Visit to Rose Park Farm

We recently enjoyed a trip to Rose Park Farm, Ballymoney. Although we only visited for an afternoon there is plenty to keep the entire family entertained for a whole day so will definitely be taking a trip back soon!

We were greeted by a friendly member of staff, given a detailed map and advised on the different attractions that would be suitable to entertain a toddler. The farm is laid out along a beautiful walk with thousands of roses planted along the way. As this is Northern Ireland a few showers of rain are to be expected but there are plenty of rain shelters and for kids running through the rain to try to find the next hideout is all part of the fun! If you don’t fancy a walk then you can just go straight to the main farm yard.

If you go to Rose Park Farm just expecting to see animals you will be pleasantly surprised as the farm animals are only part of the attraction! There are playparks, bouncy castles, zip lines and a yard full of ride on tractors, go-karts and bikes to name just a few of the additional activities. Another special feature is the inland beach, Blue Lagoon, so bring your buckets and spades to build some sandcastles before going for a paddle in the Lagoon. There is also an Enchanted Woods where kids can let their imagination run wild searching for fairies and trolls and a Giant’s Lair with a massive seat and giant footprints leading to the farmyard. I found that it was small details like this that made the day out more fun!

There is a great variety of animals which are well cared for by staff who clearly love animals. One of our first stops was at the maternity ward where we saw a mummy donkey with her adorable babies who were only 3 hours old and just learning to stand on their wobbly little legs! At the main farm yard we purchased a bag of carrots which went down a treat with the ponies, deer and goats. My son’s favourite had to be the baby goats that were skipping around the yard and had him in fits of laughter with their antics! There is also a petting area with cute kittens, rabbits and guinea pigs but if snakes and spiders are more your thing they have that covered too although I kept a safe distance!

We had brought a picnic with us and found plenty of areas available to sit down and eat. We still had to try the coffee and buns from the coffee shop, all for a complete review obviously, so am pleased to confirm they were delicious!

Admission is £5 per person while children under 2 go free. This gives access to all activities except the quad train ride which is an additional £2. For the amount to see and do I found this was a very reasonable price. To plan your own visit to Rose Park Farm click here!