Riverside Holiday Park - Fun Days Out

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.

Viking Landing and Steampunk Bay have the thrill rides, while Cartoon Boardwalk is the place for classic carnival games and amusements. Visitors say there are plenty of rides for younger children too. Food runs from gourmet burgers to waffles, doughnuts and candy floss, and there are picnic tables if you bring your own lunch. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome, and the park describes itself as one of the few dog-friendly theme parks in the UK.

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.

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. The park also has the largest collection of wooden coasters in the UK, including Big Dipper, Blue Flyer, Grand National and Nickelodeon Streak.

There's plenty beyond the big coasters. Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine, which opened in 1904, is the oldest amusement ride in Europe, and there's a well-known water ride too. Younger children can head to Nickelodeon Land, a themed area where they can meet favourite characters. Non-riders can buy park entry without rides to watch the shows, eat and enjoy the atmosphere. It suits thrill seekers, families with young children and anyone who likes a bit of fairground history.

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

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.

Beyond the main park, Blast Arena is an indoor NERF attraction for children aged 6 and over, with blasters, goggles and target vests provided. The site was once part of the RAF Burtonwood air base, and the RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre on the park has RAF memorabilia and displays on its history. It suits families with younger children, who can build a day around the rides, play areas and themed zones.

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.

Afterwards you can park for free and explore the Foot Safari, home to Nubian giraffes, Andean bears, meerkats, capybaras and California sea lions. The Amur Tiger Trail has forest areas, streams and ponds. Animal talks and displays are included with a standard ticket. There are also fairground rides and amusements, a small railway, and a restaurant and gift shop. The park is a member of BIAZA and EAZA.

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

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.

Highlights include Project Elephant Base Camp, with the largest indoor elephant house in the UK, and Giraffe Heights, where visitors can book encounters to hand-feed the giraffes. You can also see gorillas, orangutans, lions and Amur tigers in the Big Cat Habitat, and watch California sea lions in the 250-seat arena at Active Oceans. Walk-through areas such as Lemur Wood and Amazonia put you close to the animals, and the Dinosaur Safari trail features life-size dinosaur models. There is also a Playbarn.

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. Only the great hall survives from the original house, with a brick wing added in the 1660s and another in the 1820s.

The great hall is the star, with a hammerbeam roof where every beam ends in a carved wooden angel. Pevsner described its decoration as "of an exuberance ... matched nowhere else in England". You can also see a carved bog oak screen, a collection of arms and armour, and rural memorabilia displayed in the stables. Outside are Victorian gardens, best known for a giant pair of topiary squirrels.

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

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. The collection also includes names you wouldn't expect in a garden, such as Rolls Royce, Royal Enfield and Vincent.

Look out for the "Lawnmowers of the Rich and Famous", which include mowers once owned by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Brian May and Alan Titchmarsh. You can also learn how Edwin Beard Budding patented the lawnmower in 1830 and tested it at night so nobody would see him. It will suit anyone curious about British engineering heritage and vintage machines.

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

Ribble Steam Railway is a standard gauge preserved railway running along Preston Docks. It opened to the public in 2005 and is home to one of the largest collections of locomotives in the United Kingdom, much of it moved from the old Southport Railway Museum.

Your ticket covers the museum, Mr Ribble's Playground, Mrs Ribble's Tea Room and travel on the trains. Each journey lasts around 35 minutes, heading from Preston Riverside station to Strand Road and back, usually behind a small steam or diesel engine with Mark 1 coaches. The visitor centre also has a shop and café. It's a good pick for railway fans and for families with children, who can ride the train and then let off steam in the playground.

Tip: Check the railway's website before you go to see which days trains run, as special events need booking in advance.