Heritage

This is somewhere fresh, off the beaten track, where a stunning landscape sings of the past and leads you to a history you can touch. Where a fiddle and a pint conjure up more of our heritage than a thousand souvenirs.

Where a magnificent castle takes you to the heart of Irish history, a sleepy Georgian village ushers you gently into the 18th century, and a Victorian steam train experience will enthral young and old alike. Where the family once known as the Lords of the Route will welcome you to the land they have called home for centuries. Come and join us for two days you will never forget.

Things to See & Do

Gracehill Moravian Village - Museum & Walking Tours

Discover Northern Ireland's first Conservation area, Gracehill, an award winning Georgian vi

Carrickfergus Castle - CLOSED

For more than 800 years, Carrickfergus Castle has been an imposing monument on the Northern Irela

Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Centre

Located less than a mile from the Town Centre, off the Larne Road, the Andrew Jackson Cottage is

Plan Your Trip

Make the most of your stay in Mid & East Antrim by selecting from one of our itineraries. Each one caters to a different interest, a different mood, and ensures you experience the very best in the region.

Heritage Itinerary

This land has a story to tell - A historic tale passed down through generations, through artefacts and ruins, through folklore and ancient writings, where etchings of the past reveal a deeper understanding.

Heritage

Coast Itinerary

The Causeway Coastal Route that twists and turns along the ancient County Antrim coastline is quite simply a journey unlike any other.

Coast

Wellbeing Itinerary

From atop Slemish Mountain, the vast sky stretches away into the far distance - Patchwork fields, divided by dry stone walls, and the grasslands of the Shillanavogy Valley are burnished gold by the sun.

Wellbeing

Hospitality Itinerary

Let’s explore the culinary landscape of Mid and East Antrim and follow the trail of one of Ireland’s Top Ten Foodie Destinations of 2018.

Hospitality

Towns & Villages Itinerary

To truly appreciate the splendour of Mid & East Antrim, you must walk its towns and villages - These are places that have grown up from the rolling valleys of the Glens, nourished by the ebb and flow of the sea.

Town & Villages

Game of Thrones® Itinerary

The makers of HBO’s Game of Thrones® wanted to find an ancient landscape new to the rest of the world - dramatic cliffs that give way to beautiful valleys, medieval castles towering over picturesque stone harbours.

Game Of Thrones®

48-Hour Itinerary

The idyllic area of Mid & East Antrim was not built in a day, over thousands of years, the land started to take shape - with the collision of the rough Irish Sea on the soft grassy verges and the power of mother nature, the land started to flourish.

48 Hours

Editorials

Whitehead Railway Museum

It's true that many visitors talk about the smell of the smoke and memories it brings back but thanks to Thomas the Tank Engine and Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Express you’d be amazed at the number of kids that love it here.

Family Fun

Whitehead Railway Museum | Shaped by Sea and Stone

Glenarm Castle

Medieval conflicts of the Glens and Causeway Coast, giving way to an 18th-century elegance that transformed this achingly beautiful site into one of the treasures of Northern Ireland.

Castles And Historic Sites

Glenarm Castle | Shaped by Sea and Stone

The Witches of Islandmagee

In 1711, decades after the famous Salem witch trials shocked America, a similar furore rocked lovely Islandmagee, where the spectacular Gobbins Cliff Path now attracts visitors from around the world.

History

The Witches of Islandmagee | Shaped by Sea and Stone

The Gobbins

George McGrand has been guiding people over a spectacular sea cliff walk that clings to this epic coast since it was reimagined in 2015.

Coastal Walks

The Hot Milk Forge

Eamonn Higgins is reviving the ancient craft of blacksmithing amidst the unspoilt beauty of Glenravel. Join him to take up your own anvil, forge and hammer to craft traditional blades or a longbow straight out of Game of Thrones.

Forging Game of Thrones

The Hot Milk Forge | Shaped by Sea and Stone

Steensons

Steensons in Glenarm are makers of exquisite jewellery. You can browse their range of hand-crafted jewellery in their showroom, or enter their studio and watch their artists at work.

Arts & Crafts

St. Nicholas Church

Built by Ulster Anglo-Norman conqueror John de Courcy in the late 12th century, it seems every invasion or change of power or tumultuous local event has left its imprint here.

Historic Sites