Family friendly attractions on Lancashire's coast

Image credt: VisitEngland

Lancashire is the perfect place to spend those all important school holidays, especially for those looking for a fun filled coastal adventure. The Lancashire coast is the ideal place to take in beautiful scenery, fantastic attractions and mouth-watering food that caters to every need.

When booking the perfect coastal break for your family, you want to ensure there is plenty to enjoy with the kids. Which is why we've pulled together the top family attractions on the Lancashire Coast in one place for you below. 

Family holidays in Blackpool

Blackpool has a long, long history of providing the perfect retreat to the seaside. Families have been visiting the resort since the 1700s, enjoying sticks of rock, viewing the iconic Blackpool Tower and building sandcastles in between its three piers.

These days, Blackpool is still very popular as one of the country’s leading seaside resorts. Because of its reputation for providing fun for the whole family there are so many attractions for you to enjoy when you stay close by.

Of course, one of the most popular is The Blackpool Tower, with its 380ft high viewpoint and glass floor, world famous Ballroom, iconic circus and the terrifying dungeons, combine with the nearby Madame Tussaud’s Blackpool, or south shore's Sandcastle Water Park and Pleasure Beach Resort and Nickelodeon Land, you have an array of experiences the whole family will love. What's more, the Blackpool Ultimate Ticket allows access to these attractions across 90 days for a lower combined price too.  

You can also find the new Showtown Museum, The Hole in Wand golf experience and SEA LIFE Blackpool on the promendade. And did you know Blackpool is the best place to see The Gruffalo & his friends? Oh help! Oh no!  

The town’s historic piers, known as North, Central and South piers, provide fantastic entertainment too, with restaurants, arcades, and fairground rides synonymous with the seaside all present. 

You can also enjoy a fantastic day out at Blackpool Zoo, where you can see a wide range of animals and learn so much from their education officers about each of the species on show. If animals are your families thing, there’s no shortage of animal experiences in Blackpool, with Ridgeway Farm and World Horse Welfare Penny Farm right on the doorstep too.

With heritage attractions like Tram Town and the Spitfire Heritage Museum, both The Winter Gardens and The Grand Theatre offering great evening entertainment and Blackpool Model Village and Gardens, which provides a great photoshoot opportunity for children to pretend they are giants, there's so much to enjoy in the resort. Plus the beautiful, historic Stanley Park provides a great place for a picnic if the beach doesn’t appeal.

Image credt: VisitEngland

Family friendly Lytham and St Annes

Lytham St Annes is just down the coast from the world famous Blackpool resort, but offers a very different experience. The smaller towns of Lytham and St Annes still provide that traditional seaside vacation location, in bit of a quieter setting. The beach at St Annes is perfect for building sandcastles, and paddling when the tide allows. St Annes is also home to Splash Park Zone and paddling pool, which are ideal if your little ones don't like getting sand in their toes when paddling, and a beautiful 1800s pier complete with amusements.

Fairhaven Lake is a very popular attraction in the area that’s perfect for visiting with the kids. The lake itself provides a beautiful place to walk round, complete with Spitfire memorial and the play area will entertain too. But if you are looking to spend some time in the area, there’s also an adventure golf, featuring many of the local landmarks in miniature, bowling greens, skate park, tennis and basketball courts and a water activities including boat hire and windsurfing. You can also grab a bite to eat in the café too. The northern end of the town is also home to North Beach Wind Sports Centre, offering hire of wind sports equipment, alongside the Beachcomber Café.

In Lytham, the famous Lytham Windmill dominates the promenade, which features Lytham Green – the site of the annual Lytham Festival and many events held in the town. It’s also the perfect place for a picnic and sunbathing during the summer months. Nearby the Lowther Pavilion is home to a number of fantastic shows throughout the year, many of which will provide great entertainment for the kids, and Lowther Gardens offers a great park to play in. The town also boasts the Park View 4U park, which features bespoke sand and water play area, skate ramps, play areas for all ages, and more.

Visiting Fleetwood with kids

Blackpool’s northern cousin, Fleetwood offers a lovely holiday location, close to the action. The town has a lot to offer with its market and seafront, which features fantastic splash park and play areas. Kids may enjoy a trip to Rossall Tower, where they can learn all about the  coastal environment, bird life and plant life and enjoy the views out to the ocean. The Fleetwood Museum offers a look into the towns heritage in a fun and interactive way. If a member of your party has additional needs, Fleetwood Beach Wheelchairs allow access to the beach for wheelchair users too.

Alternatively head to Cleveleys to follow the Mythic Coast Trail, don’t forget to download the Wyre AR app to help bring these stunning sculptures to life, or Wyre Estuary Country Park, offering an award-winning Green Flag Country Park with walking routes, bird watching spots, picnic sites and a special family area. Kids will love the natural play area, there's a cafe on site, and you can hire an all-terrain tramper if you have someone in your party that has access needs too. 

Kids activities in Morecambe and Lancaster

Another fantastic seaside location, with so much to do, Morecambe will never disappoint. With amusements overlooking the promenade, attractions on every corner and regular events too, you can find it all. In addition to the beach with its perfect paddling spots and play areas along the promenade, you can enjoy a bounce at Jump Rush, shoot the family with lasers at Laser Rush, hit a strike at Soul Bowl or take to Happy Mount Park with its mini golf, soft play and popular Splash Park. There are also plenty of play areas, a promenade stage area and water fountains perfect for little ones to play in on hot days at Morecambe West End Gardens.

A little further inland, but still close to the coast you can enjoy Energy soft play, swimming and fun inflatable sessions at Salt Ayre Leisure Centre and in nearby Lancaster kids will love Williamson Park with Ashton Memorial, Butterfly House and Mini Zoo, and the city’s museums; The Maritime Museum, Judges’ Lodgings, Lancaster Police Museum and Lancaster City Museum. The Dukes Theatre and the Lancaster Grand Theatre often feature family focused shows.

The Ways Around the Bay website specialises in providing walks and cycling routes on and around Morecambe Bay, with popular routes like Silverdale Station to Warton Cragg ideal if you want a high viewpoint across the Bay, or Sunderland Point if you are looking for a nice flat terrain to enjoy. You’ll find lots of great stop off points along Morecambe promenade for enjoying a bite to eat or allowing the kids to have a play on its many play areas, and the Heysham Coastal Trail is ideal for fans of rugged coastlines and with ruins and sculptures to explore. Insider tip: head into The Glebe Garden, next to St Peters Church, with young kids and see the wonders they can find amongst the blooms.  

With all this and more, not to mention the beautiful beaches and stunning sunsets, it’s no wonder so many people flock to enjoy it all on the Lancashire Coast.