To wonder if blackpool is as bad as they say?

[Chefpig]

I'm hoping to plan a short break somewhere and blackpool is cheap. Is it as bad as people say though?

You dont say whether you are planning a break with your kids or DH/ friends. There is plenty for kids to do during the day and if you stayed in a good family hotel with entertainment in the evenings and got the kids back there early then it would be a decent trip for them. You'd need to research hotels carefully though and I suspect that this would tip it over from being a cheap break. We did this as a one off when dd was little and had a nice weekend. I did notice that It started getting feral very early on though. Very drunk people and fighting on the street from around 5/6 and some parts looked very run down. There's no way I'd go for a short break with DH or my mates as we like to go out drinking and I wouldn't want to be out late there. Its rough.
Dd is 15 now and went back in the summer with a friends family just for a day at the fair. I think it may have got worse since we went as she said that she felt frightened when she was there and that was daylight hours. We live in a big city and she travels a lot so I was surprised at her reaction and made me think I'd never go back there

As a dyslexic I got the fear when I saw user “Grammarnut” had quoted my post.

Honestly the characters make the holiday as much as the Blackpool tower and sticks of rock. Cannot be beat!

I work there, albeit in a role where I see the worst of society but my God there’s things that go on in Blackpool that you can’t even imagine!

I’ve also personally witnessed knife attacks, many drug deals, people in mental health crisis standing in the middle of the road screaming, self harming in public, I think those are the worse things I’ve seen with my own eyes. And once I thought it would be a good idea to eat my lunch on the prom and got attacked from behind by a full flock of seagulls.

Oh and there are also some serious far right undertones at the moment because of the Metropole hotel.

It isn’t pleasant! We went a couple of years ago with DS to see the illuminations. We had chips in th car and a group of men walked past - completely pissed and banged on our car and called us a bunch of cunts! DS was shaken up

We enjoy Blackpool, we've been there most years since DD was born for either a week in the summer at one of the holiday parks or a couple of nights in the Premier Inn in the October holidays to see the illuminations. Last year we did October. DD is now a moody teenager but she enjoyed herself, the Coral Island arcade is a must visit and there's a massive Primark in the town for clothes shopping. We had a walk down the piers and there's a really lovely traditional carousel on North Pier as well as the waltzers etc on the other two. On previous visits we've also done the Tower and circus, Madam Tussauds, the Sandcastle, the Pleasure Beach, saw a show at the Winter Gardens and the Zoo. We love Blackpool zoo, I agree with the pp who said it’s better than Chester, we saw far more animals at Blackpool and they had a new baby elephant. We'd probably visit the Pleasure Beach more if it was still free entry and pay as you go for rides, we are not big thrill seekers and apart from the Nickelodeon section it all seems to be big rides these days. A visit to Bentleys chip shop for a sit in chippy is always a must, as well as a bag of hot doughnuts on the prom. The sticky fudge shop is great too, the size of the chocolate brownies is unbelievable.

I went last year and thought it was OK. It rained all day but we're used to that up north! DH and I took refuge in a tacky-looking pirate-themed pub because it was the only one you didn't have to queue to get into. We thought it would be awful, but we had the nicest pub lemonade we'd had in years - proper, syrupy stuff - and got change from a fiver including a bag of crisps.

Only dodgy thing I saw was obvious drug-dealers who'd taken up permanent position outside some toilets - gave them a wide berth.

It is!!!!

If I had the choice of Blackpool or stay home. I’d stay home.

If the options were Blackpool or Skegness I’d go to Skegness.

If my options where Blackpool for a week or live with my mil for a week I’d live with my mil for a week 😅

Pretty much if the option is Blackpool or option 2 it’s always going to be option 2.

It was bad when I went as a child and people who I know who have been in recent years haven’t had a good word to say about it.

How do you know, then?

It seems like such had forward planning in favour of short term gain. I absolutely think there is a market for it. But yes like someone said it’s too big now.
Ive never been, we went to Great Yarmouth as kids. I remember a colleague going nearly 30 years ago on a family stag do and there were people having sex in the car park in the middle of the day, that kinda sealed my view I’d never go.

The things people like to do there are often more conducive to day trips or just overnights as well. So for example people come from all over to the Pleasure Beach, but you're probably only going to do 1-2 days there tops. The standard model for the illuminations is to go in the afternoon, do the funfair, eat and come home same evening. I know people who do a cheap weekend there and take in a couple of the zoo, waterpark, aquarium etc but they don't tend to stay longer.

Like a lot of people in the north west conurbation, I've been to Blackpool a number of times for days out to the various attractions but never stayed overnight. And even the stag and hens are typically only staying one night. They don't get that many long stays outside of peak summer.

I should have said “wouldn’t go again”

Please, someone, explain the comments about the local accent.

50 years ago it was a less strong version of a Lancashire accent. What’s it like now?

I don't think it's any worse than Southend and people go there.

But you don’t have to go anywhere do you? And staying at home would be a far wiser option. I don’t want my child to see drug dealers, people publicly self harming and people having sex in a car park. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable.

Best holiday ever according to my (now adult) children.

@Chefpig It’s possible to visit Blackpool and only experience the best it has to offer:

Stay in Lytham for the nice cafes/restaurants bars. It’s still quite cheap to stay there and it’s easy to get into Blackpool for the day.

St Anne’s is another good place to stay, although not as ‘posh’ as Lytham, it does have the wonderful sand dunes nearby and is quiet. It’s very easy to get into Blackpool from there by tram.

Closer to Blackpool itself, but nowhere near the ‘nightlife’, I can recommend the PremierInn Bispham. It’s extremely quiet round there and walking distance up Red Bank Road to the prom. From there it’s a short tram ride either to Blackpool or Cleveleys, (the latter has had major works done to the seafront and it’s nice to walk along it).

If you like football, staying at the Radisson Blackpool FC hotel in South Shore is quite interesting, (although I would say that the area round there is pretty gritty - especially at night - you’d want to have a car, put it that way).

Visiting Blackpool itself:

SeaLife
The Tower - including the ballroom from Strictly
Blackpool Zoo
Stanley Park - a 1920s civic masterpiece next to the Zoo - most people seem unaware of its existence, (which is good news for those of us who are!)
The Pleasure Beach (but it’s closed in Dec-Feb)
Seven miles of golden sands
Piers

Blackpool has its problems, and lots of the Central and South Shore areas are extremely rundown, but it’s not the hellhole it’s often painted.

There is also absolutely no need to go into central Blackpool in the evening, unless that’s what you want to do.

I know Blackpool isn’t for everyone, but lots of seaside resorts have similar issues but don’t get the same amount of bashing. I’m a ‘sandgrown’un’ so I’m biased, but ‘done right’, and imo, Blackpool is a great place to visit

Yes, it's dire

In a word yes ! Blackpool and Bournemouth (which once was lovely) I have vowed to never visit again . They’re both filthy, full of addicts and men pissing everywhere.

Completely used to it! It's a town full of deprivation, with a great community spirit. So much money is put into the town. I know this thread was about the tourist side but for the locals, we have the biggest increase of children being school ready, best improving numbers for breastfeeding, vaccination uptake, and improved outcomes for children. I work for a lottery funded 10 year project, and it's been bloody hard but the town is doing so much better. People see it as a forgotten seaside town but it's really doing so much better

What about the kids who live in areas with those issues? Or don't those kids matter?

I've been to Blackpool for illumations. It's not fancy but ok for an overnight stay . Think I stated at a caravan park in Fleetwood when kids were small to take them to see the illuminations

I live in the much commented St Annes.
I'm actually quite surprised at people saying Blackpoool is a budget place, I can't agree with that, not for activities. Last time I went doing that stuff with ds (years and years ago), a lot of things broke the bank. Obviously it depends what you want to do.
You may get a budget hotel but they are usually cheap for a reason tbh.
St Annes and Lytham are nice but there is less to do if you have kids, and very little that is free unless you have good weather.

I agree @glassof - thanks for all the good work you are doing!

Re: Things to do/visit:

I forgot to mention the Grand Theatre - an absolutely wonderful listed Matcham Theatre, beautifully restored.

Yes it's a shithole OP dont go . Last time I went about 10 years ago there was a hen do with a group of women stumbling around in the street and being sick . I honestly thought why have I brought my kids here , never again