At the end of March this year, me and Ruby (who you can find blogging over at An Invisible Princess) were meant to go to Blackpool for the weekend to see all the usual big touristy things, but unfortunately migraines got the best of me and the trip was rained off. Ruby and her mum used the Pleasure Beach tickets that weekend anyway and we had ninety days to use the tickets for the other attractions (Madame Tussauds, The Blackpool Tower Eye and The Blackpool Tower Dungeons) and so we decided we could do that later when it suited us better. I promptly filed that fact away and lost it in the abyss of my brain, so when Ruby asked if bank holiday Monday of this week suited me to head up to Blackpool, it was a lovely little surprise. Getting here turned out to be a bigger ordeal than we might have imagined, some of this was our fault and some of it not so much. It is true that we nearly ran out of petrol and had to take a bit of a detour to get some, but when we got to Blackpool literally none of the traffic lights were working and literally all of the car parks were full, which was even more of a drama. On bank holiday Monday, who would have thought it? Not Rue and I, clearly.
When we got past the road rage and finally got parked we decided to head for the Dungeons. Unfortunately there's no flash photography allowed in the dungeons, and it's so black in there that taking photos with no flash would have been utterly pointless, but it was a really interesting tour (think Horrible Histories brought to life with you as a cast member, even if you didn't agree to be one!) and there are some cool little bits and pieces in it that make it well worth the money, the vertical drop ride (a bit like a tame Pepsi Max ride, if you ever went to Sega World in London) based around the Salem witch trials in particular. It was creepy, factual and funny for the most part and, as long as you didn't sit on the front row, watching a member of the group you're with get mercilessly teased and embarrassed was pretty fun, too.
Next we headed to Madam Tussauds, and obviously there is photography allowed here or we might never have gotten to enjoy the satisfaction of taking selfies with waxworks of celebrities (most of which, by the way, are utterly crap. Sorry, but it's true!) Much to the annoyment of families trying to shove their kids in with the queen to get a photo, me and Ruby insisted taking photos with the dummies as though they were our best mates. Hilarious to us, but probably not to all the people waiting behind us for their own chance at a photo op. It's also worth noting that Blackpool Madam Tussauds has a Rover's Return pub set exactly like the Coronation Street one, and it really is a licensed pub inside, so that's pretty cool if you fancy a drink and Corrie is your type of thing.
Finally, and the coolest part in my opinion, we visited the Blackpool Tower Eye. This has a bit of a naff and frankly pointless 4D experience in a theatre beforehand, which was a bit confusing but only lasted a few minutes, and then it is a lift with glass windows taking you to the glass skywalk portion of the Tower. This was awesome, panaramic views all around as well as under your feet? Definitely my kind of thing, although potentially not Ruby's as she looked a little green! You can also head up a little further towards the very top of the tower for some really lovely views, which is a gorgeous but very appropriately touristy way to check out what really is a pretty cool town.
Just before we left we also managed to cram in a quick Nando's at the Branch opposite the The Grand Theatre, no photos of the food as my phone was out of battery (typical iPhone) but it was pretty standard Nando's fayre. The staff where pretty nice though, and the service was fast which means we managed to get back to the car, which was parked across town, with ten minutes to spare! All in all, a lovely little way to spend the bank holiday Monday, and worth a trip if you're at a loss of things to do. Train tickets to Blackpool tend to be pretty cheap, and the more attractions you go to see, the cheaper each one becomes!
Have you visited Blackpool lately? What attractions did you go to?
S xo.
