Days Out NI
Theatre & gallery Larne

Larne Museum & Arts Centre

A free museum and changing art gallery in Larne's old Carnegie library.

5 photos
OpenMon to Fri 10am to 4pm, plus one Saturday…
FreeShows & exhibitions
LarneTheatre & gallery
Get directionsOfficial website
60 minutesHow long
FreeAdmission
Roughly 5 and u…Best for
On siteCafé
FreeParking

Larne Museum & Arts Centre — A free museum and changing art gallery in Larne's old Carnegie library.

  • Admission: Free.
  • Tickets: None required; just walk in.
  • For families: Local-history displays, listening posts and a changing art gallery; the museum also runs children's activities and talks through the year, so check their listings.
  • Opening: Mon to Fri 10am to 4pm, plus one Saturday a month 10am to 4pm; variable lunchtime closing, so call ahead to confirm.
  • Café: No cafe on site; cafes are a short walk away in Larne town centre.
  • Best for: Roughly 5 and up; an easy first museum for primary-age kids.
Plan your visit

What kids actually see and do

The Main Gallery is hands-on enough to hold younger attention for a half hour. There are oral-history listening posts where children can hear real Larne voices from the past, ferry and Royal Navy displays, and a section on rural life across the glens of Antrim. A digital community archive lets you scroll through old photographs of the town. Upstairs, the John Clifford Gallery rotates exhibitions through the year, mixing in-house shows with work by local artists and groups, so a return visit usually means something different to look at. It is small and free, which makes it a relaxed first museum for primary-age children.

Free entry Changing art gallery Local history Listening posts Town centre No booking
Good to know before you go:

A museum and gallery like this changes through the year: rotating art exhibitions in the John Clifford Gallery, plus children's activities and talks at different points in the calendar. Dates and details move, so check the museum's own listings before you travel.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 🎟️Your bookingShows and big exhibitions sell out — book ahead where you can.
  • 💷A bit of pocket moneyFor the café, the shop or a show programme.
  • 🧒An eye on the age guidanceSome shows and galleries suit certain ages best — check first.
  • 📱The what’s-on pageThe programme changes all the time — see what is on the day you go.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Admission
Free
Tickets
None required; just walk in
Family programming
Local-history displays, listening posts and a changing art gallery; the museum also runs children's activities and talks through the year, so check their listings
Best for ages
Roughly 5 and up; an easy first museum for primary-age kids
Opening
Mon to Fri 10am to 4pm, plus one Saturday a month 10am to 4pm; variable lunchtime closing, so call ahead to confirm
Cafe
No cafe on site; cafes are a short walk away in Larne town centre
Toilets
Yes, including an adapted ground-floor toilet
Parking
No on-site car park; free parking nearby on Exchange Road, Bridge Street and High Street, paid parking at Fairhill Car Park on Victoria Road
Accessibility
Lift to both floors, adapted ground-floor toilet, guide dogs welcome; level access via the adjacent Gardenmore Presbyterian Church (advance notice needed)
How long to allow
30 to 60 minutes
Address
2 Victoria Road, Larne, BT40 1RN
Questions

Before you go

Is it free to get in?
Free
How do I get tickets?
None required; just walk in
Is there anything for kids?
Local-history displays, listening posts and a changing art gallery; the museum also runs children's activities and talks through the year, so check their listings
When is it open?
Mon to Fri 10am to 4pm, plus one Saturday a month 10am to 4pm; variable lunchtime closing, so call ahead to confirm
Is there a café?
No cafe on site; cafes are a short walk away in Larne town centre
Getting there

Larne Museum & Arts Centre is at 2 Victoria Road, Larne, BT40 1RN. No on-site car park; free parking nearby on Exchange Road, Bridge Street and High Street, paid parking at Fairhill Car Park on Victoria Road. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

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The story

About the venue

The building started life as the Carnegie Free Library, funded by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and designed in Edwardian style by Nicholas Fitzsimons. It was built at a cost of around 2,500 pounds and officially opened on 2nd April 1906.

Now Grade B1 listed, it was restored in 2005 for its centenary and reopened as the town's museum and arts centre, run by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Alongside the displays it is home to Larne Art Club and Larne Drama Circle.

The collections cover Larne's strong links to the sea, including the first roll-on roll-off ferries, the Royal Navy and the Princess Victoria disaster, as well as agricultural and industrial life and the Home Rule, gun-running and wartime years.