Ulster Folk Museum

Friendly knowledgeable staff. Very much a working history museum with regular demonstrations. Cafe reasonably priced. The only gripe being not checking all toilets have soap before opening for the day.

Over 150 Acres of history to explore. Well maintained and very engaging with period actors and shops you can go inside. Recommend going for a walk to the various old farm houses on the property and you may even see some animals (pigs, sheep, donkeys and goats).

Absolutely fantastic authentic Irish village experience. Enjoy a full day out (bring a picnic) explore and enjoy the village life- carpenter, weaver, baker, banker, doctor and so much more- homes and business. Actors (gp, printer, carpenter etc) are there too, bringing the village to life. Cafe is good serving soup, stew and pasteries. Highly recommended for young and old.

As always, a great day out. It happened to be a golden hawk on show that day, which made our visit even better! The staff were amazing as always. Loved the wee chats you stumble upon with them.

Beautifully situated in the North Down countryside, a chance to pretend you are Marty McFly fresh out of the DeLorean, stepping back in time to interact with the buildings and people of yesteryear. The inhabitants of the town will enthrall you with tales about their jobs and activities as you soak up the atmosphere of Ulster of yore. Buy a big bag of cola cubes at the sweet shop when you enter and traverse the cobbled streets, the highways and leafy byways of all our shared pasts. The basket weaver is very talented, my companions and I passed a moment of merriment being permitted to try on his fabulous mummer masks. Visit near Christmas to attend a carol service, as candles burned brightly our hearts were filled with joy and wonder. Perhaps old Saint Nick will pop down the chimney with a bag of presents for ye and yir kin.

We took the kids here and they absolutely loved it. The guides all positioned around the site in authentic costume made it so interesting for the children. We managed to get some food and drinks in the tea room which was pretty reasonable. Would love to go back again!

Beautiful and peaceful, farms and animals, good place for walking and picnic

Absolutely, worth the visit, it is a lot bigger than you think. You can easily spend a whole day here. Staff are very friendly from the beginning to the end. The only thing I would say is that it is better to visit in better weather (not pouring of rain or very windy)

We went to the Folk Museum on Halloween. What a great time. There were kids everywhere. What a great pleasure. The park was full of visitors and the staff was up for the day. They were having as much fun as the children and their parents. The only downside, do not have a reason to call over the weekend, because they do not answer the phone. This is the problem having government officials. They can make rules that are not helpful and do not see us as customers that deserve service. They think of themselves first.

I first went to the Folk Museum when I was at school and now I love taking my own kids there. If you're planning to go, wait for a dry day as you'll spend a lot of the time outside and trudging about in the rain is no fun for anyone. First things first and parking is easy as there is a large car park. Then buy your tickets - a family ticket for both Folk and Transport Museums will set you back £20 which is fantastic value as visiting both with lunch in between will take a full day. You can bring your own snacks and lunch to keep costs down too and there are plenty of places to stop for a picnic. The folk museum is totally fascinating and is based around a full size village with a school, a pub, a bank, church, shop, a cinema, town and rural buildings, all of which have been painstakingly taken down brick by brick and moved from their original site, moved to the museum and rebuilt brick by brick. You can look round inside all the buildings which have been furnished with the appropriate furniture etc and even go upstairs in some. Most days there are museum guides on duty who are dressed in period costume and on school holidays and Bank Holidays, there are activities to join in with like basket weaving, butter making and traditional street games. Kids and adults will really enjoy the Folk Museum as its so interactive - history will suddenly get interesting!

This museum was a pleasant and wonderful surprise. We had a guided tour. Our guide was very friendly and a source of great information/history. We were impressed with all the original and well preserved buildings. Each building has its own story and provides a piece of history. The grounds are not too large and are easily walked with out too much effort (my wife has bad knees). We spent two hours here but could've easily spent more time here.

It wouldn't be Easter without a visit to the uftm, planning our visit for this Easter though its a great day out at any time of year. Their exhibition of titanic artifacts are a lot better than the titanic Belfast centre has and there's also the benefit of seeing more than one type of transport as well as the folk side for the way people used to live. The museum puts on different events throughout the year and its worth checking the website out. Last year they were giving people the chance to sleep over at the museum which would have been a unique experience. Its not cheap but its worth every penny as your more than likely only going to visit once a year if even.

I only visited the Transport part of this vast museum but that, in itself, took the whole afternoon, so you need a full day at least if you plan to see anything else! It's easy to get there by bus from Belfast and it drops you just a short 5 minute walk downhill to the Transport building (further to the others). It really is a great experience to see the trains, trams, buses, old cars and so much more at such close quarters and to read about their history on the boards beside each vehicle. Everything is very clean too - you can touch the wheels of the trains, for instance, and they are polished and gleaming! The 'sound effects' are very well done and sound like steam trains in the distance - very atmospheric. There's a miniature 'station' for children to play in which is well done, though I would recommend that slightly older children would get more out of this amazing place than the few toddlers I saw in there the other day. There's a small cafe near the railway vehicles which sells sandwiches and cakes, quite useful for a rest from exploring. All the staff (and we met many to speak to) seem extremely helpful and were on hand to answer any questions. I only have three criticisms: Firstly, everything could have been lit better as some of the areas were rather dim. I had to considerably brighten all my photos in Photoshop despite using flash and some were blurred because the auto-focus couldn't focus properly. Secondly, there should be a better cafe inside, or attached to, the Transport Museum as the other one is a very long walk away on the other part of the site which really caters for the Folk Museum. Thirdly - which is my main criticism - there should be a shop which sells Transport Museum souvenirs (postcards, gifts, pens, models, T-shirts etc). I was astonished to find there was nothing whatsoever which one could buy to remember their visit! There is a shop inside the Aviation building down the hill but that has nothing to do with the Transport Museum and is full of toys and souvenirs about air travel. I asked members of staff if there was another shop within the grounds but was told there were no transport souvenirs to be found anywhere. Very disappointing. Apart from these gripes I really enjoyed the experience and, if you have even a small interest in vintage vehicles or the history of travel, then this place is a must!

Super place for a day out. I have been a few times and each time I go there's more interesting exhibits. The buildings and collections look back at how people used to live in Northern Ireland in the 1900s. Ballycultra town has a bank, postoffice, blacksmiths, tea rooms and a pub to name a few. There are workshops and demonstrations on basketweaving, leatherworking, metalworking and other trades and crafts. Events like Rural Ulster and American weddings, the Cultra Hill Climb, Ferguson heritage tractor working day, Donkey day and the Story of Irish Dance. Great for school groups and families. I didn't even get the chance to have a look in the Transport museum; I will have to return again soon, as they have exhibitions of Air, Land and Sea transportation.

Great way to keep the old and young entertained. Enough exhibits to expand they minds of all ages, from informative pieces to several photo ops, both sides of the museum give a great look into the Northern Ireland of yesterday. The folk museum in particular was great this may bank holiday as many staff were dressed in period clothing and willing to answer questions and really aid to set the scene. The kids loved the ol' time games like 'skip rope' and 'sack racing' that were put on in the diamond. A nice but pricey restaurant is onsite, but if the weather is good it's makes for an ideal picnic location. The transport Museum boasts cars, boats, trains and planes... The Titanic exhibit was good, however the Deloren and Steam trains steal the show. A great way to spend a day off!!!

This place is fabulous, two massive exhibitions all in one place and they're both linked by a free shuttlebus service. The outdoor Folk Gallery is brilliant, old buildings and artefacts have been brought here and restored and laid out in such a way as to tell a story about how Northern Irish people lived and worked in the early 20th century. There an old village set up with church, shops, and town square and with staff members in periodic dress, its like stepping back in time. This really is a fabulous place to see. Then you have the Transport museum, which will have something for everyone, whether you're into bikes, cars, trains or planes this place has the lot. The range of transport goes from past to present and set out so you walk along and don't miss a thing. You could spend one whole day in each of these exhibitions and with different events taking place within the year there's always things to do or new things to see. I will definitely go back at some point

Having many good memories of visiting the museums when I was very young, I was quite keen to go back again recently. It certainly did not disappoint! The Folk Museum is very interesting, although I would recommend going in summer as there is a lot of wandering around outside! The Transport Museum is equally as good, although unfortunately part of it was closed off for maintenance when we last visited. As that was the case, though, we were not charged for entry in to the Transport Museum because of this which I thought was a kind gesture.

The folk museum is great and you can get a pretty good idea of times gone by from the village and its various buildings and costumed inhabitants. If you manage to arrive at one of the houses just as they are making bread you also get to taste the past. The transport museum isn't bad but could do with being updated in a few parts and the Titanic exhibit really needs work - as it is surely one of the largest draws for tourists you would think things might be a bit better. Folk Museum = 4* Transport Museum = 3* Overall = 3.5 = 4*

I was lured here because I am a Titanic buff and I added this museum to my list of sights while in Belfast for the day. I wish I had more time to visit the old village and explore more of the grounds. We did enjoy the Titanic exhibit albeit small. The old locomotive and vehicles were cool but a breeze to view. Perhaps one day I will revisit.

I do enjoy a really good museum. Call me a sad-act if you must but I really enjoy going round and checking stuff out and generally observing the wall with wonderment. My girlfriend is the same and we try to go to as many museums as possible because it is usually inexpensive way to spend an afternoon while expanding your brain and learning a little bit more about the world. I prefer the transport museum park of this attraction, its an indoor walk about and I find it a lot more interesting and engaging than the folk park of it. That isn't to say the folk aspect isn't worth a look, especially if you're a tourist because it will give you a real insight into Irish and Northern Irish history. The only problem with this place is the price. Call me cheap if you want but I think museums should only charge a nominal fee and this place is around £7 which I think is a bit much. I don't mind paying but compared to the Ulster Museum at Botanic (which is free) it really isn't up to much.

This isn't fair, the park itself is 5 star...BUT!!!!! MAJOR GRIPE!!!! The park is CLOSED on a Monday, and it was closed on Monday 15th of August, we had made a day trip to go...car full to bursting with picnic etc to find it shut, and it wasn't just us..LOADS of other families were turned away at the gate, I mean what sort of place shuts every Monday...DURING THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS??!! I really love this park but the management is useless obviously Crap

I love this place. It's not just for children and families, im 26 and i drag my boyfriend here at least once a year. I love the soda bread lesson, where the lady teaches you how they made soda bread on a griddle way back then. It's such a fun place to visit, with so much to do. A definate for tourists, but remember to allow a whole day.

It's been a while since I've been here but it's not one of the best experiences I've had with tourist and places of interest in this country. I remember, as a child being dragged here with school. I remember sitting with a piece of flint aimlessly trying to start a fire (which really was unlikely to happen as I had flint and some other piece of rock but no wood or kindling, I was a child...) This is basically a large expansive area of which you can tour, walk about, see people dressed like the Amish putting on bizarrely inaccurate Ulster-Scots dialects and in general talking and rambling about how times are hard and tough. Maybe I'd just jaded but I don't quite get it, I didn't enjoy going here an adult anywhere near as much as I thought I would. If you have seen all that the north has to offer then maybe call over but it's a strange one.

This is a wonderful place to enjoy a day out with the family. I ahve lost count of the amount of times i have been here. The houses are beutiful and you get a real taste of old stly living. I also believe they are now licensed for wedding and i couldnt think of somewhere more pretty and special to get married. The staff are all in costume and take time to tell u stories of what everything was used for and explain their costumes. There are some lovely animals here and the coffee shop is pricey but nice. It can be A Little pricey but there are often special offers to be found 2 for 1 etc! Best to go in the summer its a bit chilly to walk around in winter and it takes a very long time to get round both parts.

Took my family around this and really enjoyed it. I was surprised that even my daughter loved it, as it was mainly a boys thing. We spent a good 90mins there and never got bored. Entry price was very good and there was an interesting choice of things to see and do. A grand couple of hours out with the family for a rainy day.

I haven't been to the Folk Park section in some time, but I'm a frequent visitor to the Transport Museum, as I take groups of pupils to see the Titanic Exhibition. The Titanic section doesn't really deliver unfortunately, there are some maps and plans from Harland and Wolff and some newspaper articles and videos, but nothing of any substance, unlike a Titanic Exhibition I visited in New York which had unbelievable relics from the ship. I'm hoping that the new development they are planning will be an improvement. However, the staff were so helpful, one of them even providing an informal and impromptu guided tour for our group, which was really lovely and informative, and added a bit of something extra to the visit. The rest of the transport section is fantastic, in particular the train gallery, they are so beautiful and impressive and you are allowed to go into them, which is a real treat. The old buses and trams are interesting too, and the place is laid out for real ease of use, directing you from one exhibit to the next and ending with the treat of all - the Back to the Future Delorean car - which of course my pupils tried to get into which nearly gave me heart failure. I think it's a great day out for all ages.