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family · Wednesday 15 July 2026 · 11:00am 
Mount Stewart Summer Family Activities
At Mount Stewart · Newtownards, Co. Down, BT22 2AD
At Mount Stewart · Newtownards, Co. Down, BT22 2AD
Mount Stewart is one of the finest National Trust properties on the island of Ireland, and each summer it turns its 98-acre gardens on the Ards Peninsula into a playground for families. The Summer of Play runs from 11 July to 25 August 2026, giving you the whole school holiday to visit without the pressure of a single date. If you have children who like to run, build, perform, and poke around in nature, this is a day out that earns its admission fee.
The 2026 programme is themed “Choose Your Own Adventure” and is spread across seven themed zones on the front lawns. Children can step into costume and put on a show, try their hand at classic garden games, get stuck into nature activities, or take part in gentler sensory play - the zones are designed to suit a range of ages and temperaments. Local partners rotate in throughout the week, so activities shift and new things appear, which means a second visit in the same summer will not feel like a repeat.
Beyond the Summer of Play itself, the estate rewards explorers. The formal gardens were largely the creation of Lady Edith, who arrived at Mount Stewart in 1919 and transformed the grounds over the following decades into a series of distinct compartments - an Italian garden, a Spanish garden, the Mairi garden, and the Shamrock garden with its topiary Red Hand of Ulster and harp. At the lakeside, the Temple of the Winds (1780) looks out over Strangford Lough. There is also a natural play area and a wildlife lookout where children can try to spot red squirrels, badgers, and seabirds on the lough.
The house itself holds over 2,500 artefacts including George Stubbs’ painting Hambletonian, Rubbing Down - considered one of the most significant works of art in Ireland. Worth a look even if art history is not your usual thing.
Mount Stewart is on the eastern shore of the Ards Peninsula, about 5 miles south-east of Newtownards on the A20 road. From Belfast, it is roughly 20 miles via the A2 to Newtownards and then south on the A20 - allow 35 to 40 minutes. There is a large free car park on the estate. Public bus services run between Belfast and Newtownards, and from there local services cover the Ards Peninsula, though a car makes the journey considerably easier given the rural setting.
Newtownards town itself is worth a stop - the 17th-century Market Cross, the old Dominican priory ruins, and Scrabo Tower on the hill above town give you a proper sense of place before or after your garden visit. There is more to see in Newtownards and across Co. Down.
Heading to Mount Stewart in Newtownards? Down has plenty more to see. Read the Newtownards area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.