Discover Ballymena

Ballymena offers distinct themes for a stay: paths in two parks, church and churchyard history, cultural offerings and a weekly market. If you’re looking for a hotel in Ballymena, these highlights can help you plan. Consider whether you’d like to spend most of your time in green spaces, explore historic buildings or take in a cultural programme; each place has its own character.

Parks and walking trails

Ecos Nature Park is close to Ballymena town centre and offers eight kilometres of mostly flat walking trails. People’s Park has mostly gentle walking paths. It also has play equipment, tennis courts, outdoor fitness equipment and picnic areas. This means you’ll find different park experiences in Ballymena: walking trails are the main feature of Ecos Nature Park, while People’s Park has several additional recreational areas.

Churches and history

The tower of the old Parish Church is one of the three surviving towers associated with Ballymena’s former title, “city of seven towers”. St Patrick’s Parish Church was consecrated on 2 August 1855. Its tower is over 90 feet high. The church also has Northern Ireland’s only ring of twelve bells hung for full-circle ringing.

Those interested in bell ringing can also connect with St Patrick’s Parish Church: you can take part during services or on a practice evening. Check arrangements for taking part before your visit. This lets you include this musical aspect in your trip planning alongside the church’s architectural history.

Churchyard trails with different themes

The Ballymena Churchyard Trails are brought together in a self-guided brochure and include two different routes through churchyards in the Ballymena area. The Pre-Reformation Trail explores some of the region’s oldest surviving traces of architectural heritage. The Covenanter Trail explores sites associated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church in the Ballymena area. The two trails therefore have different focuses: ancient architectural traces on the one hand, and the history of the Reformed Presbyterian Church on the other.

Culture at the Braid

The Braid Arts Centre in Ballymena includes a 400-seat theatre, gallery spaces and a museum showcasing local heritage. The Braid Theatre programme features comedy, music and drama. Its cultural offerings range from exhibitions and local heritage to a variety of stage performances. If you’re planning your trip around a cultural theme, you can consider these offerings as different points of interest.

Weekly market in Ballymena

The weekly market takes place every Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm in the car park on Ballymoney Road. As the schedule can change, check it again before you travel. The market adds a regular weekly rhythm and a specific place to visit to the area’s historical and cultural attractions.

Discover more destinations: Broughshane, Gracehill.

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