hectares of which about 250 hectares have been left open for recreation, landscaping and conservation. In the park are two small rivers containing spectacular waterfalls, tranquil pools and stretches of fast flowing water tumbling through rocky gorges.
There's a café, toilets, and an exhibition centre. Four way-marked trails of varying length (1-9 km) wind through the forest leading you into some of the park's most beautiful wooded areas....

A well-preserved Round Tower, which stands to a height of 92 feet, though the conical cap was reset after the tower was struck by lightening in 1819. It has one unique feature: a ringed cross carved in relief on a stone above the lintel of the doorway on the north-eastern portion of the tower. The cross does not help us to date the tower which, however, is likely to have been built in the 10th or 11th century. Together with a large bullaun stone nearby, it is the only monumental survivor of a...

It's entered by a gate-house, with corbelled turrets of Scottish type. To the right on entering are the pillars of a unique open loggia in the Italian style, which must have become redundant when the Great Hall was built up against it early in the 17th century. This two-storeyed hall, with fine (partially reconstructed) windows to the west, is a gracious building with finely moulded stones at parapet level which once supported the long-vanished roof. Beyond are kitchens and domestic quarters,...

Queens University is one of the oldest and largest Universities in Ireland. Indeed, it is also one of the most beautiful pieces of modern architecture in all of Ireland, both North and South. It's located only about 10-15 minutes from Belfast City Centre and it's one of the main atractions of the city.
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This burial ground bears the name of one of the town's benefactors, Charles McGarel, who also built the Town Hall at Cross Street in the town. Among the interesting graves in the cemetery is that of Henry McNeill, regarded as the founder of the modern tourist industry in Ireland.

In many of these cemeteries can be found the graves of families whose members emigrated to the United States.

For those trading their family tree there can often be reward in the form of coats of...