Marine House

Adventure Coast Southport is a family theme park on Marine Drive in Southport, Merseyside. It ran as Southport Pleasureland until 2024 and rebranded in 2025. Locals still call it the "Southport fair" or "funfair". The park is split into four themed lands: Pirate Cove, Viking Landing, Cartoon Boardwalk and Steampunk Bay.

Tip: It is a seasonal park and was closed for the 2026 season, with reopening stated for 2027, so check it is open before you travel. For satnav, enter "Marine Drive" or "Esplanade" rather than the postcode.

Gulliver's World is a theme park in Warrington, loosely based on the world of Lilliput from Gulliver's Travels. It is split into themed areas including Western World, Safari Kingdom, Land of Oz, Smuggler's Wharf and Lost World. Rides such as The Antelope, Desperado Drop and Apache Falls sit alongside play areas, both indoors and outdoors, designed for children between 2 and 13.

Tip: The website says booking tickets early can save money, so check online before you go.

Knowsley Safari is a safari park in Prescot, Merseyside, set in the parkland of Knowsley Hall. The main event is the 5-mile Safari Drive, where you travel in your own vehicle past animals such as African lions, southern white rhinos, Bactrian camels, European bison and olive baboons. There is a bypass around the baboons if you would rather keep them away from your car.

Tip: Book online in advance, as tickets are cheaper that way and online booking is essential.

Pleasure Beach Resort, long known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is an amusement park on Blackpool's South Shore. It was founded in 1896 and sits right along the promenade. Rollercoasters are the main draw, with ten to ride. The Big One was once the tallest and steepest in the world, and is still the longest in Europe.

Tip: Check the official calendar for opening days and times before you go, and book eTickets online ahead of your visit.

The British Lawnmower Museum in Southport is dedicated to the history of the lawnmower. Former racing champion Brian Radam opened it in 1991 alongside the family firm, Lawnmowerworld. Its restored garden machines span the last 200 years, with many technical and industrial pieces from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Tip: Book a guided tour to hear more about the history of the garden machine industry.

Liverpool Cathedral is the largest cathedral and religious building in Britain, and one of the longest in the world. Designed by Giles Gilbert Scott and built between 1904 and 1978, it is a Grade I listed building. Inside, the vast space is made for wandering, with large-scale art installations and family activities alongside daily worship services.

Tip: There is an on-site car park off Upper Duke Street, and you don't need to book, but check opening hours first as parts can close for events.

Blackpool Zoo is a 32-acre zoo set beside Stanley Park, about two miles inland from the Golden Mile. It cares for over 1,000 animals from around the world, and opened in 1972 on the site of the old Stanley Park Aerodrome.

Tip: Tickets can be bought in advance online. Follow the brown elephant signs if driving, and use sat nav postcode FY3 8PP.

Rufford Old Hall is a National Trust property in the village of Rufford, Lancashire, seven miles north of Ormskirk. Built for the Hesketh family in the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, this Grade I listed timber-framed manor house is a fine example of Tudor building.

Tip: Head for the great hall first to see the hammerbeam roof and its carved angels.