Blackpool Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
town in Lancashire, England
About Blackpool
The Black Pool was a large peat-stained lake and wetland. West of it along the coast were sandhills and rough grazing: the main village was Poulton-le-Fylde ("pool town") and other tiny settlements were Thornton, Cleveleys, Norbreck and Bispham. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the wetland was drained for agriculture, so nowadays Marton Mere is its only remnant. Drainage made road access easier just as the fashion for sea-bathing took off, but getting here involved a lumbering expensive stagecoach ride so few visited. In 1830 a railway was built from Preston to Fleetwood, which was intended to become a ferry terminal. That venture flopped but a railway spur was built to Blackpool in 1848 just as leisure time and disposable income were benefitting a mass market. Each northern factory town to
Top Attractions in Blackpool
Explore the best things to see and do in Blackpool:
- ★Blackpool FC
- ★Blackpool Illuminations
- ★Blackpool Pleasure Beach
- ★Blackpool Tower
- ★Blackpool Zoo
- ★Central Pier
- ★Grand Theatre
- ★Heritage trams
Where to Eat in Blackpool
Must-try local food and restaurants:
- 🍴Beach House
- 🍴Boonnak
- 🍴Harry Ramsden's
- 🍴Hungarian's
- 🍴Mandarin
- 🍴Papa's
Where to Stay in Blackpool
- 🏨Big Blue Hotel
- 🏨Boulevard Hotel
- 🏨Canasta Hotel
- 🏨Chaplins Hotel
- 🏨Chesterfield Hotel
- 🏨Cleveland Court Holiday Apartments
Blackpool Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 12 sections including: