A POPULAR seaside attraction will reopen later this month with two big changes – a new ride and free entry.
Adventure Coast Southport, which used to be known as Southport Pleasureland, will reopen on March 28 with a free-entry model.
The new system will mean you can access the attraction – which is one of the UK’s oldest seaside amusement parks – for free and pay-as-you-go for each ride instead.
The park will also feature a new ride, and while little details about the attraction have been revealed, CEO Norman Wallis said that it is “something really big”.
The Adventure Coast Southport team added it will be a “spectacular new addition” that will be visible as part of Southport’s coastline.
Full details of the ride are expected in due course, but visitors can expect a “brand new BIG 50metre showstopper ride arriving from Easter”.
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Wallis added: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors back for 2026 with a refreshed approach that puts flexibility for families first.
“By removing the entry fee, families can decide what works for them.
“They might come for a couple of rides, meet friends by the coast or make a full day of it.
“Guests often tell us they love coming back because every year it feels bigger and better.”
The park is split into four themed areas: Cartoon Boardwalk, Viking Landing, Steampunk Bay and Pirate Cove.
Across the different themed areas there are a number of different rides, starting from just £1 a ride.
For example, you can head on a ghost train, swing ride, flying chairs and dodgems.
There are also a number of arcades onsite to explore and gardens with waterfalls.
Visitors can grab food at the park, including new street food options like loaded fries – but you can also bring your own picnic.
Many locals have welcomed the news of free entry on social media with one person commenting: “So glad it’s gone back to free entry and just pay for what you want, better for people with only a certain amount to spend.
“Also grandparents can now join in and watch grandkids ride.”
The park is also dog-friendly, has onsite parking and will be open every weekend and daily during the school holidays, from 11am.
If you want to extend your stay and explore more of Southport, then there is a motorhome site that is part of the park where you can pitch your caravan or camper van for £24 a night.
Then, just across the road from Adventure Coast Southport is Splash World waterpark.
It costs £16.20 per person to visit and includes three slides and a lazy river.
You can also head for a stroll along Southport Beach and see the pier, which is the second longest in the UK but currently closed.
Though, the Victorian pier is due to undergo £20million repairs starting this year.
In other attraction news, a popular technology-free attraction with no loud rides is set to open a third site in the UK.
Plus, here are the 20 most-visited attractions in England that are completely free to enter.