Ulster Folk Museum

Been many years since I last visited but really well worth a visit. The town is really well laid out with lots of houses to see, churches, sweet shop, police station and more. A visit to the tea room for much needed refreshments is a must, after the 1½ hours to see the rural homes and farms. Give yourself 3 hours+ for a visit. The gift shop is lovely with lots of Northern Irish crafts and gifts to purchase. We visited today, quite a wet day, but with proper footwear and coats, we braved the weather and really enjoyed our visit.

Great day out. From the moment we arrived, the staff and volunteers were friendly, knowledgeable and clearly enjoying themselves as much as the rest of us. The doctor was a particular favourite. He brought the role of the local doctor to life. Just a shame we couldn't transport him to our local surgery. The sweet shop brought back many a memory. A very informative and instructive discussion on weaving and the important role of looms in the community. The local hostelry was worth a visit for the history of the building and a glass of the black stuff. Really interesting buildings, steeped in history. Gentle walks around the park to see the cottages and farm buildings. You could easily spend the entire day there. The gift shop had an array of gifts on offer, at prices to suit most pockets. We really enjoyed the experience and would definitely recommend the park and visit again if we were in the area.

thank you to all the staff today. I really enjoyed my visit with my parents and sister. It felt so refreshing so unplug and step back in time. I’d like to especially thank the doctor who was fantastic. He stayed in character the entire time and made things feel so real. He is a real asset and made the visit completely. Please pass my thanks onto him, my entire family were really impressed. It would be great to see more like him in those traditional roles.

We spent a wonderful day at the museum and still felt that six hours weren’t enough to see everything. It truly feels like stepping back in time — the houses and interiors are beautifully crafted and full of intricate details. We spoke with around eight interpreters representing various historical professions, such as a doctor and a blacksmith, and each conversation was both fascinating and fun. The entry fee offers excellent value, and there’s even a discount if you arrive by public transport. An absolute must-see when in Belfast!

I first visited in 1971 as a child. Since then I’ve visited the museum over 20 times. I always see and learn something new. The staff and volunteers are welcoming and knowledgeable. We pick a nice day and walk the full park, thoroughly enjoying the peace and quiet especially in the rural sections. A special place.

Went for a day out from Warren Point. Amazing to see all the old buildings, many which had been transported from all over Ireland and rebuilt. Also saw several of the craftsmen and women carrying out traditional work. It demonstrated history much better than just reading in books. Even had a pint in the old pub on site. Well worth the visit and a great day out for all the family.

I love the shops and Dr.’s Martin Clinic ❤️ the experience is like time travel way back 100 yrs ago. Dr. Martin was so accomodating Doctor. He was so nice and entertaining. He really suit with his role talking and acting like a real Doctor way back 1900. When u get there better focus on the first village its far better than the following houses. I will return there and explore more the first village. Thankyou!!!

Lots to see with original and replica farm and town houses relating to life in Ulster throughout the years. Quite a lot of walking involved and occasional farm animals. Children and adults will enjoy seeing what life was like in the past. Occasional friendly farm animal too. Pigs were popular.

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.