Blackpool - first time!

[mummy1202]

Hello!

We are going to be staying at Ribby Hall over the summer and going to visit Blackpool for the day. I haven’t been before with my two children, 7 and 4.

I am wondering if anyone can recommend any ‘must dos’ please? We have just visited a circus recently and my children are not keen on ‘big rides’ so I’m not sure if the pleasure beach will be worth the money for us? The Grufallo Playhouse looks good.

Is the tram a nice experience?

Any other gems nearby that we must try for a day out or something to eat?

Thanks in advance!

Erm…spend the day on the beach if the weather is ok. I don’t think I’ve ever known a tram to be called a nice experience. You could try the zoo.

The tram gets very busy with people getting to where they want to go. It's not really an experience in itself. There's the beach, the three piers, arcades and other attractions eg. Madam Tussauds but depends how much you want to spend and how long you're going to spend there. Food wise, there are loads of fish and chip, burger places and restaurants in the town centre.

My kids enjoyed going to the top of Blackpool Tower and standing on the glass floor, and the Sandcastle fun pool on the sea front. Haven’t done anything else apart from the Pleasure Beach but my kids love rides. There are plenty of not big rides. We went on vintage trams that were running when we visited. We enjoyed it but my DH and oldest DC are transport nerds.

Blackpool resident here!! Sealife is good, sandcastle is fab but book online, the beach is great and the piers, if you want a similar seaside town but much smaller and quieter, st annes is just down the road, has a pier, splash park, paddling pool, lovely beach, Ashton Gardens in the centre is a lovely park too. Also a great park in lytham called park view, has a sand and water area.

The tower is fun. You can pick to do bits of it, you don't have to do eg the ballroom, the circus. I would think your kids would enjoy going up in the lift to the top.

There are often vintage trams running, which are more of an experience than the regular tram.

You could walk down the north pier - there is a sweet, simple carousel at the end which is ideal for little kids. Grab an ice cream first.

I cant stand the sealife centre - it makes me feel sea sick - but it's popular so if you think your kids would like it, that's a good shout.

There is a really good mini golf by the pleasure beach.

We would have fish and chips on the beach.

Hope you have a lovely time.

Last time we went we bought a pic n mix ticket which allowed us to access lots of attractions including the Gruffalo , sea life, the tower and Madame Tussaud’s - which was an unexpected hit with the kids!

Blackpool Zoo is fab, I'd highly recommend it. We got discounted tickets at Ribby Hall reception also for Blackpool Tower which was also good

I didn't like Blackpool after dark tho 😕

Thank you so much everyone!

@glassof always so handy to hear from someone who lives there and knows it so well!

Is there anything else you would recommend in the local area for a good day out with the kids? Walks/parks that kind of thing. We will have a few days to fill.

Thank you so much!

Avoid during the evenings because the stag and hen groups are usually unsuitable for children. We went once when DC were about 7/9 and didn't know where to look.

Stanley Park is a lovely park. Bit out of town but taxis are really cheap. We went to the zoo too - my daughter enjoyed it.

We only ever do Mon to Thurs in Blackpool and I haven't found the evenings a problem. Lots of families come out.