A Weekend in Blackpool

Blackpool is one of those places that all should experience, it’s a  bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it!..I personally love it and have been a few times in the past, but this is the first time the boys have been and I’m pleased to say that they also love it!

We decided to visit on Friday (after school) and leave on Sunday afternoon, so a really quick visit and not enough to do everything that is on offer, but we gave it a good shot!

Arriving at the South Shore Travelodge at around 7pm, we quickly checked in and decided to head out to the seafront for a quick look around and dinner.  The Travelodge is situated a few streets back from the seafront so within easy walking distance, probably about 5-10 mins walk in total and it’s pretty much bang in the middle between the Blackpool Tower and Pleasure Beach.  *Please note, you are required to pay for parking at the Travelodge which for residents is £5 for 24hrs.

After a quick (and costly!) visit to the arcades, we settled on dinner a Harry Ramsden’s situated near the Tower end of the promenade.

The South Shore Travelodge is situated right next Blackpool Football Club and our room was facing the club, initially I was worried about the noise as there would be a match on the Saturday, however you barely heard the cheers coming from the stadium to my relief!

On the Saturday after a decent breakfast in the Hotel, we took a walk down the promenade to Blackpool Pleasure Beach arriving early (recommended) we had a great day exploring the park and braving some of the rides!

Leaving Pleasure Beach at about 3pm, we decided to catch a tram and head to the other side of the promenade to the Sealife Centre and Madame Tussaud’s.  Both of the these attractions are in close proximity to each other and although the Sealife Centre perhaps isn’t as good as some of the others I’ve been to, the boys enjoyed it.

Madame Tussaud’s was a bit of a gamble as I wasn’t sure how the boys would enjoy it, however pretty soon they were posing alongside most of the waxworks even if they had no idea who they were!

Both of these attractions are quite costly, so I would recommend trying to find money off vouchers online, sites like VoucherBin currently have the tickets at 20% off, or look on cereal packets, Kellogg’s currently have ‘Grown-Ups Go Free‘ offers in which you just cut off and show to the tender.

For dinner that evening, we visited the large arcade, Coral Island.  Inside you have a number of different choices you can pick for dinner, we opted for the grill, food was good and kids eat free, I guess they reclaim their money back in the arcade ;-).

On our last day on Blackpool the weather went a bit cloudy so we decided to head to the indoor swimming pool (near Pleasure Beach).  The Sandcastle Waterpark claims to be the largest indoor waterpark and has a lot to offer once you get inside (again tickets aren’t cheap, but you do get to spend the whole day inside should you wish).  There’s one big beach type wave pool and a small shallower pool with a lazy river attached.

Also for younger kids if they’re not into slides, there’s a large play area with water sprays and If you’re braver (than my two) then there’s 18 water slides to choose from!

I think we managed to cover quite a bit in the 2 days we spent in Blackpool but obviously there’s a lot more to see.  You really do have to take Blackpool as you find it, it’s a bit tacky and rundown here and there but also it’s a lovely seaside town (one which you can see has had some money spent improving the seafront) which takes you right back to your childhood.

What’s your favourite seaside town?

*I was kindly given a complimentary stay at the Travelodge for our time in Blackpool, all thoughts are my own.