Additionally, it was Illuminations season in Blackpool, and based on memories of family visits in years gone by, I was convinced Baby would love seeing the lights.
Because we were staying for the Illuminations, we didn't set off until after lunch time, so when we arrived in Blackpool, the car parks were very busy. Rather than driving round and round the Central car park, as many others were doing in the hope someone would leave, we parked by the football stadium and walked for an extra 5-10 minutes, saving ourselves £5 for the inconvenience.
We walked up the promenade, passing a multitude of fish and chip shops, tacky souvenir shops, hotels, bars and street sellers with various light up items and pink fluffy cowboy hats.
There was no queue for Sea Life so we walked right in. £18.50 for the three of us, which included a voucher for a free round of crazy golf. We were directed to a tiny lift which took us to the first floor; the doors opened right next to the reasonably busy buggy park. From past experience we knew we'd end up taking Baby out of her pushchair to look at things so we left the pushchair in the buggy park and let her walk.
As soon as we walked through the door we were directed to a green screen and more or less made to have our photo taken. We were given a ticket so that we could see our photo at the desk in the gift shop at the end.
The first area we experienced was the rock pool, where you can touch various creatures, including starfish. Unfortunately the pool was too high for Baby to be able to have a go at touching anything, but I can imagine that older children would love it.
This was followed by a reasonably large room with a variety of small tanks/windows, themed like a pirate ship. Baby had to be lifted to see most of these, but she enjoyed walking around on the decks.
The stingray tank in the next room was very well done. I thought Baby would love the large full length windows but actually she wasn't too interested. A cut out section meant you could be surrounded by the tank on three sides, and there was also a bubble in the tank you could put your head in. Daddy took Baby into the bubble, but she wasn't particularly keen on it, though other babies and children seemed to love it.
The next section was very popular with children, because it contained clownfish and blue tangs, aka Nemo and Dory. Baby absolutely loved this section, the Dory tank had windows down to the floor, so she could walk all around it and still see in. It probably helped that the fish in here were brightly coloured, and plentiful, so easy to spot.
The following sections, submarine and rainforest, didn't have much to keep Baby's attention. The tanks were all high up and she was keener on walking herself than being lifted to see what was in the tanks.
I remember the shark section from childhood visits, but I remember the wall to the tank being much larger, though that could just be my memory playing tricks on me, as obviously I was smaller then. There are three screens which look quite exciting but basically just call up the picture of a shark of your choice, one of which wasn't working. Baby liked seeing the large sharks go past the window, but once they were gone she was no longer interested. She did enjoy the underwater tunnel which came afterwards however, especially as there was a rather large shark lying directly on top of the tunnel. Whilst we were in the tunnel we also witnessed a family having a shark tank experience; they seemed to be having a blast.
The final area held 'jurassic' creatures. There was a video game on a large screen, and some neon lighting, but otherwise Baby was not interested in this section as there was very little movement inside the tanks.
This section led straight into the gift shop, where you could also look at (and buy) your photo. If you have a pram, you have to retrace your steps through the centre to the buggy park, to take the lift back down to the entrance, as that is the only lift.
At 5pm the Illuminations were switched on. Unfortunately they didn't live up to my memories, probably due to budget cuts. Baby loved the mermaid section, but the Star Trek section and the other areas we saw were disappointing. It was bitterly cold so we didn't walk for too long, particularly given that the lights weren't especially exciting.
Key Facts
Month of visit:
November
Weather for visit:
Freezing.
Is it pushchair friendly?
Very. Pushchairs can go everywhere within the centre, and there is a lift at the entrance.
What about somewhere to feed?
There were a handful of benches dotted around: at the stingray exhibit, in front of the shark tank. The website says there is an area with benches at the end of the route through the centre, but we didn't see this because of having to retrace our steps to use the lift. There is no cafe, and nowhere to sit in the toilets.
Is it worth a visit?
Yes. We spent about 45 minutes there with a 14 month who didn't linger over anything, so if you had children who were into fish they could definitely spend a couple of hours there.
Baby's highlight?
Finding Dory.
Sea Life Blackpool
Promenade
Blackpool
FY1 5AA
https://www2.visitsealife.com/blackpool/
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