10 Best Things to Do in Blackpool in Winter

Blackpool Tower is a massive structure inspired by the Eiffel Tower that offers brilliant views of the city accompanied by an entertainment complex. This tower reaches 518 feet in height, so you can easily find it simply by looking up from virtually anywhere in town. The Blackpool Tower Eye, which is the observation area, is 380 feet up, so it's technically not possible to view the surrounding area from the highest point of the tower. Fortunately, though, you can take a lift up so you don't have to worry about countless stairs.

Blackpool Illuminations is an awe-inspiring annual lights festival held through several months near the end of the year offering impressive sights as winter approaches. During this festival, strings of lights are set up throughout town totalling 6.2 miles of lighting made of more than a million bulbs. You'll find the display between Starr Gate and Bispham along the main Promenade. As you travel along the street, you'll see lights strung between light posts on both sides, and Blackpool Tower itself will be glowing bright with lights along its sides.

The Winter Gardens is a popular entertainment complex that offers a wide variety of attractions including a ballroom, a theater and even some conference facilities to rent. Unless you're booking a corporate event, however, the theater is going to be your primary focus. You'll find 2 theaters within this complex. The first is the Opera House Theater, a massive stage with 3,000 seats dating back to the late 19th century. The second is the Pavilion Theater, which offers a much more intimate experience with 600 seats. You'll find it all just east of Blackpool Tower.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is a popular theme park in town with a wide variety of coasters and rides the whole family can enjoy right along the shore. While it's typically a summer attraction, this theme park hosts a winter season as well. Within the park, you'll find a variety of different coasters including a bobsled coaster and a steel coaster that was once the tallest and steepest in the world back in the '90s. Additionally, you can enjoy several thrill rides including some catered specifically toward small children.

The Golden Mile is an iconic part of Blackpool located between the North and South piers that's home to a variety of amusements the whole family can enjoy. It may be by the beach, but you don't need the water to find fun, making it one of the best winter destinations. Along the Golden Mile, you'll find several small amusement rides and arcades with classic games and the latest releases including virtual reality games. Of course, you'll find plenty of local restaurants and bars as well if you're looking for a bite to eat and a pint.

The Heritage Streetcar is a fleet of historic vehicles that have been restored to functionality along the Blackpool Tramway and offer rides and tours for passengers. It's one of the oldest electric tramways in the world, opening in 1885. The tours available from this streetcar can get you to a variety of different places. An entire fleet of vehicles from generations past can take you around Pleasure Beach and North Pier, among other iconic landmarks. You'll find stops for this streetcar marked with a green circular sign.

Blackpool Tower Dungeon is an unforgettable experience that will take you through several dark periods of history letting you see these frightening tales reenacted up close. As the name suggests, you'll find this attraction right by Blackpool Tower. Within the dungeon, you'll find yourself walking through 11 different sections that each have something special to offer. Each is eerie in its own right, with themes like a dark chapel, a torturer, a plague physician and Pendle witches. You'll even find a drop ride and a sedan as your last 2 stops.

Blackpool Piers is a set of 3 piers that let visitors explore the best of the Blackpool coast without having to deal with the cold temperatures of the winter water. The 3 piers are the North Pier, the Central Pier and the South Pier. Each pier has its own unique heritage, but they all sport Victorian charm that dates back more than a century. It's about 1.6 miles from the North Pier to the South Pier, so you'll find plenty of space for relaxing strolls along the shore between your visits to each pier.

Blackpool Big Wheel is a massive Ferris wheel on Central Pier that offers picturesque views of the city from the top, along with a relaxing ride. The wheel is especially impressive at night when it's illuminated with brilliant lights. Riding the wheel will have you reaching 108 feet high at the tallest point, letting you peer out over the city and into the long stretch of water to the horizon. The wheel is located near the middle of the pier, so visiting it will put you close to quite a few other exciting offerings as well.

Conveniently located on the North Pier, the Venetian Carousel is an impressive carousel with horses and carriages that adults and kids alike can enjoy. This Italian-made carousel is a double-deck galloper model with intricately designed horses to ride. This carousel is relatively new compared to the Blackpool piers themselves, as it was opened in 1991 and has been continuously operating since. Instead of offering insight into times long past, as the piers themselves do, this carousel may offer nostalgia to travelers who were young during the '90s.