{"id":4683,"date":"2012-07-03T18:47:58","date_gmt":"2012-07-03T17:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/news\/?p=4683"},"modified":"2012-07-03T18:53:03","modified_gmt":"2012-07-03T17:53:03","slug":"giant%e2%80%99s-causeway-visitor-centre-opens-its-doors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2012\/07\/giant%e2%80%99s-causeway-visitor-centre-opens-its-doors\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant\u2019s Causeway Visitor Centre opens its doors!"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>The National Trust opened the doors to the new Giant&#8217;s Causeway Visitor Centre, today Tuesday 3rd July.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/causeway1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-4684\" title=\"causeway1\" src=\"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/causeway1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"311\" height=\"202\" \/><\/a>The \u00a318.5 million investment will create an exciting new tourism offer which was made possible with support from \u00a39.25 million from Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment of which \u00a36.125million has been provided by the European Regional Development Fund under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland, and \u00a33 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with \u00a36.25 million from National Trust funds.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The visitor experience\u00a0includes;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u00b7 <\/strong><strong>A new state of the art visitor centre featuring an illuminating exhibition\u00a0showcasing the stories and the science behind the Giant&#8217;s Causeway<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u00b7 <\/strong><strong>Innovative pocket size\u00a0audio guide in a variety of languages<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u00b7 <\/strong><strong>A grab and go style caf\u00e9<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u00b7 <\/strong><strong>A new retail facility\u00a0introducing new and exclusive local products<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u00b7 <\/strong><strong>Tourist Information <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u00b7 <\/strong><strong>Fully accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility for people with disabilities<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/causeway2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-4689\" title=\"causeway2\" src=\"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/causeway2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"269\" \/><\/a>The\u00a0walks and trails around the site have\u00a0been\u00a0upgraded, with the addition of a new accessible cliff top walk for families and people with disabilities. It might even be possible to glimpse Northern Ireland\u2019s favourite giant, Finn McCool whilst walking around these new trails!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The local community also plays an important part in the exhibition area of the new centre. Lots of wonderful stories and memories depicting the lives of the local around the Causeway area are captured through still and moving images.\u00a0 There is also a display of postcards showcasing local people thoughts and feelings of having a World Heritage Site on their doorstep.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>There is also a fantastic range of local produce on display in the retails area of the new visitor centre.\u00a0 From the beautiful jewellery designs of Keri Shanks to the unusual wood carving of McCullough\u2019s Furniture, Ballymena to the exclusive Causeway tartan designs of Tweedie Acheson, Coleraine.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The planning of this new visitor centre has been extraordinary, with local talent and expertise being integral in bringing the new building design to life. \u00a0Even the grass seed from the area was combed to produce a compatible grass variety for the planting of the grass roof on the new visitor centre. Visitors can enjoy the stunning panoramic view of the North Coast landscape from the grass roof of the new Visitor Centre \u2013 it is truly unique. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Giant\u2019s Causeway Project Director, Graham Thompson said;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\n<em> \u201cThis is a significant milestone for the National Trust in Northern Ireland and is the culmination of years of working in partnership with stakeholders in the community, the business sector, and government and political arenas.\u00a0 This reflects our commitment to the tourism industry and Northern Ireland confidently moving on.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/causeway3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-4692\" title=\"causeway3\" src=\"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/causeway3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"269\" height=\"179\" \/><\/a>Visitors\u00a0wishing to\u00a0avail of the\u00a0fantastic new visitor experience can\u00a0buy tickets in the following ways; pre purchase on line at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationaltrust.org.uk\/giantscauseway\">www.nationaltrust.org.uk\/giantscauseway<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>from the end of June, at the park and ride\u00a0facility in Bushmills village,\u00a0 or upon entry to the visitor centre.\u00a0 Ticket prices are \u00a38.50 (adults), \u00a34.25 (child), \u00a321.00 (family) with discounts available for green travel and pre purchasing online. Groups visits (15 people plus) can pre book now by contacting <\/strong>028 2073 3419<strong>. \u00a0National Trust members will enjoy free entry.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>As National Trust is predicting a significant rush of interest from local and international visitors, opening times to the Visitor Centre are extended from 9am to 9pm in the summer months, so there is a real opportunity to experience the Giant\u2019s Causeway beyond the busiest hours of 11am \u2013 3pm. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>With over 100 staff and volunteers to greet and tell the stories of this geological phenomenon, the National Trust looks forward to welcoming all visitors to Northern Ireland\u2019s only World Heritage Site. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For further information on the Giant\u2019s Causeway Visitor Centre visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nationaltrust.org.uk\/giantscauseway\">www.nationaltrust.org.uk\/giantscauseway<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Trust opened the doors to the new Giant&#8217;s Causeway Visitor Centre, today Tuesday 3rd July. The \u00a318.5 million investment will create an exciting new tourism offer which was made possible with support from \u00a39.25 million from Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment of which \u00a36.125million has been provided by the European Regional Development &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2012\/07\/giant%e2%80%99s-causeway-visitor-centre-opens-its-doors\/\">Continued<\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4683"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4683"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4686,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4683\/revisions\/4686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}