Plan your visit to the Award-Winning Ark Open Farm Newtownards

Visit The Ark Farm

We are delighted to welcome you to The Ark Farm in 2026 and invite you to experience our newly refurbished café
and our incredible bespoke playpark – the only one of its kind in Northern Ireland.

Meet the animals

A farm favourite! Our newly renovated Animal Encounters barn where you can meet and pet a variety of animals with sessions throughout the day. This could include our rabbits and guinea pigs through to a gecko or hissing cockroach.

Foam Party

Every day at 1pm and 4 pm in July and August our ever popular foam party takes place. It's sure to create lots of giggles and shrieks of delight! Bring some towels and a change of clothes if you think your kids will love it and let them embrace the foam party fun - that's what childhood is all about!

PLAY AREAS

We are excited to welcome you to our play area which we invested in ahead of Spring/Summer 2025 and our old faithful 'Dragons Den' themed play area too. Our play areas have slides, swings, sand, a zip line and lots of climbing and exploring opportunities which are sure to thrill.

FairyTale Forest & Jurassic Ark

Explore our land of dinosaurs and fairy houses. Once you arrive you'll see our wide range of dinosaurs on our trail and then you can walk across to visit our fairy houses, three little pigs, Rapunzel's tower and Goldilocks.

Jumping Pillow

On dry days our bouncy rainbow pillows are always a huge hit. Even toddlers can join in the fun as it is safely placed at ground level! Our pillow is a truly unique experience and make for great photos of you, your family and friends defying gravity!
Remember to bring your socks!

Barrel Rides

Hold onto your hats and get ready to have some serious fun on our barrel rides. We have an upgraded track which has been designed to add to the thrill with some bumps and wobbles to enjoy - great fun for adults and kids alike! 1 FREE ride for every child!

Ride On Tractors

Go for a spin on our pedal tractors in our undercover polytunnel. We have tractors to suit toddlers through younger primary school-aged children. They love going through our tunnel, topping up their 'petrol' at our pump and going over our mini ramp!

Tractor Ride

Love tractors? Tired feet? In a hurry to get to our dinosaurs and fairies? Our tractor ride is a fun and speedy way to get from one side of our 40 acre farm to the other. You can even bring your buggy on board.

Farmer Talks

Join us for two keeper talks every day at The Ark Open Farm! Depending on the animals and keeper on duty, you could learn more about our meerkats, deer, goats, pigs, Highland cattle and more. Each talk lasts approximately 10-15 minutes, with most visitors also getting the chance to help feed the animals - from lichen and willow for our deer to dog biscuits and mealworms for our meerkats.

locally roasted coffee

The Ark is owned by a family of coffee lovers, so we know how important a good coffee is! That’s why we proudly serve locally roasted coffee from Pure Roast. From flat whites and cappuccinos to iced lattes and classic Americanos, you can enjoy a proper barista-made coffee while the kids explore the farm.

fresh homemade food

Farm days deserve better than standard fast food! Our Cottage Café serves freshly prepared, homemade meals, including pizzas, burgers, loaded fries, melts, sandwiches and daily specials. With children’s favourites, homemade traybakes and locally roasted coffee too, there’s something for everyone.

delicious ice cream and iced drinks

Cool down with a refreshing iced latte, made with locally roasted Pure Roast coffee and your choice of delicious syrup. For an extra treat, enjoy a scoop of ice cream from our Ice Cream Hut or Café - the perfect way to recharge during your farm adventure!

Outdoor Play

At The Ark Open Farm, there’s no shortage of outdoor adventure! Our bespoke playpark is designed for endless fun. It features two exciting zones – one for older children to climb high, take on thrilling challenges, and zoom down our tunnel slide, and another specially designed for little ones, complete with a sand play area, a fantastic climbing frame, and a mini slide.

But the fun doesn’t stop there! Our much-loved hill slide and vibrant rainbow bouncing pillow are still here to enjoy. Plus, as you explore our Fairytale Forest and Jurassic Ark, you’ll discover a magical dragon-themed play area… perfect for little adventurers.

With so much to see and do, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at The Ark Open Farm!

Food & Drinks

Our Café has a delicious homemade, hearty food offering and a modern, cosy and welcoming interior. At peak times you can also enjoy our Horse Box coffee truck, and Ice Cream Hut at The Ark Farm.

We are proud of our homemade offering including hearty soups, stews and delicious sandwiches with the freshest local ingredients. Of course, we cater for children with more simple eating preferences like chicken nuggets, fish fingers and sausages too! Our traybakes are made on-site and we serve locally roasted coffee too!

Horse Box Coffee Truck and Ice Cream Hut are open on select weekends and days during our peak season.

Ark Farm Map

The Ark Farm is spread over 100 acres of beautiful countryside and it is most definitely bigger than meets the eye!

We will give you a map of our farm and information leaflet on arrival but you can also view today’s activities here.