Discover Ballymoney – Culture and Parkland

If you’re looking for a hotel in Ballymoney, local themes can help shape your stay: regional history, architectural heritage, parkland, motorcycle racing or an event. The places and options vary—from a museum and self-guided trail to a park and the annual Ballymoney Show. As you plan, consider which of these themes matters most to you.

Town history at the Town Hall

Ballymoney Museum is located in the Town Hall. Its permanent exhibition explores the region’s history from earliest times and includes the mystical Derrykeighan Stone. The museum’s focus therefore ranges from a broad sweep of regional history to a specifically named exhibit. After its official reopening, the Town Hall also became a venue for the Ballymoney Drama Festival. This places the regional history in the exhibition alongside the building’s historic connection with the festival.

Heritage Trail and Riverside Park

The Ballymoney Heritage Trail is a 2.5-mile self-guided walk through the town’s architectural heritage; it starts at the Townhead Street Car Park. Its length, circular route and starting point make it a clear choice if you’d like to explore Ballymoney’s architectural history on foot. At Riverside Park, the focus shifts to open landscapes. The park covers around 40 acres, or 16 hectares, and the Ballymoney River flows along its entire length. A shared cycle and pedestrian path runs through the park and forms part of NCN Route 96. The park was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 2015. The points of comparison differ: the 2.5 miles refer to the walk through the town’s architectural heritage, while the roughly 40 acres refer to the open parkland with its river and shared cycle and pedestrian path. This can help you shape your plans around either a route or the landscape.

Event on the first weekend in June

The Ballymoney Show takes place every year on the first weekend in June and also hosts the YFCU Northern Ireland football championships. This combines a recurring event date with a specific sporting fixture. Programme details may vary from one edition to the next. If you’d like to plan your stay around the show, check the dates and programme for the relevant year.

Motorcycle racing and remembrance

The Dunlop Memorial Gardens offer a place for visitors to reflect on international motorcycle racing legends. A life-size statue of William Dunlop was unveiled there in February 2022. Joey Dunlop was born in Ballymoney in 1952. The Robert Dunlop Memorial Garden features a polished granite obelisk and a bronze sculpture of Robert. Pay attention to the names when identifying the sites: the statue of William Dunlop was unveiled in the Dunlop Memorial Gardens; the obelisk and bronze sculpture belong to the Robert Dunlop Memorial Garden. This helps you match the specific memorial details to the right locations.

Plan your swim

You can book swim times at the Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre in advance with a Swim Ticket. If you’d like to include swimming in your stay, take this advance booking option into account when planning.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Carnlough, Antrim, Dunadry, Newtownabbey, Cushendall, Templepatrick, Larne, Crumlin

For the main travel overview: Antrim.