A hands-on family farm on the Ards Peninsula, built around a giant wooden ark — bottle-feed the lambs, meet the reindeer, hold the rabbits and roam the Fairytale Forest, then let them loose on the playpark.
What you'll do — meet around 200 animals across 40 acres: bottle-feed lambs, feed the deer and reindeer, and hold rabbits, guinea pigs and even a gecko or a hissing cockroach at the timed Animal Encounters sessions in the barn.
The play — a huge wooden adventure playpark (said to be the only one of its kind in NI), a Dragons Den play area, a jumping pillow, a hill slide, the colourful barrel-train and pedal tractors, plus the themed Fairytale Forest and Jurassic Ark dinosaur trail.
How long — most families make a half-day of it; allow two to four hours to get round the 40 acres.
Cost — around £10.50 adult, £10 child (3–17), £3.75 toddler (1–2) and under-1s free, with a family of four about £39.50 (plus a small booking fee) — confirm the current rate when you book.
Bring — wellies or old shoes for the yards and fields, socks for the jumping pillow, and a coat whatever the sky's doing. The Cottage Café does hot food, and there are covered picnic spots if you'd rather bring your own.
Book ahead. It gets busy and can reach capacity and turn walk-ins away, so pre-book online on thearkopenfarm.co.uk — you save a little per ticket too.
Closed for parts of autumn and winter. The farm shuts for roughly two months a year to set up its Halloween Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Experience, which run as separate ticketed events — so check the day and prices before you set off.
Plan your visit
Book ahead to be sure of your spot
The Ark runs its main season through the spring and summer, open through the day from around 10am to 5pm — Sundays can open a little later, so check the day before you travel. The farm strongly recommends pre-booking online, as busy days can reach capacity and walk-ins may be turned away. Summer online prices are £10.50 adults, £10 children (3–17), £3.75 toddlers (1–2) and under-1s free, with a family of four at £39.50; a concession (student or over-65) is £9.25, a registered carer goes free with a paying visitor, and a £1 booking fee applies. The Halloween and Christmas events run on their own dates, hours and prices, so confirm before an off-season trip.
Cottage Café & hot foodAccessible toilets at both endsMost paths buggy & wheelchair-friendlyTwo free car parks on siteNo dogs (assistance dogs by arrangement)
Worth knowing:
The Ark closes for roughly two months a year to set up its Halloween Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Experience, which are separate ticketed events on their own dates and hours. Always check the day, the times and the prices on thearkopenfarm.co.uk and pre-book if you can.
Before you set off
What to wear & bring
👢Wellies or old shoesIt's a working farm across 40 acres — the yards and fields mean feet find the mud, so save the good trainers.
🧦Socks for the jumping pillowShoes come off for the big bounce pillow, so a clean pair of socks keeps the fun going.
🧥A coat, whatever the sky's doingLots is outdoors, and if the rain comes the Animal Encounters barn and covered picnic spots are the cosy backup — a wet day here is no bad day.
🧴Hand gel or wipesPlenty of animal-holding and feeding, so handy for little hands before the snacks come out.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Summer online prices: adults £10.50, children (3–17) £10, toddlers (1–2) £3.75, under-1s free. Concession (student or over-65) £9.25; registered carer free with a paying visitor. Family of four £39.50, family of five £46.50, family of six £53.50. A £1 booking fee applies, and you save up to £1 a head by booking online. Special-event prices (Easter, Halloween, Christmas) differ — confirm the current rate when you book.
Season & hours
Main season runs spring to autumn, open through the day from around 10am to 5pm, with Sundays sometimes opening a little later. The farm closes for roughly two months a year for the Halloween Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Experience, which have their own dates and hours. Check the day before travelling.
Booking
Pre-booking online is strongly recommended — busy days can reach capacity and walk-ins may be turned away. Event days (Halloween, Christmas) usually run in timed sessions.
Ages
Best for toddlers up to around age 10. The hands-on animals, themed trails, jumping pillow and adventure playpark land squarely with younger children.
What you'll see & do
Around 200 animals across 40 acres — bottle-feed lambs, feed the deer and reindeer, and hold rabbits, guinea pigs, a gecko or a hissing cockroach at the timed Animal Encounters sessions. Ride the colourful barrel-train and pedal tractors, and explore the huge wooden adventure playpark, the Dragons Den, the jumping pillow, the hill slide, the Fairytale Forest and the Jurassic Ark dinosaur trail.
Food
The refurbished Cottage Café serves homemade hearty food — soups, stews, sandwiches, tea and coffee — with a Horse Box coffee truck and Ice Cream Hut on select peak-season weekends. Picnic areas dot the farm, some under cover for rainy days.
Toilets
Toilets in the farmyard block and a second set at the Fairytale Forest end, with accessible toilets at both.
Dogs
No pet dogs — it's a working farm with livestock. Guide and assistance dogs are welcome by prior arrangement.
Getting around
Most paths are firm enough for a buggy or wheelchair, and the tractor ride is wheelchair accessible and can even take a buggy on board. Some outer fields and trails are grass and can be uneven.
Parking
Two free car parks on site, with disabled parking right next to the entrance.
How long
Allow at least two to three hours; most families make a half-day of it across the 40 acres.
Questions
Before you go
Do I need to book?
It's strongly recommended — the farm gets busy and can reach capacity, so pre-booking online secures your spot and saves up to £1 a head. Halloween and Christmas events run in timed sessions, so those are best booked ahead.
What ages is it best for?
Toddlers up to about ten get the most from it — the animal-holding, the barrel-train, the jumping pillow, the Fairytale Forest and the adventure playpark are all pitched at younger children.
Can the children really hold the animals?
Yes — the Animal Encounters barn runs timed sessions through the day where children can hold and stroke rabbits and guinea pigs, and even meet a gecko or a hissing cockroach, plus bottle-feeding for the lambs and feeding for the deer and reindeer. Hand gel or wipes are handy to bring.
Is it any good in the rain?
It is — alongside the outdoor fields and playparks there's the indoor Animal Encounters barn and covered picnic spots, so a wet day still works out well. Bring a coat and wellies and enjoy it.
Can I bring the dog?
Afraid not — it's a working farm with livestock, so pet dogs aren't allowed. Guide and assistance dogs are welcome by prior arrangement.
Is there food?
Yes — the Cottage Café does homemade soups, stews, sandwiches and hot drinks, with an ice-cream hut and coffee truck on select summer weekends, and there are picnic areas (some covered) if you'd rather bring your own.
Getting there
296A Bangor Road, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT23 7PH — on the Ards Peninsula between Newtownards and Bangor, with two free car parks on site. The number 6 bus stops within walking distance of the entrance.
The Ark Open Farm sits in the green countryside of the Ards Peninsula, a short run out from Newtownards, and takes its name — and its landmark — from the great timber ark at the entrance, complete with a pair of life-size giraffes looking out over the road. It's the photo everyone stops for before they've even parked.
Behind it, a family-run farm of around 40 acres has grown into one of Northern Ireland's best-loved days out for little ones — home to some 200 animals, from lambs and goats to deer, reindeer and the small creatures of the Animal Encounters barn. Over the years the family have kept adding to the day: the themed Fairytale Forest and Jurassic Ark trails, a huge wooden adventure playpark, the barrel-train and jumping pillow, and the seasonal Halloween and Christmas experiences that draw crowds every year.
What hasn't changed is the heart of it — a real working farm, run by a real farming family, where children get right in among the animals, learn where their food comes from, and run themselves happily tired before the drive home.