Last year we went to Blackpool for my birthday & we had such a great time that we wanted to go back again this year. One of the main tourist attractions there is The Blackpool Tower & unfortunately we didn't get to go up it last time due to high winds. They kindly invited us back this year so that we could experience all five attractions within the Tower. On my 27th birthday Andy, Chloe & I drove from Yorkshire to Lancashire for a fun-filled day at the seaside.
I was most excited about going up to The Blackpool Tower Eye so that's where we went first. We got to take some souvenir photos before entering the 4D cinema. We watched a short film about the Tower & the special effects were really cool. They sprayed us with water & foam which really added to the experience but I wasn't expecting to get wet! Then we had to queue for the lift up to the top. The lift was quick but gentle so it's perfectly suitable for any young'uns. The best part was the SkyWalk. It's a 5cm thick glass platform that is completely safe to stand on & gives you some amazing bird's eye views of the Blackpool promenade. Walking on top of it feels quite surreal & it's totally worth going up there just for that. We also climbed the stairs to the outer level so we could enjoy being 380ft up in the air out in the sunshine. The views are phenomenal & I imagine it looks even better when the Blackpool Illuminations are switched on.
Next we went to The Blackpool Tower Ballroom which you might recognise from The Killers' Here With Me music video. It dates back to 1894 & is world famous for the unique sprung dance floor. The interior architecture & design of the room is absolutely stunning! The room is ornately decorated with a beautiful red & gold theme. The ceiling is exquisitely painted & lit up by crystal chandeliers. It has a very special atmosphere & watching everyone dancing to the Wurlitzer organ is rather lovely. I would definitely recommend stopping off here for some cake or afternoon tea whilst you watch the dancers. I had a slice of toffee millionaires' cake with a deluxe hot chocolate & they were both utterly delicious!
I would've loved to go to The Blackpool Tower Dungeon but as Chloe's only five years old we thought it might be too scary for her. I have great memories of visiting The London Dungeon when I was younger so it would've been fun to learn more about the gory side of Lancastrian history. The Drop Dead Drop Ride sounds really cool too. They even have a tavern at the end where you can drink mead with some of the dungeon characters. Instead we went to Jungle Jim's which is a soft play centre within the Tower. They have some huge slides & Chloe really enjoyed herself in there. The actual play area is quite closed off to adults though so it was hard to keep an eye on her. I much prefer play gyms where adults can go around with the kids just in case Chloe gets stuck or lost. It makes me a bit sad when parents just dump their kids in soft play & ignore them which is something you're kinda forced to do here. It was also boiling in there so we left after about 20 minutes instead of staying for our full hour long slot. Plus we wanted to go outside to the beach & arcades for a bit before visiting our next Tower attraction.
The last thing we decided to do was go to The Blackpool Tower Circus. The circus arena looked as elegant as the ballroom but the seats were worse for wear & kinda gross to sit on. The show we went to see was called 'Mooky & Mr Boo's Big Day Out At The Circus'. The comedy is very slapstick & old fashioned but it's sure to raise a chuckle from all the family. The main attraction of the show are the many world-class acrobats performing incredible feats. This was Chloe's first ever trip to the circus so she was shocked & surprised by many of the acts. Some of the things they did were really dangerous! A couple of the performers nearly fell several times when they tried skipping on the tight rope & the wheel of death. I especially enjoyed the magic act who kept changing their clothes in an instant. If only I could do the same! For the grand finale the circus ring was lowered into a pool of water & two motorcyclists rode around in a giant metal ball, just like what Homer did in The Simpsons Movie (Simpsons did it!). I also got a birthday shoutout which was pretty awesome even though I'm about 20 years older than everyone else on the birthday list!
The circus show went on for two hours so we were quite tired & hungry by the time it was over. We walked back down the promenade eating chips, doughnuts & fudge. It's not really possible to eat healthy food in Blackpool so we just embraced it. We played some more in the arcades & went on some rides in the Central Pier before getting a Cinderella carriage ride. It was a bit of a rip off but Chloe was desperate to go in one! Then we went back to the car & drove home to find out about the water contamination in Lancashire. No wonder bottles of drink were so expensive!
Overall we had a really lovely time & I had a fab birthday in Blackpool. Huge thanks to The Blackpool Tower for hooking us up with Tower Tickets which allow you to visit all five Tower attractions within 90 days of purchase & are great value for money. Buying them online will get you an even bigger discount. If you're planning to visit Blackpool I think that this kind of tourist attraction is best if you come as a family as there's something to entertain everyone. For people around my age I'd highly recommend checking out the Eye & having afternoon tea in the Ballroom. Hopefully we can go back in a few years time when Chloe is old enough for the Dungeon as it looks like loads of fun! I'd quite like to go back again in September for the Illuminations especially as Tim Burton is going to be switching them on!
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I would love to visit, its such a British classic. And those doughnuts look amazing to say the least!
ReplyDeleteAnnabel ♥
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