Sunday mornings in Belfast City Centre just got a lot more fun for children and families. Belfast One, – Belfast City Centre’s Business Improvement District – has partnered with Young at Art to launch a new, exciting, interactive children’s walking tour, designed to help families see lesser-known parts of the city in a fun and engaging way.

Speaking at the launch Julie McCullagh, marketing manager at Belfast One said: “We are thrilled to be launching the new children’s walking tour which is designed to be a whole lot of fun and is aimed at attracting families to the city at a time when it is quieter, offering the opportunity to view the fantastic sites at a slower pace.

“The forty-minute tour will start at Howard Street in the heart of the city and the children will get clues and a map to help friendly character Janey find her missing lottery ticket while exploring Belfast City Centre, before finishing at High Street.”

Speaking about the partnership with Belfast One, Morag Stuart from Young at Art Events said: “This is a fantastic new initiative to provide a unique interactive performance. We welcome families and children of all ages to come along and get involved in the new tour.”

The tour is free and is suitable for children age 4-10 with upcoming tours on 3 and 17 September - to book the tour visit www.BelfastOne.co.uk.

World of Wonder in Carrickfergus is Northern Ireland's newest kids' play and party centre. The global adventure themed soft play has one of the country's largest main play frame & one of the biggest areas for under 4's including the ever popular ball pit, and a baby only section.

We went along this morning to check out World of Wonder, as Smix is plane and airport mad right now, and I knew they had a plane as part of the play area. The adventure centre is part of the Loughshore Hotel complex, so I had pictured a modest size soft play, but we were blown away when we got there.

The World of Wonder section is located in its own building, with the entry marked 'Arrivals' and a plane to begin your child's adventure from the moment they get out of the car. You 'check in' and go through to the large, bright, open play area. There are three frames, the main one for ages 4 and above, the toddler magic castle for under 4's, and a separate sports section for basket ball & football.

There has been no expense spared in making this a really special day out. The attention to detail and themeing is the best I've seen anywhere. The walls are painted with landmarks from all the corners of the world, including Belfast City Hall and the cranes! At kids' eye height along the walls are illustrations of children from around the world in traditional dress saying 'hello' in their native language.

The main frame, one of the largest in Northern Ireland, is decorated with huge 3D models of the leaning tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, a giant hot air balloon, and the worldwide sights continue with panels decorated with penguins, camels and the Statue of Liberty. Your child will have been around the world in ninety minutes in Carrick!

There is plenty of seating for adults with tables and chairs filling the remaining space. The Market Cafe offers coffee, tea, snacks, slush puppies, juice and all the usual food and drink you would expect at a soft play area. There are large TVs for adults to watch, and of course free wifi.

To get all the information you need in one place, you can visit World of Wonder website, or download the app from Podium apps on your iPhone or Android phone. They offer party packages at different tiers for four different themed party rooms, complete with mascot visits from characters like Pikachu, Paw Patrol, Minions and Olaf. Parties include themed invitations for whichever room you choose, beach, superhero, animal or princess.

Smix declared it the best soft play place ever, and I have to agree, it is pretty darn impressive.

Let me know if you visit World of Wonder this half term. My Twitter is @rudedoodle and you can get in touch with World of Wonder @WorldofWonderNI