Last weekend was a special one, as we spent Friday to Sunday in one of my favourite places, Blackpool. Blackpool is one of those places that you can visit happily all year around, but in all honesty, it really comes alive once September arrives, as this is when the illuminations are turned on, and the Lancashire seaside town becomes the Las Vegas of Northern England. This post is dedicated to some of the things you can do during a weekend in Blackpool, because, once again, we had a fabulous, family time there.

The key to Blackpool is to stay somewhere central so that you can enjoy walking around the town. We stayed at the Travelodge Southshore, which is just a short walk from the Central Promenade, and has ample parking, so you can leave the car behind and enjoy the sites on foot.

Here are some key highlights of Blackpool – Tower, Golden Mile and Beyond.

The Illuminations

The lights are what Blackpool is famous for, always unique and beautiful. This year they include a section called Ballroom Glitz, designed by Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, as well as the beautiful sirens who are watching over the Golden Sea. On Friday nights during Illumination season you can also enjoy amazing fireworks displays that are making up the Firework Championships – we enjoyed the French display, and you can get a great viewing point from the Tower.

I’m so proud of this piccie I took!

Irish Sea Sirens

A Ballroom Chandelier

The Blackpool Tower.

I am obsessed with this stunning building, and there is so much to do inside. Jungle Jims is a fantastic play area that I believe is housed in the site of the old zoo, whilst the Circus is fabulous family entertainment which I will be reviewing in a future post. Even if you are not brave enough to go right to the top, you can enjoy a coffee and views over the comedy map, or just take a peep into the Ballroom, made famous once again by Strictly Come Dancing. You can find prices and more information on the attractions here.)

Joe with Mooki and Mr Boo at the Circus

The Blackpool Dungeon

Brooks Collectables

Whenever we head to Blackpool, we always pay a visit to Brooks Collectables. This is a shop that will appeal to anyone with a love of popular culture, selling Star Wars, Betty Boop, Minions and Marvel Collectables amongst many more. What I really love is the Brooks Memorabilia Museum that is housed upstairs, above the shop, and is filled with so many toys from many eras, including a great range of vintage Barbie Dolls. I also love the vintage Blackpool memorabilia, some of which I can actually remember from childhood visits.

Joe and Pete at Brooks Collectables

Barbie Collectables at Brooks Collectables centre

Love the Elizabeth Taylor doll

Coral Island

The bright lights and bells and buzzers of the amusement arcade are all part of the Blackpool fun, and nowhere is this better illustrated than Coral Island, a huge mega-arcade with a pirates theme. It has so many games, from gambling machines to space invaders (jeez – showing my age there), as well as air hockey, the Arabian Derby and numerous grab machines. We won Anger from Inside Out which really pleased Joe, and had lots of fun on those pesky 2p machines. Coral Island also has a cafe which is great for cheap coffee and milkshakes.

Of course, there are so many other things to do – The Sea Life Centre, Madame Tussauds, the Pleasure Beach, The Sandcastle, and all those piers. A weekend simply isn’t long enough!

More Images from Blackpool

On the Central Pier

Amazing Bouncy Castle on the Central Pier

Joe and Pete on the Golden Mile

Minion love!

Look at this crazy picture of the Blackpool Tower I took from the Travelodge Window