Co. Antrim

Food and Drink
A mild climate and largely unspoilt environment mean that Northern Ireland produces seafood, beef, lamb, game, dairy produce, fruit and vegetables that are among the best in the world. The region is also gaining a great reputation for its local producers and the famous Bushmills Whiskey has been produced in the County Antrim village of Bushmills for 400 years. From the lovely sea-front restaurants along the Causeway Coastal Route and seafood bars at the foot of the Mourne Mountains to contemporary city restaurants in Belfast and the City of Derry, the Northern Irish food scene is vibrant and surprising with a real range of experiences for "foodies".
Shopping
Belfast has a huge variety of shopping areas, from Donegal Place with its familiar high street names, the Spires Centre for upmarket designer clothing to the Fountain Area with its speciality shops. In Derry, watch demonstrations of traditional crafts at The Craft Village and visit Austin’s; Ireland’s oldest department store.
Where To Stay

• Country Antrim is home to three of Northern Ireland’s top tourist attractions, the most well known being the 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway. Nearby, the formidable Carrick – A Rede rope bridge provides a test of nerve for those who cross it, as it sways 80 feet above the sea. Afterwards, if you need a stiff drink, head for the Old Bushmills Distillery, the oldest legal whiskey distillery in the world. Stay in the charming seaside town of Portrush for a great base for touring the area.

Things To Do

• In Belfast take a pint in the Crown Liquor Saloon, now owned by the National Trust. It is the best-preserved example of a traditional pub in the city with stained glass, Italian tiles and shiny brass fittings surrounding you.
• Stroll around the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Holywood to experience the history of the area. Featuring a traditional tannery, doctors surgery, sweet shop and pub, this open-air museum is made up of many reconstructed buildings to form a village where you feel like you are stepping back in time. The best thing is the genuinely enthusiastic staff dressed in period outfits, who are on hand to explain and demonstrate.
• VISIT NATIONAL TRUST PROPERTIES - Many of the top attractions in this region are National Trust properties including the Giants Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Mussenden Temple and Patterson’s Spade Mill.
• PRIVATE TITANIC TOUR - Titanic Tours Belfast offers you the opportunity to visit a key site in the history of the construction and launch of the greatest liner ever built. The tour takes you to the home of Thomas Andrews, the chief designer of the liner, and the Titanic Quarter; home to the huge dry dock where the great ship was built, and the location of the designers’ drawing offices. The tour ends at the splendid Belfast City Hall to see a memorial to Belfast citizens involved. The tour is brought alive by Susie Millar, the greatgranddaughter of Thomas Millar who worked for Harland & Wolff on the construction of Titanic and sailed onboard her as an engineer on the fateful maiden voyage to New York in April 1912. One of the highlights is a visit to SS Nomadic, the last surviving vessel of the White Star Line & the tender used to ferry First Class Passengers to Titanic.