Landmark · 10:00–12:30 (2h30m)
The Blackpool Tower Ballroom
Tower Top and the glass SkyWalk, then the circus or ballroom with a combo ticket.
An indoor landmark in Blackpool.
Check pricesIndoors
- Good on a rainy day
Photo: Michael D Beckwith
Day one keeps you mostly indoors at the Tower, the aquarium and Showtown, then ends with the free Illuminations along the promenade. Day two is for rides at the Pleasure Beach, with a gentle finish beside Fairhaven Lake.
WeekendAll agesCost £££6 stops
Day 110:00–19:45
- 10:001
- 13:302
Aquarium · 13:30–14:45 (1h15m)
SEA LIFE Blackpool
after lunch, the ocean tunnel and rockpools; arrive before last entry.
An aquarium on Blackpool's promenade with a walk-through ocean tunnel, rockpool and rainforest zones and a new Jurassic-themed tunnel for 2026.
PaidIndoors- Good on a rainy day
Photo: visitsealife.com
- 15:003
Museum · 15:00–16:30 (1h30m)
Showtown Blackpool
interactive galleries on circus, magic and seaside comedy.
An indoor museum in Blackpool.
PaidIndoors- Baby changing
- Toilets
- Good on a rainy day
Photo: FromTheElectricComic
- 18:304
18:30–19:45 (1h15m)
Blackpool Illuminations
after tea, walk or ride a tram along the lit-up promenade.
Six miles of free light displays along the promenade from Starr Gate to Red Bank Road each autumn. Lightpool festival events run on Friday and Saturday nights at the Tower Festival Headland.
FreeOutdoorsPhoto: Mark S Jobling
Day 210:00–16:45
- 10:005
Theme Park · 10:00–15:00 (5h)
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
big coasters for older ones, Nickelodeon Land for little ones.
A seafront amusement park with ten rollercoasters and Nickelodeon Land, a separate area of gentler rides and character meet-and-greets for younger children. Autumn evenings add a scare event for older visitors.
PaidOutdoorsPhoto: David Dixon
- 15:306
Nature & gardens · 15:30–16:45 (1h15m)
Fairhaven Lake & Gardens
an easy lakeside stroll and a café stop before heading home.
A lake and gardens on the Ribble estuary between Lytham and St Annes, with boating, putting and a lakeside café, plus flat paths that suit buggies and scooters.
Free / PaidOutdoors- Café on site
Photo: Chris Downer
More days out in North West
North WestA wet day of free museums in Manchester
Manchester city centre
Three free museums and galleries that keep everyone dry and busy, from steam engines and science in Castlefield to dinosaurs and live animals on Oxford Road. Finish with a calm hour among the art and trees at the Whitworth.
Science and Industry Museum → The Manchester Museum → The Whitworth
One dayAll agesRainy dayFree
North WestHeaton Park and a bus museum on a budget
North Manchester
Manchester's largest park gives you farm animals, playgrounds and a boating lake without paying for entry. After lunch, swap the outdoors for a hangar full of old buses and trams, where accompanied children get in free.
Heaton Park → Museum of Transport
One dayAll agesFree
North WestA full day at Chester Zoo and an evening on the city walls
Chester
Give the zoo the whole day: it is huge, and there is plenty under cover if showers pass through. If legs allow, finish with a short stretch of Chester's ancient walls to see the Eastgate Clock.
Chester Zoo → Chester City Walls
One dayAll agesCost £££