Seaforde Gardens and Tropical Butterfly House

Watch exotic butterflies waft amid tropical plants, eyeball a salient selection of spine-tingling insects, get lost in Ireland's oldest maze then treat yourself to a slab of chocolate fudge cake at this privately owned 400-year-old demesne. Benches dotted throughout the well-tended gardens make for idyllic picnic spots and the dozens of plumage-preening peacocks and birds of paradise are a sight to behold. Find this unique flora and fauna wonderland just off the main Belfast-Newcastle road (c. 22 miles from Belfast).