UK Travel Guide - Blackpool, United Kingdom

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24th June 2010 - by Hannah Rollmaker

Blackpool, United Kingdom

In England’s seaside burg of Lancashire, overlooking the Irish Sea lies the gorgeous city of Blackpool. Though surrounding cities in Northwest England like Liverpool and Manchester may be more well known historically, nothing compares to Blackpool when it comes to fun and enjoyment. Ever since mill and factory workers started taking the train to vacation at this pristine beach, Blackpool has long been one of the most popular tourist locations in not only England but in all of Europe. It is still the United Kingdom’s most popular coastal destination and the city still depends on tourism as the backbone of its economy. A trip to Blackpool will quickly remind you of that, upon bearing witness to the fantastically fun diversions scattered around the quaint burg.

While many of the yearly visitors to Blackpool come from surrounding areas like Glasgow, Blackpool still is a major draw to a worldwide audience. There are more hotels in Blackpool than in the entire country of Portugal and the astonishing Pleasure Beach is a must see for anybody who loves massive roller coasters and similar theme park attractions. The “Pepsi Max Big One”, for instance, is one of the world’s largest wooden coasters and has one of the highest freefalls in all of Europe. Pleasure Beach used to be free but, sadly, recent lean years have forced the town of Blackpool to start charging admission to the historically important attraction.

Like many seaside towns with an economy steeped in fun, Blackpool has a sizable and strong gay population. Ever since the first gay pride parade in 2006, Blackpool has been considered North England’s gay capital but Blackpool’s friendliness to gays dates back to the 1940s when gay clubs and bars began popping up around the city proper. Blackpool’s apparent tolerance of others is admirable, although an interesting tidbit surrounding Blackpool’s tenuous relationship to Rock music is well known to fans of the Rolling Stones. In 1964, when performing in Blackpool, the Rolling Stones angered the crowd by simulating sexual acts. A riot broke out as a result and the Stones were banned from ever performing in Blackpool again. In 2008, the ban was lifted but this story is evidence that Blackpool does seem to draw the line somewhere!

Blackpool, while still being a huge tourist draw, is slightly less popular than it was in its heyday. Millions still visit Blackpool every year but the total amount of tourists is millions less each year than the year before. The city has recently attempted to reinvent itself as a casino town in the same vein as Atlantic City or Reno but the British Government has thus far denied these attempts. Since being forced to charge admission to the historic Pleasure Beach, the city seems to be in a perpetual landslide toward irrelevance. Citizens of Blackpool scoff at this assumption, though, and cite that the city has always had periods of waxing and waning. Besides, one can hardly fear for the future of the city when it is still the most visited coastal town in all of England!