I’ve been to Disney World 50 times and Britain’s ‘best big town’ is just as much fun
GAUDY arcades, faded bucket and spade shops and donkey rides on the beach. You may call Blackpool stuck in the past, but I think it’s timeless.
Recently named as one of the best big towns in the UK, Blackpool may be about to see a resurgence.
As Britain’s original seaside holiday resort, this sometimes sunny stretch on the Lancashire coast embodies everything us Brits want from a holiday.
Blackpool, with its seven-mile sandy beach, three pleasure piers, seafront theme park and iconic tower landmark has everything you need for a family holiday – and unlike other coastal towns in the UK – can be enjoyed at an affordable cost.
As a travel writer and content creator, I travel almost every month for work and I’m lucky enough to have been to many of the world’s best holiday destinations, such as New York City, Thailand, Australia and Florida.
In fact, as a Disney travel expert, I’ve been to Disney World more than 50 times, but but I’ve had just as much fun on a weekend in Blackpool as I have at the Florida theme park.
I live in London now and I also lived in Los Angeles in my 20s, but Blackpool has always held a special place in my heart. I know I will always go back.
Being from a working-class family, overseas family holidays were not something we did very often when I was growing up.
Instead, we would get the train to destinations like Weymouth, Margate and Blackpool from London.
No passport required, but holidays were still the most exciting thing we did every year.
Blackpool was always my favourite.
The seafront was so exciting. We would always walk from the station, passing B&Bs with neon Vacancy signs glowing in the window, that always smelled like egg and chips.
The Blackpool illuminations were dazzling for a little kid like me. Designed in 1879 as an ‘artificial sunlight’ attraction, this appeal has never faded.
Modern light trails and events are popping up from Land’s End to the Scottish Highlands these days – and often charge guests to enter. Even in 2026, Blackpool’s illuminations are still completely free to enjoy.
Who needs Vegas? The Blackpool arcades would be flashing and whirring, luring you inside to win big on the 2p machines. With the great British weather, this was often a necessary past time.
I became a master at winning naff pastel-coloured teddy bears in the grabber machine.
As a theme park nerd, something I inherited from my dad, Blackpool Pleasure Beach was my Disneyland.
The Big Dipper, a wooden rollercoaster built in 1923 and still going strong, was my first thrill ride. Being tall enough to ride this was like graduating tweenhood. My dad was thrilled as he finally had a rollercoaster buddy.
When The Big One opened in 1994, it was the highlight of the holiday. I was 12. From the top of the 235ft drop, you can see the whole of Blackpool Seafront laid out in front of you. It’s spectacular.
As you tip over the edge and race to the ground at 85mph with the wind in your hair, it’s exhilarating. For 12-year-old me, I was on the top of world.
Family holidays these days feel far more complicated. Even with short breaks in the UK, costs can add up.
I often want to create the wholesome British beach breaks of my childhood, but many destinations feel very different.
Some UK hotspots cost more than flying abroad. But, nabbing a great deal overseas can sometimes be stressful, confusing and time consuming.
Then you have to factor in long travel days, airports and finding somewhere with something for everyone that comes in under budget.
Like most parents, if I can take advantage of a kid’s club or send my two children on the rides together, while I wave from the side-line, I will. Life is busy these days and even 10 mins of peace can feel like a mini break.
But Blackpool hasn’t changed much since my memories of the early 90s.
Everything can be enjoyed together. Paddling on the beach, sharing a bag of chips, screaming in the lift to the top of the Blackpool Tower and enjoying the famous Blackpool Tower Circus.
The foundation for family fun is at the heart of this seaside town and I think it always will be.
Unlike many places which jump between personalities, Blackpool has always known its place – and better still, been proud of it.
I have gone back many times. I’ve also sold my friends on to Blackpool’s charms and we try to get a girls’ weekend in every couple of years too.
It’s an ideal weekend break for all ages.
Bursting onto the scene as a leisure destination for industrial workers and working-class families, in over 150 years, nothing has changed.
While other seaside towns have been infiltrated with artisan coffee shops, art galleries and trendy crowds migrating from the big cities, sending house prices and rents through the roof, Blackpool is still an affordable place to live and visit.
It’s not the spot for a delicate macaron or an eye-wateringly expensive afternoon tea.
But if you’re happy with a £2 doughnut and a hot cocoa in a paper cup, you can enjoy a great snack with sea views for under a fiver.
Budget-conscious visitors can get a decent hotel room for only £17 per night. Haven Morten Mare Holiday Park, just 15-minutes down the road has deals for £112 for a weekend for the whole family.
Attractions like the Blackpool Illuminations, Stanley Park, the promenade and piers are all free to experience. There are sometimes deals to enter Blackpool Pleasure Beach theme park for only £10 too.
As a mum, knowing I won’t be racking up a huge debt makes holidays less stressful from the start.
My kids are far more travelled than I was at their age, but I have noticed that spending big doesn’t always make them happiest on holiday.
Kids, like me and like my parents 30 years ago, just want to let off steam, have a bit of fun and have a bit of a break from life.
You don’t have to spend a lot to get that, especially in Blackpool.
I do sometimes splash out though. Mr Whippy with two flakes? Oh go on then.