A real breath of Fresh air

Hollywood star Will Smith is one of many flocking to revapped Blackpool

ONCE upon a time, the only chance of seeing Will Smith in Blackpool would have been at the waxworks.

But the resort has turned itself around so much in recent years that even the Hollywood superstar will be visiting later this month.

He and his old rap buddy DJ Jazzy Jeff will be performing in the shadow of Blackpool Tower on August 27.

They’re part of the Tower Festival Headland line-up over the bank holiday weekend, but you just know the former Fresh Prince will be desperate to get off stage so he can make his way around all of the seaside town’s attractions.

I can see him now, looking all calm and collected with his Men In Black shades on as he goes hurtling along on The Big One at the Pleasure Beach or not even flinching as he steps on to the Walk Of Faith, the glass floor at the top of the Tower.

Inside, I bet he’ll be giddy with excitement, just like the rest of the kids – old and young – who visit Blackpool, a resort that deserves enormous credit for reinventing itself.

We visited during the recent Glasgow Fair. Decades ago, the number of Scottish accents heard in the town at that time would have been akin to a walk down Buchanan Street on a Saturday afternoon.

However, with foreign package holidays becoming more and more affordable, that became less so.

Now, I’m happy to say, people are returning to Blackpool in droves, rediscovering old favourites, hunting out hidden gems and trying some of the new attractions to have popped up.

Our first port of call was an oldie but a goodie – the zoo. Edinburgh might have its pandas, but their overall zoo experience isn’t a patch on Blackpool.

You could easily spend a full day here, especially if you have a wee one in tow.

There’s the magnificent-looking lions and tigers, inquisitive orangutans, gorillas and all manner of monkeys, and giraffes, penguins, camels and aardvarks. In fact, there are 1500 animals across 32 acres.

There are still more hotel rooms in Blackpool than all of Portugal, so it’s fair to say there’s a range of good, bad and indifferent.

We stayed at The Elgin on the North Shore and I’m pleased to say it’s one of the better establishments. The lounge, bar and reception areas have all been refurbished for 2017, as have some of the rooms, including the one we stayed in.

It was spotless, looked lovely and the staff were very friendly throughout and there was a family feel about the place.

It was noticeable, however, that most of the residents were a fair bit older than us. The Elgin’s sister establishment next door, Hotel Sheraton, seems to be aimed towards younger families.

No stay in Blackpool is complete without a trip to the Tower and Pleasure Beach.

The thrill of climbing to the top of the Tower and looking out for miles on a good day never gets old and neither does jumping on the Big Dipper, Grand National or Valhalla and holding on like your life depends on it! Neither venue is resting on its laurels. Icon, the latest rollercoaster at the Pleasure Beach, will open next spring and the Tower has recently opened a late-night bar at the top and there are always new daredevils to watch through your hands at the famous Tower Circus.

Another improvement in recent years has been the number of quality restaurants to have opened, both independent and chain. Las Iguanas and Prezzo are two of the latter, but for a genuinely exquisite home-cooked experience it’s hard to see past Ambrosini’s located at Starr Gate.

It seems like there’s a special event happening in Blackpool every other week.

With so much going on, there really is no excuse not to become a familiar face. You might even

bump into Will.