Top Things to do in Blackpool with Kids

Blackpool travel blog, Our Pkjulesworld Top  things to do in Blackpool with kids.  

Do you have little ones and you are visiting or live in England, UK? And are you wondering where to take them for a bit of winter, spring or summer fun at a fraction of the cost? Here are our experiences and our list of things to do in Blackpool with kids as well as other information to make sure you have a fabulous trip or day out!

So, let me ask you, don’t you just love beach towns? We do love the UK town of Blackpool and trust me it is not where you would plan to visit in a January UK winter! Yet that’s exactly what we did. And it was better than we could have imagined.

Truth be told, it is probably now our favourite beach/tourist towns in UK! 

Before we take you on a vicarious trip to Blackpool, allow me to say I don’t usually call our children “kids.” This is because I was brought up to believe kids are “baby goats.” Yet in today’s parlance modern parents call their children; kids…So, kids they are lol!

[clickToTweet tweet=”So, let me ask you, don’t you just love beach towns? #blackpooltown” quote=”So, let me ask you, don’t you just love beach towns?”]

Blackpool is a typical yet Iconic English seaside beach town and for many it is beautiful. It has a great vibe for adult fun and children alike!  

There are numerous things to do in Blackpool for kids.  It has a good mix of modern structures, restaurants, a play resort and quite a few less modern structures along the promenade.  We at Pkjulesworld specially like this because, you get a taste of modern conveniences while still feeling like you are somewhere a wee bit adventurous.

Not that it is really adventurous, it’s to all intents a normal UK tourist beach town.

Our journey to Blackpool from Liverpool or any other UK destination really is mostly on the Motorway. So very little adventure here unless you create it yourself! You don’t want to do that, seriously!  

But, you must be wondering if it’s a good idea to visit Blackpool with an infant i.e.  baby, toddler or child under 12? The answer is a resounding YES!

We have been visiting Blackpool with our 2 children since they were toddlers. That’s a whopping 18 years…What! Where the freaken sweets did time fly?

Anyway, often times we take a Road trip with visiting family and friends with younger children. And very recently we went for a Day trip to celebrate a Birthday for a 2 and 8year plus 9 more children and had a whale of a time! 

In this Blackpool travel blog, you will find everything we know about what to do in Blackpool with kids, where to stay in Blackpool for families, getting around Blackpool and what it’s like to have a birthday in Blackpool!

Pkjulesworld Top things to do in Blackpool with kids

If you love the beach, you will not be disappointed.  One of the best things to do in Blackpool with kids has to be to visit the beach!  Here are the some deets! The best part of it is on the South beach and some more on the central Pier.

Blackpool Beach

Blackpool beach is a 7 Miles of beautiful sandy/golden stretch that many people like us visit for the pleasure of it. (World Travel Guide info.) The busiest part of the town during the day is the beach.  It is split into three sections (imaginatively called South, Central and North Pier/Shore). 😀 

The best part of the beach in Blackpool for kids, is the Central Promenade. This is an amusement-laden section of the Pier not just for the little ones. But also, for the child in every adult. Our children love it!

There are a plethora of Memorabilia Shops and fun things to do, small toddler rides, and lots of sand to play in, as long as the tide is out!   

The Central Promenade and Pier, is lovely and where we spend the majority of our time, when in Blackpool, outside of the Pleasure Beach.

Pleasure beach is on the South Shore and its where every adrenaline junkie filled child both young and adult ends up! Roller coasters, rides, a 3-D Cinema and everything in between…It is great fun for children

The North Shore is the quieter, and maybe even more business side part of this town….in the day time. At night it comes alive with the party lot. If you want a bit of peace and quiet, you might choose a Hotel on the North Beach, Like the Imperial or Hilton. I came back though, I would stay here.  I’d just make sure I was at the South end of the beach for all the things to do in Blackpool with family.

And guess what, I loved Blackpool’s North shore! It is beautiful.  It was definitely much quieter, a few joggers, a few kite riders, a bit windier, but it was so quiet when we had our stay at the Blackpool Hilton. Hardly anyone around and no road noise.  I was in love!  If it wasn’t too late to cancel our accommodation, we would have spent more time here instead of the South shore…

If you are looking for what to do in Blackpool with your boo or bae, or maybe you want to get your sweat on, then you would love this part of the beach!

But if you’re looking to buy some weird paraphernalia or memorabilia, you definitely cannot go wrong at the central Pier. Plus, the shops, bars, restaurants, Fish and Chips and Motels/B & Bs everywhere.

Our children’s favourite hangout though is The Sand Castle on the South Beach!

For us adults, it is the “beach walk” with various messages, poems, funny jokes etc. right opposite the Blackpool Tower. Along with the steps to the beach which will get that butt into gear!

Blackpool is one of the UK’s towns that runs a Tram service and there are some real antiques too. And you will find the most horse drawn carriages of all styles here…

I haven’t seen anything like it elsewhere.  One of my favourite Blackpool things to do is to just walk along the promenade from the South Beach to the North Beach…Watching life go by.

This is a cardio, fat busting, 7 mile walk. You won’t need any exercise after this, trust me! 🙂 

Blackpool is definitely NOT low key. Not with the ton-load of Hen parties and Stag dos that flock the town every blessed weekend.  These usually end up on the North Shore where the pubs and clubs are plenty! A great atmosphere on an evening, definitely you will have a laugh or 10.

I think it has a fantastic mixture of adult and children fun. So, are you ready to plan your next UK holiday or Road trip here yet? 🙂

[clickToTweet tweet=”are you ready to plan your next UK holiday or Road trip here yet? #Whattodoinblackpool” quote=”are you ready to plan your next UK holiday or Road trip here yet?”]

Blackpool Attractions for kids

Unsurprisingly, the main attraction in Blackpool for children is the Sand Castle water park. But for the adult kids the attractions are not much to do with the beach and water.  They are mostly all about Rides, Adrenaline thrills, Concertos, and stag/hen Dos! Of course, there are many water activities…mainly at the Sand castle lol. 

Yet you won’t find the usual sunset cruises, glass bottom boat rides, snorkeling, diving, wind surfing, kite boarding… Pretty much anything to do with water in Blackpool!  But you definitely can hang out at the beach.

If you want to win or mostly loose lots of your coins go to the many Coin betting establishments with machines. These will definitely get your little one screaming for the teddy bears and whatever they have behind the glass, that you can’t seem to ever win!

There are lots of B&Bs almost on every street and corner along the beach! Many have typical English food in the restaurants, lots of bars, really everything you need for a weekend getaway.

We spend most of our time, eating, swimming at the Sand castle or playing at the Pleasure beach. Our main goal here most recently was to relax in the Spa and celebrate 2 little people’s very special milestone!

Is it a great place for a birthday party?

We had 2 children celebrating their birthdays and our main reason for the trip to Blackpool this winter! Blackpool is such a fabulous place for any birthday. 

We brought our own cake and bought the children lunch with a hostess at the Sand Castle! They had a total blast on the thrill water slides, roller-coasters and wave pool!

We adults spent most of the day taking turns in the Spa as we also had to keep an eye on the littler members of our party, who thoroughly didn’t want to leave the wave pool!  

After all that, we had a well-deserved fantastic dinner at Mr Basrai’s world cuisines on the north side of Blackpool. We absolutely enjoyed it, you would too with the all you can eat buffet! In summer you cannot go wrong on the Pleasure beach, taking Rides in the horse drawn carriages…or gambling your coins away at the slot machines. 

Here are some Great Family Hotels in Blackpool

The Big Blue hotel in Blackpool in our opinion is the best place to stay if you have children as you get to be in the heart of the pleasure beach and they serve a great breakfast. You also get tickets to the beach if you book at the right time!

For the business visit, head on to the Imperial or Hilton on the North pier, you will get a bit more peace and quiet to get more stuff done, not forgetting the awesome Spa in the Imperial Hotel.

We paid £186 for 2 nights for a Family if 4 B&B at the Blackpool Hilton last summer. A total steal don’t you think?  There is a Great Spa and Pool plus gym too. Parking can be limited on a busy day so book it with your room.

The downside was that this hotel is located Far away from the activities for children…BUT, there is a Tram stage bang in front of the hotel, so you can get there pretty dang fast! 

Your Food Fix

One of my favourite things to do anywhere really is eat out!  There are so many food choices – you are not going to have problems finding something to ea. It many not necessarily be healthy lol! Lots of fried Fish and Chips if you get my drift! There is also a Large MacDonald’s on the Central Pier! 

These meals are cheap, and popular though. And on an evening the beach becomes lined with revelers and tourists getting their fix as well as walking along the promenade!

You can also find a buffet or simply find which Chippie you prefer and eat at. You will find lots of cheap food but have to go further out for some fine dining like we did at Mr Basrai’s World Cuisines!! (Very much affordable by UK standards.) 

The kids will love it…and you can be sure we have you covered on Traveling with dietary needs. This worked great for us as our children did have nut allergies! Thank goodness they outgrew them.

Getting Around Blackpool

We rarely do or did anything but walk.  As you want to get from The Pleasure beach, Sand castle to central pier, buy your memorabilia, get on more rides, check out the beach, maybe visit the SeaWorld inside of the tower.

Everything you need is walkable to, very close, being along the promenade!

You can catch tricycles, horse drawn carriages, the Tram or even the buses along the main promenade for less than £5 which we do occasionally. Your baby or toddler pram will not be a problem.

If you are within UK and dont drive, you can read about how to get to Blackpool here. Our party travelled from Liverpool, Derby, London and we all drove. But, you can pre-book your train tickets via above link.

Random Musings & Final Word

Everything seems fairly cheap to us, most of the toys are really just cheap plastics, like what you get in most tourist towns!  

What you may find not as pocket friendly being a UK town is accommodation.  We have lots of tools and resources to find the best place to stay in Blackpool.

You will on average spend more on accommodation in Blackpool than other stuff esp. in the high season of summer and the Christmas Lights season!  There are certainly lots of cheaper not too great alternatives, but with our children, we are very fussy, and so should you be! 

Overall, Blackpool is a great UK get away esp. a road trip on a weekend! It is a great place to visit with kids and there are many places to go in Blackpool.

You can also read about our other experiences travelling in the UK, esp. our London experiences.

What are your favourite things to do in Blackpool with kids?

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