To think we would enjoy Blackpool?

[Babysafari]

I haven't been for 15 years, it had a reputation for being a bit tacky even back then.

I do remember there was lots for dc to do, the waterpark, the tower, pleasurebeach, tram rides.

Thought I might book a couple of nights there but everyone looks at me like this

Is it that bad?

It's had its troubles but it's starting to improve. Millions have been spent improving some areas and the promenade is amazing now. The south shore is rough as toast but even that is changing. Trust me. I never knew a Wetherspoons pub could be stunning until I went into the Velvet Coaster near the pleasure beach. The zoo is brilliant and Stanley park is lovely. Maybe give this4 star hotel that does £20 a room offers a go? Me and dh booked one at random and had a great time. Blackpool has its past but it has a promising future. All my family live there and love it.

I wouldn't take my children there. You can't be too careful about such places. It might be catching.

We went 2 years ago for the last time it is the pits the shops are not cheap and cheerful the are tacky and nasty we only went for an overnight its fecking grim i have been going to blackpool since i was a kid

We took our 3yr old nephew to Blackpool for a day trip and I was fully prepared to embrace the 'English seaside' thing and do fish & chips, crazy golf, penny slots and pleasure beach, sticks of rock etc. We did all of those things but for some reason I can't put my finger on it was all a bit...grim. everything was grubby and run down, but there didn't seem to be any 'charm' to compensate/balance it out. Also to note, the pleasure beach used to be that you bought tickets, which you 'spent' on the rides eg Big Dipper 5 tickets, teacups 2 tickets. But now you have to pay (more than a few pounds) just to enter and still then buy tickets to get on rides. As I was pregnant at the time, it cost a lot just on entry fees for the 3 of us especially as all I did was to stand holding coats while nephew and DH went on the kiddie rides.
That said nephew did have a great time.
Overall I was glad we hadn't made a weekend of it.

I went last year, hated it. Everything was expensive, repetitive, no decent fish and chips, pubs were grim (as were the clientele!) and the beach was absolutely covered in jellyfish. Never again!

I was born in Lytham and spent most of my childhood at my grandparents in cleveleys. I've been back occasionally in the last 30 years and all I can say is, Blackpool is an utter shithole. I'm not easily intimidated or a precious flower but after 7pm it's like Beirut with happy hour. Tacky and trashy, dirty and full of drugged up idiots in almost every cheap bar.

Do the pleasure beach the tower and leave is my advice

Most hotels ban single sex parties now. Certainly the b&b we stayed at and all the other ones on the same street do. They really are trying to change.

Probably depends to an extent on how old your kids are. We went and had fun - we weren't out much in the evenings as the kids are smallish and needed bed, and we went midweek so hens/stags not an issue. Went when the illuminations were on and we had a good time.

It has had money put into it to improve things; yes, it is a deprived area but the tourist trade is important in helping turn things around. Personally I'm okay with supporting that, and there are some hidden gems if you look on TripAdvisor and plan your trip.

We went back to the hotel after dinner the day we arrived it feels weird at night i hated it and im no special snow flake either its a shithole

I last went about 10 years ago. The drugs squad turned up to one pub on the front at about 3pm. We then went to a bar later that evening and were greeted with shit all over the (ladies) toilet seat. I wouldn't go back if you paid me!!!

Oh, actually, I did go back!! Only because I had family there. We took our 18 month old daughter and 5 minutes after arriving, I stood in dog shit. Classy place

The promenade is lovely a tonne of money has been thrown at it there i said something nice about blackpool

The pleasure beach went waaaay better after charging everyone to enter. There used to be crowds of thugs intimidating the tourists. My cousin worked there in the 90's and it was a huge problem.

Oh a newspaper (probably the sun) is doing 2for 1 pleasure beach tickets or something only saw the ad yesterday it might be a blackpool attraction ticket thing

We went to see the lights October half term and really enjoyed it - didn't go expecting much and were pleasantly surprised. But we didn't go over a weekend and with a 7 year old in tow didn't stay out too late, retiring to a dirt cheap family/couples only B&B a few streets back by the north pier. Didn't therefore see any public drunkenness etc.

Everything was expensive, repetitive, no decent fish and chips

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g6439980-d1097897-Reviews-Bispham_Kitchen-Bispham_Blackpool_Lancashire_England.html

It's not for nothing that this place keeps winning awards

The last time I stayed there it we at a B&B on the seafront that advertised as its features "bed lights". This was in 1994, so electricity wasn't a recent invention.

We went to a Linnekars that had a toga party going on at 15:00hrs, I've written it that way in case you thought I was being a pearl clutcher about people battered and shagging in the bogs at 03:00.

As a kid when we stayed there I went on a donkey ride. As I got on the bloke clouted the donkeys arse. It took off like its tail was on fire, belted through I don't know how many games of footie, cornered the pier on two hooves and flew back to the owner where it dumped me on the sand in front of DF and DM who needed oxygen from laughing so hard.

Do NOT, NOT, NOT go on the Steeplechase in the PB

I like the tower.

It's the most run down place I've ever been. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. As others have said, the streets are filthy, everything smells of piss, loads of sex shops/lap dancing places, incredibly run down accommodation and so many obvious addicts and alcoholics wandering the streets.

If you go stay on the prom and don't venture onto backstreets, I don't see any reason why you should feel scared after dark mostly family's making their way back to hotels ect especially during illumination season (September- november) I recently visited skegNess now that was an experience I wouldn't like to do again truly a run down town which I don't think blackpool is. If you want to do the pb/sc/beach/tower ect surely you want to do the whole shebang and stop in blackpool rather than lytham or cleveleys.
If I were you I'd book 1 or 2 nights in hotel on the prom between central and south pier and do waterpark one day and pleasure beach another, on the afternoon of your arrival and morning of departure you could do beach/ arcades if you wish. Wouldn't reccomened sea life if I'm honest tower is quite shit but one of them things you have to do as a tourist I think.

I like a good old fashioned British sea side town, and by that I don't mean a gussied up Boden tinted glasses artisan fish and chips type place, but a proper slightly run down noisy amusement arcade and greasy donut place, but there are two seaside towns I'll be glad if I never visit again. One is Blackpool and the other is Margate. Both grim, seedy and slightly scary.

Yeah, sealife is a bit crap. It's very small. but my 2 year old is obsessed with sharks and "pider cabs" (crabs) and you get a free game of golf at the end.

I loved the Steeplechase at the pleasure beach. I've not been to Blackpool for about 20 years but would return just to go on the Steeplechase

I went recently, with the same misgivings. We totally loved it, and I am a total snob! There's loads to do, in a compact area. DC's totally loved it. Tower was excellent, with a great 4d film experience. The tram is a great way to see the sights and the piers are full of fair ground rides. We found some excellent non chain restaurants. Didn't see a stag or drunk person all weekend.
If you are up for a good time, go for it!
Look online, as you can get a ticket that covers several attractions which gives a good overall discount and will give you one 'main' thing to do per day with the rest taken up by the tram (get an all day family ticket)
Trip advisor will help you pick a decent b & b, get one near a tram stop and you'll be fine for access.