Top 5 Ideas for Family Fun in Mayo

The Great National Hotel Ballina boasts an ideal central location for all that Ballina and North Mayo have to offer for family holidays. A family holiday needs to be filled with memorable things to see and do, without breaking the bank!  Here are our top five ideas for family fun…though we may be slightly biased towards the first one!

1. The Great Fun Club and a Great Welcome for Kids

When you book your family holiday at the Great National Hotel Ballina, your children will be swept away by the Great Fun Club with activities for tots to teens during both the morning and evening times. There are also full family leisure facilities in the hotel, including a kids pool. Kids are special guests at the Great National Hotel Ballina, giving them their own special check-in form, their own room service menus, designated meal times and family splash times at the pool.

2. Indoor play areas

Active children love Wild West Play Centre in Westport and Funster in Castlebar – both within easy driving distance of the hotel. They are also great rainy day options to burn off that all that energy!

3. Outdoor activities

When it comes to outdoor family holiday activities nearby, Belleek Forest Park has walking trails for all the family. If cycling is your family activity of choice, then you can take to one of two scenic greenways – the Great Western Greenway stretching from Westport to Achill or the shorter Monasteries of the Moy Greenway from Ballina to Killala. Bike hire is plentiful in the area. Horseriding is also available locally at Iceford Stables offering you and your family the choice of mountain, countryside and stunning beach treks.

4. Water fun

The beaches near Ballina are among the finest on the Wild Atlantic Way. Enniscrone and Easkey offer top-class conditions for watersports while Ross Strand in Killala is wild and beautiful. If the open sea does not appeal to you then try Waterpoint Aqua Park just 15 minutes from the hotel. Its 65m flume waterslide and large separate children’s pool make this the ideal rainy day option for your family holiday. Paddle and Pedal, also located in Ballina, provides kayaking and cycling tours offering you unique ways of getting to see North Mayo.

5. Great days out

For those looking for something different to entertain the family on a day out, Mayo never disappoints. Kiltimagh Pet Farm and Wildlife Park is always popular with families as is Gruane Pet Farm and Play Centre located in Ballyhaunis. The renowned Westport House is an idea for a day out and offers a range of adventure activities for all the family. A little education as part of your family holiday in Mayo is easily covered with a trip to the superb, interactive National Museum of Country Life just a short distance away. Hennigan’s Heritage Centre in nearby Swinford is another fascinating way to learn about rural life in Mayo through the years. The centre is based around the preserved cottage of the Hennigan family who lived there from the 1870s to 1970.

The knowledgeable hotel staff at the Great National Hotel Ballina will be on hand to advise and direct you to the best family activities for your next holiday in North Mayo.