Giant Adventures in Armagh

Seeking a weekend with a difference with her children, Donna-Louise Todd (@Mrs.Houseproud) and her family created an itinerary of things to do on Discover Northern Ireland, packed the car and made the short journey to Armagh. Here’s what they got up to. 

Day One 

Life can be hectic at times so it’s nice to hit the pause button on the daily routine. My kids love to travel – it doesn’t matter how far we’re going, their excitement starts building the second they see their suitcases. 

We live in County Tyrone, and the compact nature of Northern Ireland means that everything is essentially on our doorstep. So after just 25 mins in the car, we had arrived for our family adventure in Armagh city.  

I love its historic streets and Georgian buildings and our first stop of the day – The Navan Centre and Fort –is something special. It is one of Ireland’s most famous and important archaeological sites and the kids just loved exploring, asking lots of questions and listening to the knowledgeable staff who were on hand to explain what everything was and the significance of it all. 

They also had great fun dressing up in Celtic costumes, exploring the archaeology discovery room and playing in the outdoor activity area. 

If you’re thinking of visiting, I would really recommend booking a fully guided tour, there is a lot of fascinating history to this place, and it helps to have an expert on hand to explain it all. 

After a couple of hours at the Navan Centre, it was time for lunch so we made our way to Keegan’s Bar and Restaurant, and the food on offer here was delicious.  

I had the Goats Cheese for starter and the Irish Filet for my main, and there were no complaints from the kids as they tucked into fish fingers and sausages. The free Sweetez Tub that accompanied their meals was a great touch and fruit shoots are a firm favourite in our household. 

After lunch, we to travelled to the nearby Armagh Observatory and Planetarium – Ireland’s leading centre for astronomical research and education – and when I tell you the girls had fun here, they literally did not want to leave! 

They got to touch a real meteorite and loved gazing at the universe in the state-of-the-art dome. 

I was impressed at how educational it was, and there were lots of fun activities for kids. My two enjoyed their time so much we returned the next day as well. They really couldn’t get enough of it. 

When I eventually managed to convince the kids to leave the planetarium, we made the short trip over to our accommodation at the Armagh City Hotel. This 3-star hotel had everything we needed and is perfectly located, in the heart of the city. I was delighted with the rooms too, which were comfy and cosy. 

After we all freshened up, we headed out to the award winning Uluru Bar and Grill for authentic Australian food with a twist. 

This restaurant has a real pop-up vibe, and its atmosphere is on par with the delicious food. I had the monkfish to start and the Bondi Burger for my main - the memories of the melted brie and crispy bacon on that burger still has my mouth watering! 

After dinner we enjoyed the short stroll back to our hotel and called it a night. 

Day two 

We must have fallen asleep the second we hit our pillows and slept right through as we all woke feeling refreshed and ready for more adventures! 

For breakfast, we were treated to a delicious hot buffet that set us up for the day. There were plenty of hot and cold breakfast options for everyone, with something to suit all tastes, so as a family that was great to see. 

After checking out of the hotel, we made our way to Ardress House for a spot of apple picking at their “Apple Sundays” event –we absolutely had to do this while in the Orchard county! 

The kids really loved this event.  They had a competition to pick the biggest apple, before getting their faces painted, and we even met the resident chickens, goats and donkeys on the farm. 

After a wholesome morning of activities at Ardress House, we headed to 4C Coffee House & Kitchen where we all enjoyed tea and coffee with delicious sweet treats on offer.  

After the delicious refreshments, we returned, once again, to the Armagh Planetarium and Observatory where the girls had such fun exploring the exhibition area. Walking through the Astropark – a scale model of the universe – was an experience they will remember for a long time to come. 

Not yet ready to for our incredible weekend to end, we made the short journey to Gosford Forest Park on the outskirts of Markethill. 

This place is just stunning. There is so much beauty and colour to be seen, especially at this time of the year, the play park right beside the car park went down an absolute treat with the kids. 

When they had finished playing, we took a walk around the forest and even saw some red squirrels and deer. 

This giant adventure in Armagh was exactly what we all needed and picking where to visit was made easy thanks to Discover NI’s Things to Do section. 

If you’re looking for that perfect short break, visit the website and check out the huge list of family activities and attractions on offer in Northern Ireland.