Small county, big day out — Armagh has a planetarium, a Celtic royal capital and its own crisp-factory castle. Here are the fifteen best days out in the Orchard County.
Three corners to explore — Armagh city itself (the planetarium, two cathedrals on two hills, and the Georgian Mall), the orchards and Lough Neagh to the north (Tayto Castle, apple country, the great lough), and the Ring of Gullion in the mountainous south (Slieve Gullion and its fairy trail). Pick a corner and build a day.
Every entry has a full guide. Tap through any place below for our complete guide with prices, opening times, parking and the local know-how — and it's all on the free map.
Ireland's Orchard County — Armagh grows the apples, and Bramley-blossom time in late April and early May turns the whole north of the county pink and white. Loughgall and Ardress are loveliest then.
Rainy-day proof — the Planetarium, Tayto Castle's tour, the County Museum and the Navan Centre all keep the weather out, so a shower never writes off the day.
Two saints and a legend — Armagh is the ancient ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, Saint Patrick's own city, and Navan Fort was the royal seat of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster myth. History runs deep here.
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Armagh Observatory & Planetarium
Armagh city · Paid (shows extra) · indoor
The county's star attraction, quite literally — Ireland's oldest working observatory alongside a brilliant modern planetarium, where the digital theatre dome takes you spinning through the galaxy and hands-on exhibits let children stand on the moon, build rockets and orbit the sun. There are astronomy shows through the day and an outdoor Astropark of scale-model planets to walk between — enough to fill a happy half-day whatever the weather.
Half a dayPaid · indoorDome shows are timed — book ahead at busy times
The ancient royal capital of Ulster — Emain Macha, seat of the Red Branch Knights and of Cú Chulainn in the old legends — a great grassy mound just west of Armagh, ringed with two thousand years of story. The visitor centre brings it alive with a costumed, living-history Celtic settlement where you meet Iron Age characters, try the crafts and hear the myths first-hand. It's history that little ones actually enjoy.
2–3 hoursPaid · indoor & outCostumed shows run to a timetable — check on arrival
The jewel of the mountainous south — a forest park wrapped around Slieve Gullion at the heart of the Ring of Gullion. Drive the scenic mountain road for huge views over the drumlins to the Mournes and the Cooley peninsula, let the children loose on the enchanting Giant's Lair story-and-fairy trail through the woods, and, for the willing, climb to the highest surviving passage tomb in Ireland on the summit.
1–3 hoursFree · fairy trail · scenic driveThe mountain road is narrow & one-way — take it slow
A grand forest park around the turreted bulk of Gosford Castle — a vast Norman-revival pile you may recognise from Game of Thrones. There's a walled garden, an arboretum, a nature trail, a poultry collection and, the highlight for many, a good chance of spotting the resident red squirrels. Camping, a café and easy waymarked walks make it a proper family day, mostly free once you've paid to park.
1–3 hoursParking charge · castle & squirrelsThe castle is private — you admire it from the grounds
Armagh is Saint Patrick's own city and the ancient spiritual capital of Ireland — and it wears it proudly, with two St Patrick's Cathedrals facing each other across the city from two hills: the medieval Church of Ireland one, on the site of Patrick's own church, and the soaring twin-spired Roman Catholic one opposite. Between them lie the elegant Georgian Mall, the Robinson Library and a compact, walkable heritage city.
1–2 hoursFree · two cathedrals · Georgian cityThey're working cathedrals — mind service times
On the southern shore of Lough Neagh — the biggest lake in these islands — Oxford Island is a national nature reserve of reedbeds, woodland and wildflower meadows, with the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, bird hides, a café and miles of easy walking and cycling trails. Free, gentle and brilliant for young nature-spotters, with that vast open water always at your shoulder.
1–3 hoursFree · bird hides & caféDiscovery Centre opening varies — trails are open daily
Only in Armagh: a real 19th-century castle that also happens to be the home of Tayto crisps. The guided factory tour walks you through the whole story — from potato to packet — with the sights and smells of a working crisp factory, a peek at the castle's history, and, of course, a bag of Cheese & Onion to take home. Quirky, genuinely Northern Irish and a firm family favourite. Booking is essential.
~1.5 hoursPaid · indoor tourTours book out weeks ahead — reserve well in advance
A gem on the Armagh–Tyrone border — a country park built around a rare raised bog, with boardwalk trails out across the peatland, woodland, ponds and an outdoor discovery area. The star for children is the little narrow-gauge railway that trundles through the park on summer weekends. Free to visit, easy underfoot on the boardwalks, and full of dragonflies, frogs and bog cotton in season.
1–3 hoursFree · narrow-gauge railwayThe train runs summer weekends only — check the days
The former parkland of the Archbishops of Armagh, right in the city — sweeping lawns and mature trees around the old Archbishop's Palace, with the ruins of a Franciscan friary, an eco-trail and the Palace Stables heritage centre bringing Georgian life to life. A big green lung for a run-around and a picnic, with an adventure playground and plenty of space, all free to wander.
1–2 hoursFree grounds · playgroundThe Stables heritage centre is ticketed & opens select days
A free family farm on the edge of Craigavon — rare-breed pigs, sheep, goats, ponies and poultry to meet, a restored Victorian walled garden, an animal-themed play park and easy grounds to explore. Small, gentle and completely free, it's one of the best-value family mornings in the county, and a firm favourite with toddlers and under-eights.
1–2 hoursFree · rare-breeds farm · play parkFarm opening is seasonal — check days before you go
A pretty 17th-century farmhouse in the heart of apple country, cared for by the National Trust — elegant plasterwork inside, and outside a cobbled farmyard of old tools and friendly animals, a working apple orchard and woodland and riverside walks. It's at its most magical in Bramley-blossom season, and there's a lovely, gentle play-and-picnic feel to the whole place.
1–2 hoursNT members free · farmyard & orchardOpening is seasonal & limited — check before you travel
In the very heart of the orchards, a country park set around a long ornamental lake, with woodland and parkland walks, a play park, a golf course and coarse fishing. The village of Loughgall around it is the prettiest in apple country — a froth of pink-and-white blossom every spring. Free, gentle and lovely for a lakeside stroll and a picnic among the trees.
1–2 hoursFree · lake walks · play parkLoveliest at blossom time, late April into May
A handsome Victorian house above the River Blackwater, run by the National Trust and still lit by its original acetylene gas — a house that feels like the family has just stepped out. Beyond it lie a stableyard, a rose garden, a family-friendly light trail at Christmas, and miles of woodland and riverside walks. Gentle, characterful and a lovely all-ages day out in the north of the county.
2–3 hoursNT members free · house & groundsHouse tours are timed & seasonal — grounds open more widely
A tiny wooded island a mile out into Lough Neagh, reached from the pretty village of Maghery and its little country park — steeped in legend (Saint Patrick, an ancient monastery, a smugglers' past) and wonderfully away from it all. Enjoy the shore and country park at Maghery, or take a summer boat trip out to the island itself for a proper wee adventure on the great lough.
1–3 hoursPark free · lough shoreBoat trips to the island are seasonal & weather-dependent
The oldest county museum in Ireland, in a lovely little Georgian building at the end of the tree-lined Mall in the city centre — a treasure-box of Armagh's story, from prehistoric gold and railway relics to natural history, art and the odd mummified cat. Free, compact and just the right size for children, it's the perfect rainy-hour finish to a day exploring the city.
About an hourFree · indoor · rainy-day proofClosed Sundays & Mondays — check hours before you go
The city: a dome show at the Planetarium in the morning, the two cathedrals and the Mall after lunch, then a run-around and a picnic in the Palace Demesne.
The orchards & lough: the Tayto Castle tour (booked ahead), the farmyard at Ardress, then the birds and trails at Oxford Island on Lough Neagh.
The Ring of Gullion: the Giant's Lair fairy trail at Slieve Gullion, the scenic mountain drive, then the red squirrels and castle at Gosford.
Keep exploring
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