The coastal resort town of Blackpool may be found on the northwest coast of England. Blackpool is a well-liked seaside town well-known for its Blackpool Tower, Pleasure Beach, illuminations, and ballroom dance.
Blackpool is currently regarded as a fantastic entertainment destination, but that wasn’t always the case. Blackpool did not entertain the beginning of the 1860s.
The Prince of Wales Arcade opened in 1867, marking the beginning of Blackpool’s transformation into the pulsating, electrified city it is today.
In the UK, Blackpool is frequently connected to a certain amount of crime and unruly conduct. Many people think that the proletariat of society frequents blackpools.
Blackpool’s reputation as a somewhat sleazy town, however, is unjustified because many attractions in the area provide tourists enjoyment and even stunning natural surroundings.
And there’s no denying that, with all the rides, pirates, and lights, it’s a great destination for families. So, check out places to visit in Blackpool.
20 Things To Do in Blackpool
Discover these 20 things to do in Blackpool to simplify and enjoy your stay.
1. The Blackpool Tower At The Top
The iconic Blackpool Tower, which debuted in 1894, is the most well-known attraction in Blackpool. With a height of 158 meters (518 feet), it was the tallest man-made structure in the British Empire at the time.
The Mayor of Blackpool visited the Great Paris Exhibition in 1889 and was so impressed by the Eiffel Tower that he asked for the Blackpool Tower to be erected when he returned to England. As a result, you may detect parallels between the Blackpool Tower and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Blackpool Tower, which is situated midway between North Pier and Central Pier, is the focal point of this northern coastal town. The Promenade, Blackpool FY1 4BJ, is where you can find Blackpool Tower.
For £15, you can go up to the eye of Blackpool Tower and get sweeping views of the town, the beach, and the Irish Sea. The tower eye is open from 10 am to 5 pm.
2. Look Up In The Blackpool Tower Ballroom
This renowned ballroom is lovely, polished, and exquisite. Dancers and fans prize the Blackpool Tower Ballroom for its sprung dance floor’s stunning architecture and as a unique destination.
The ballroom was built in 1894, and you may still visit it today to shake off the dust from your dancing shoes and whirl around the dance floor.
Every season, the Blackpool Ballroom hosts one week of the Strictly Come Dancing dance competition, where viewers can purchase tickets to see their favourite couples participate.
If you’re visiting Blackpool for the weekend and want to see the iconic ballroom, you must purchase a single entrance ticket for £9 per adult. However, if you also want to see the Blackpool Tower eye, you must pay an additional £15 for admission.
3. Explore The Blackpool Tower Circus
Blackpool Tower Circus, located at the Tower’s base, provides hours of entertainment for the whole family.
The attraction started in 1894 and has included performances from all over the world. It is the longest-running show in Blackpool and the oldest permanent circus arena in the world.
A few of the top-row seats offer a unique, birds-eye perspective of the ring, and throughout the acts, you can appreciate the inside structure of the Tower all around you.
4. Blackpool Pleasure Beach
One of the most well-liked activities in Blackpool, second only to visiting the Blackpool Tower, is going to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Since it opened in 1896, the beach has seen an annual increase of about five million visitors.
There is plenty to keep you (or the kids) entertained for a few hours or the full day, with ten rollercoasters and five water rides.
Ride “The Big One,” Blackpool’s largest rollercoaster. You can easily recognize it because it dominates Pleasure Beach and is decorated in flashy red and blue.
Tickets cost £42 for those 12 and older and £36 for those under 11. To access Blackpool Pleasure Beach, you need a ticket, but nothing prevents you from viewing the upside-down performers from the beach.
5. Visit Blackpool Zoo
The Blackpool Zoo opened its doors in 1972 and regularly added new zoo exhibits. The resort’s zoo is a few miles from Blackpool Tower, on 32 acres of English parkland.
The newest, Project Elephant features the largest indoor elephant hall in the UK and represents the zoo’s most significant investment in its 45-year history. The Orangutan Outlook, which has floor-to-ceiling viewing rooms and houses five Bornean orangutans, is also noteworthy.
A bright variety of tropical birds, including conures, ringed seals, and parakeets, can be seen as you stroll through the rainforest in Amazonia.
The zoo also houses beloved animals for kids, like giraffes, African lions, penguins, and western lowland gorillas. There is also a farm for kids with Ouessant sheep, pygmy goats, donkeys, and alpacas.
6. Discover The Winter Gardens
The Winter Gardens is a sizable entertainment complex that opened in 1878 and is home to the Opera House, one of the biggest theatres in the UK, with a seating capacity of 3,000.
There are many auditoriums and halls at the Winter Gardens, notably the barrel-vaulted Empress Ballroom, a vast music venue and once the location of the annual conventions of the three major UK political parties.
All of the Winter Gardens’ biggest venues are located on the ground floor, and they are all connected by an Art Deco hallway with a metal and glass canopy.
This magnificent Grade II listed facility hosts concerts, dance performances, comedy events, musicals, exhibitions, and trade shows every day of the week and throughout the year.
7. Walk Through Stanley Park
The 390-acre Stanley Park is a Grade II-listed park. Indeed, I said garden rather than building because parks are often rated according to their historical significance.
A lake, an Italian garden, a bandstand, and various footpaths and walks may be found in the park. The nearby boating lake is beautiful, and on its southwest shore is a Neoclassical bandstand with amphitheatre seating that Mawson also created.
Given its size, it is helpful to note that the formal gardens are located in the north and western regions, the lake and woodland are in the eastern part, and the southern region offers several playgrounds and sports facilities.
To the east of the city, Stanley Park is about two kilometres (1.2 miles) from Blackpool Tower.
8. Sandcastle Waterpark
Without question, a weekend trip to Blackpool may be exciting and pleasant. Check out the Sandcastle Waterpark, adjacent to South Pier, after throwing yourself about on rollercoasters at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
The UK’s largest indoor Waterpark, Sandcastles Waterpark, is ideal for visiting, especially if the heavens open and that unpredictably English rain begins. It has 18 slides and a unique tropical temperature.
Aztec Falls is a rapid plunge into a dark chasm that ends in a corkscrew, while the former is a mat slide with 360° twists.
Parents may escape the chaos in the Sea Breeze Spa, which has a steam room, sauna, warm foot spas, and an aromatherapy area, while more minor children can play safely at the Shimmering Shallows.
9. Blackpool Model Village
On Stanley Park’s southeast edge is a cutesy attraction called this tiny little model hamlet.
Something about observing miniature replicas of everyday objects makes me happy.
It’s worth seeing, especially if you’re near Stanley Park.
10. Blackpool Beach
Blackpool’s beach, which wasn’t always famed for cleanliness in the late 20th century, is spotless and recently received its first Blue Flag.
The beach features every characteristic of the English seaside, including deckchairs, ice cream stands, and donkey rides. Little ones can make sandcastles and play in the shallow sea.
The sea recedes hundreds of meters from the shore at low tide due to its extremely slight grade. All three of Blackpool’s piers are open for amusements, performances, and rides.
The Great Promenade Show is a nearby outdoor display featuring ten pieces created by established and up-and-coming artists each year. One of the best things to do in Blackpool is this one.
11. Visit The Blackpool Illuminations To See The Neon
An annual celebration of decorative lighting is called Blackpool Illuminations.
Since the festival lights were first turned on in 1879, visitors to Blackpool have come mainly to see the glitzy lights.
The Blackpool Illuminations in 2022 will occur from September 2 to January 2, 2023.
Trams with lights, a tonne of photo-worthy locations, projection shows, building lights, and even trains and boats are decked out in colour. It’s a beautiful sight to witness at Christmastime since it makes you feel festive.
12. Travel On The Blackpool Tramway
In the UK, there are only eight tramways, one of which is in Blackpool. The Blackpool Tramway is an efficient method to get around Blackpool and an exciting way to explore the town and shoreline.
It runs along the 11-mile Fylde coastline, starting north at Fleetwood Ferry and finishing at Starr Gate, located on the edge of the Ribble Estuary.
Additionally, visitors can view the original Heritage Tram every weekend, which debuted in 1885.
The iconic English Electric Balloon tram, a symbol of the Blackpool Tramway, has predominantly given way to the sleek and contemporary Flexity 2 trams that were introduced in 2012.
Vintage tram services are accessible on weekends, bank holidays, select weekdays, and during the Illuminations in autumn, providing an opportunity for enthusiasts to experience a ride on these charming historic vehicles.
13. Travel The North And South Piers Of Blackpool
Due to the amusement park, Blackpool’s Central Pier is frequently the busiest; but, for a different experience and peace, why not stroll along the north and south piers?
Despite having fewer rides than Central Pier, South Pier offers a variety of attractions.
If you go to North Pier, you’ll discover a more conventional, laid-back setting to take in the views of the town and the sea life in Blackpool.
However, there are still some things to do on the North Pier. Bloom Gin Bar is where you may go for your afternoon gin fill.
14. Watch A Show At The Grand Theatre
The magnificent Grand Theatre, constructed in the middle of the nineteenth century, was designed by renowned Victorian theatre architect Frank Matcham.
The four-level neo-Baroque auditorium is covered in lavishly gilded stuccowork on the ceiling and a cantilevered balcony.
You don’t need to be very particular about the show you witness because the Grand Theatre is such an elegant setting.
Musicals, classical music ensembles, ballets, operas, pantomimes, and comedy performances are all on the schedule.
15. Visit the Grundy Art Gallery
Visit the Grundy Art Gallery’s exhibits. Despite being just a few steps from the Promenade, Blackpool’s Grundy Art Gallery is somewhat of a hidden gem.
It exhibits a mix of exhibitions and works by well-known and up-and-coming artists, as well as historical treasures that significant UK organizations have loaned.
The gallery aims to examine Blackpool’s vibrant pop culture and rich cultural past in novel ways, making it the premier visual arts centre in the northwest.
The Gallery is open all year and is free admission, though donations are always appreciated.
16. Madame Tussauds
The famous Madame Tussauds in Blackpool boasts a cavalcade of largely British celebrities who have been turned into remarkably lifelike wax figures.
You’ll get to see Simon Cowell, the notoriously cranky talent show judge, and Olympic athlete Mo Farah, in addition to having an audience with Queen Elizabeth II.
In immersive exhibits, you may pose with celebrities from music, British TV, worldwide film, and sports to take your selfies.
One of the most popular locations is a recreation of the Rovers Return Inn from the venerable English soap opera Coronation Street, where you can take pictures with Bet Lynch, Jack and Vera Duckworth, Deidre Barlow, and Ken Barlow.
17. Fun For The Whole Family At Coral Island Family Arcade
The arcade with a pirate theme, Coral Island Family Arcade, is a fun indoor activity for the whole family. This arcade offers a variety of games and activities and is situated on Bonny Street along the main promenade in Blackpool’s downtown.
The building is easily recognized since it features a huge pirate skull adorning its front entryway.
Coral Island is free to enter, and every adult meal purchased at any restaurant qualifies you for a free lunch for a child under ten years old.
Coral Island offers various activities like bingo, camel races, and pirate rides. One of the best things to do in Blackpool is this one.
18. The Big One
Given its enormous size, this famous roller coaster has become as much a part of Blackpool’s skyline as the Blackpool Tower. This is the best one among the world’s roller coasters.
The Big One was the highest roller coaster in the world when it first opened in 1994, and it is still the tallest in the UK today, over 25 years later. Initially, it was also the world’s longest (1,675 meters) and steepest (65°).
Given that Blackpool Airport is only one mile away, The Big One is so tall that warning signals had to be put in place at the top of the first two drops.
The initial drop, which seems to take forever, is 62 meters high, and you’ll travel at speeds of up to 74 mph.
19. Travel To Marton Mere Local Nature Reserve
The Marton Mere Local Nature Reserve, only 2.6 miles from the Blackpool Tower, offers visitors a brief respite from the bustle of the city’s centre.
You might be startled to learn that where you are standing now—amidst vegetation and water with a distant view of Blackpool Tower—was once a garbage dump.
Marton Mere was magnificently restored and became a haven for hundreds of wildlife species, including owls and birds.
At Mythop Road in Blackpool, stroll along various footpaths and see all Marton Mere offers.
20. Go For A Ride On The Big Wheel At The Central Pier
Another well-known city feature is the Ferris wheel in Blackpool, also called the “Big Wheel.”
Visit the beach at dusk to witness the sunset and the neon wheel come to life in all its brilliant splendour.
After dusk, visit Central Pier to ride the Big Wheel, browse the gift stores, snack stalls, and arcades, or even get your fortune told.
The Big Wheel was just disassembled for yearly repair, so you might not see it if you visit this year before Easter. Don’t worry; the wheel will be accessible again at Easter and running through the summer.
Final Remark
In conclusion, there are many things to do in Blackpool.
The city has a rich history, a variety of cultural attractions, and lively nightlife. There is something for everyone in Blackpool, so be sure to check it out the next time you’re in the area.
Also, check out Fun Indoor Activities London.
