All You Need Guide for a Family Weekend in Blackpool

A few weekends ago, a friend of mine and her family took a trip to Blackpool. It’s certainly a fantastic place to go if you want a fun break with the kids. But, there’s also plenty of great experiences on offer for the parents too, as you’ll soon discover. This isn’t about marketing the place, but more about offering you some tips if you decide to take a trip there. So without further ado, here’s my guide to one of the top places to visit in England.

Tip 1: Book Online

Whether you’re planning on hitting the Pleasure beach, taking a dip at Sandcastle Waterpark, I have one piece of advice for you. Book early and book online. This cuts the price in half, even during busy seasons so you won’t have to worry about this family trip costing more than you bargained for. You can get an all exclusive ticket that gives you access to almost everything. That might be wise, but you can also just book where you want to go separately for a cheaper price.

Tip 2: Arrive Early

If you’re planning on only staying for the day, I recommend you jump in your car and aim to be there at around nine to nine thirty in the morning. If you do this, you’ll find the place deserted, and that’s pretty perfect to be honest. The car parks won’t be full and no matter where you go, there won’t be massive queues. If you’re travelling from far away, just let your kids sleep it off in the car. There’ll be awake when you arrive, and the rides are in sight.

The best place to park is probably Pleasure Beach car park. It’s the most secure and is manned by security guards. This isn’t true for every car park around the town so be careful. It will cost you ten pound for the whole day that is an absolute steal when you know your car is safe.

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Tip 3: Go To Sandcastle First

If you’re planning on going to Sandcastle, one of the best indoor water parks in the UK, go there first. It’s quite small, and so the queues do get a little unbearable halfway through the day. But if you go in the morning it will be quite quiet and your kids will get to enjoy all the rides.

Tip 4: Navigating Blackpool Pleasure Peach

We went to the pleasure beach in the same day, after sandcastle. Like all major theme parks there is a fastpass option for the rides. Whether you need it, will depend on when you’re going. If you’re hitting the park in the middle of summer, then do buy the fast passes. But right now, as the weather begins to cool, it’s not necessary.

Extra tip: Be sure you have a couple of quid in your pocket to dry off after the water rides. There are dryers but they cost a pound for each use.

Tip 5: Dining

There are plenty of places to eat in blackpool. But, if you want something a little less kid oriented I recommend choosing one of the restaurants along the pier. There’s a great one near the Blackpool tower that we tried on our second night. The food was exquisite.

Tip 6: Walk, Don’t Drive

Finally, if you’re heading over to Blackpool at this time of year, you must stick around in the evening to see the lights. A lot of tourists make the mistake of driving the golden mile. Believe it or not, this can take hours in the heavy traffic, so it’s better just to walk along and enjoy a cool, crisp British evening.  

Rebecca x

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