World of Owls

You'll find yourself face to face with everything from tiny scops owls to massive eagle owls at this specialist collection just outside Antrim town. It's genuinely different from your typical zoo - the whole operation is built around one thing: owls. Dozens of them, in fact, representing species from across the globe.

The experience is hands-on in the best way. Staff know their birds inside out and will talk you through the subtle differences between species, how they hunt, why some have asymmetrical ear tufts. You get to watch them up close, and if conditions allow, see them in flight demonstrations. It's the sort of place where you realize how remarkable these predators actually are - the way their heads rotate, their silent wings, those forward-facing eyes.

Not a massive day out - most visitors spend two to three hours here rather than a full day. It works brilliantly if you're in the area for a caravan holiday at Blair's Castlewood or Six Mile Water, both well-rated parks within a few miles. Families with kids aged five and up will get the most from it; younger ones might find the pace slow unless they're already owl-mad.

Bring binoculars if you've got them. Weather dependent for the flight displays, so worth checking before you go. It's the kind of place that doesn't shout about itself, which means it's rarely rammed - you'll actually get time with the birds rather than queuing around crowds.