Why Blackpool towers above its seaside rivals
For a traditional holiday by the sea it’s hard to beat an old favourite
BRITAIN’S favourite seaside resort can only soar in popularity this summer, with more than £20 million invested on upgrades to famous sights and new attractions. A whirlwind two days taking in Blackpool’s fun for the family in 2018 created priceless memories. From our classic American diner outing on The Promenade at VIVA Vegas Diner on arrival on Saturday evening to an afternoon making waves in Sandcastle Waterpark on Monday, exploring Blackpool was a magical and all-too-brief weekend.
The best way to make the most of Blackpool is with the new-look Resort Pass, the value gateway to a host of attractions – Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool Zoo, the Model Village And Gardens, Sea Life Centre, Pleasure Beach featuring Nickelodeon Land, Blackpool Tower Eye & 4D Experience, Madame Tussauds with its new Marvel exhibition and Blackpool Tower Dungeon.
There were no arguments about kicking off day one – it simply had to be the famous Pleasure Beach. For a 10am start, of course. Straight through the door, we started off on Flying Machines – the iconic, oldest ride dating back to 1904. Then from Alice In Wonderland, the Ghost Train and an action-packed trip through Wallace & Gromit’s Thrill-O-Matic indoor family ride we made the seamless journey into adjacent Nickelodeon Land.
This is home to a dozen themed rides and the chance to hook up, or even get on stage, with children’s TV favourites such as Spongebob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer. Spongebob’s Splash Bash is the place for the mischievous to jump aboard and turn water jets on family and friends. For those who don’t fancy anything as wild or daring as a rollercoaster, mini versions of several popular rides are perfect to share with the kids, such as the Blue Flyer and newly christened Krusty Krab Order Up dropper.
Braver thrill-seekers have it made with ICON, costing £16 million and opened in a blaze of publicity last week.
It’s the UK’S first double-launch rollercoaster, twice propelling riders at speeds of up to 53mph with acceleration thrusts akin to those felt by Formula 1 drivers.
The kids were giddy with excitement anyway, so a sedate tram journey was far more appropriate to spirit us to the next destination of Blackpool Tower.
With Blackpool one of only six UK locations in the Circus 250 celebrations marking the 250 years since the world’s first circus, the show at the Tower was a must.
The way into the amphitheatre is a pictorial weave through several decades of circus entertainment. There, Mooky The Clown and Mr Boo had the kids giggling and parroting their favourite funny moments well into the evening, while laughs gave way to gasps of amazement at the death-defying stunts of fabulous acrobatic acts.
Such elite performers are on safe ground as they go about their business. And, walking on the glass floor 380ft up in the viewing deck, so were we as we took in our next attraction, even if the first step or two was tentatively taken. Ella, 9, and Riley, 6, were typically bold, their mum Jemma rather less so.
One block down we headed to Sea Life Centre for a colourful and educational journey into the deep. Then on to Madame Tussauds to meet the superheroes of Marvel, the exciting new development this season.
To end our memorable day we wound up at Harry Ramsden’s next to Blackpool Tower for fantastic fish and chips plus a dessert menu to die for.
We stayed in the plush and affordable Village Hotel, fuelling up each morning with the highly recommended buffet breakfast. The location was perfect for a short stroll through the grounds and on to explore Blackpool Zoo to begin our second day.
New for 2018, the £5 million elephant house has four new occupants along with Blackpool’s long-term resident elephant Kate. The Project Elephant base camp allows viewing outdoors at ground level or from a high-level indoor viewing platform.
Finally the Sandcastle Waterpark, the world’s biggest with 18 slides or attractions, was a huge favourite with the kids. One of you (OK, it was me) can steal away for some tranquillity in the Sea Breeze Spa to enjoy a sauna and steam room.
You could spend an entire day at Sandcastle but our couple of hours were a blast, entirely in tune with the carefree fun of Blackpool.