St Annes Beach and Pier
Blackpool's seaside without Blackpool's volume: a huge flat beach, a Victorian pier with arcades, donkeys in summer and a paddling pool by the bandstand. The cheap day out on the Fylde coast.
Water & swimming in Lytham St Annes
Splash pads, lakes, beaches, aquariums and pools. Bring a towel and a change of clothes.
Water & swimming in Lytham St Annes
Water & swimming elsewhere in the North West
Family Swimming
Both boroughs run family swim sessions through the holidays, several with shallow teaching pools and inflatables laid on. The cheapest way to burn two hours on a wet day.
Blue Planet Aquarium
Sharks over a moving walkway tunnel, all under cover. A dependable answer to a washout forecast that still feels like a proper day out.
Summer of Play, Hare Hill
Water play and outdoor games in a walled garden setting through the holidays. Free if you already have National Trust membership.
Formby Beach & Pinewoods
Huge sand dunes, a proper beach and red squirrels in the pinewoods behind it. The dunes alone will occupy them for an hour. Free entry if you have National Trust membership.
Anderton Boat Lift
A Victorian lift that hoists whole canal boats fifty feet in the air, and you can ride it. Genuinely impressive to a small child, with a visitor centre and café on site.
Sea Life Manchester
Ocean tunnel, rays, seahorses and rockpool touch sessions, sized for smaller legs - you can do the whole thing in a morning and pair it with Legoland next door.