06-15 Blackpool Tower and More Coasters

Blackpool has a 518' tower that sits in the middle of their long beach area.



Our Merlin Annual Passes got us free tickets to the top of the Tower. The forecast called for rain or showers later in the day so we wanted to get up into the Tower early for some good pictures.



We watched a 4D movie standing up before going up in the elevator. It was based on the child of a family and his imagination when coming to Blackpool. At one point the child imagines the rocket in his hand taking off and the Blackpool Tower takes off as well.

You may see a resemblance to another tower in Blackpool's Tower. In 1889 the mayor of Blackpool visited the Great Paris Exhibition and was so impressed by the Eiffel Tower he decided Blackpool should have something similiar.

In an unpressedented move by a politician he put his own money where his mouth was and he created the Blackpool Tower Company. 3 years later the Blackpool Tower opened to the public.

At the top they have installed a 10" thick piece of glass to stand on if you dare.



Elton John, fresh from performing for the Diamond Jubilee for the Queen, will be performing in Blackpool this evening.



Indoor viewing area





Views from up on top.





Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Big One roller coaster in red.



Outside viewing area



The very top outside viewing area accessible by the public. There was a 2" netting covering the entire structure up here.



We took the elevator back down and entered what they call the Ballroom. They have an old Wurlitzer Organ that is played daily in here. Every hour one of 3 or 4 players will come play ballroom dance music.



Dancers, ametuers and professionals, come and dance to the music of the Mighty Wurlitzer.



As with most professional organ players they love what they do and you can tell by the enthusiasm they put into their playing.



Karen and I stayed and listened to a half dozen pieces and enjoyed the excellent dancers who were there.



We ate lunch there overlooking the Elton John venue and the beach. Afterwards we found ANOTHER Disney Store in a foreign country and purchased a cute Mickey.



Eventually we ended up back at the Pleasure Beach to ride more rides and to enjoy this most unusual Park.

In days gone by the Derby Racer horses used to move forward and backward AND up and down as they went round and round. One of the four horses next to each other would "nose" out the others and you would be declared the unofficial winner of your row. Now they just move up and down like a normal carousel.



All the while we are going around we get to hear the old fashioned organ.



This was the first ride installed in the Park



They had a wild maze that we did not complete.



And they had a fountain show every half hour that was guarded by no less than two officers.



They had an attraction with things like this in it:





Again, Blackpool Pleasure Beach was wonderful for us. We had looked forward to going there and even with the drizzle it was more than we had imagined.

Pizza Hut was right around the corner and on our way when walking back to our hotel. It was an obvious choice for dinner.

06-14 Blackpool Pleasure Beach Coasters Intertwined

If you want the greatest quantity of coasters in the smallest area then you've come to the right blog - along with the help of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I can't think of a single coaster of theirs where the track of one doesn't go under, around, or through another coaster. It's coaster spaghetti, I tell ya.

BUT FIRST...I had to go do the laundry at 8:30 in the morning. Then, it's play time!

Since we were staying in the Big Blue Hotel we were allowed to enter the Park via a special gate. We had wanted to ride their largest coaster, Big One, first but it wasn't quite running yet so we choose THAT ONE. You can see our hotel in the background, the lift hill for the Big One, and some track from the Steeplechase coaster.



Steeplechase is a one of a kind ride. Steel horses are your coaster car and you can ride alone or with a friend. Just sit on the horse and we'll put a seat belt on you and..."they're off".



Taking a quick peek we notice Big One STILL not running so we choose THAT ONE.



There used to be a few coasters like this across America but gradually they've been taken out. I don't think Blackpool ever takes out a coaster so Revolution remains. You have to climb, via stairs, 4 stories to get onto the ride platform.

After boarding, the coaster is pushed over the edge, goes through a loop and ends up on the other side of the loop at about the same height that you started out. Repeat step 1 from the other side - only backwards this time.

Since there was NOBODY waiting to ride, the ride operator asked us if we would like to go again! Uh huh! So he pushed us over the edge again!

Finally, the Big One was now running. In line with 30 other people. The coaster train has the back 12 seats roped off and the seats are filled with sand bags so we're only loading 18 people per train.



Additionally one seat is taken by Richard Rodriguez, the famous roller coaster marathoner. This guy goes around the world riding coasters for ridiculous amounts of time.



We ride and it's a great ride. There's this amazing first drop that curves down and around at the same time. The whole ride is just speedy fast. There isn't much "airtime" when you are out of your seat but it just "moves" along.



As usual, we rode it again and choose the front seat this time so we could see where we were going. MUCH better ride up front. To give you an idea of the compactness of the Park, all three of these coaster entrances were within 50' of each other.

Time to head to another area of the park. We found the Big Dipper needing riders so we volunteered. This old woody built in 1921 has been here for a few years but it was still a fun ride.



A newer steel coaster, Infusion, was a tight, twist of track that propelled ski-lift type seats through a maze of blue steel.



One element that was particularly neat was that as you entered the loop they had a sheet of water coming down a trough at you. The water didn't hit you but the effect of you zooming one way and the water zooming down the other was cool.

We had a nice Mexican lunch of tacos and fajitas at Coasters American Bar and Diner.





There is a type of coaster called bobsleds. Karen and I love them. They are taken to the top of the hill and allowed to roam freely on the curved and winding track.





Here the coaster is called Avalanche. We rode it probably more than any other coaster in the park during the two days we were there.



We took a monorail AND the train around and through all the coaster track and other rides. It's always a great way to get pictures from places you can't see otherwise. At the end of the ride on the Big One coaster the coaster train comes right through that hole and up and over the train.



Three coasters: The red track is the top of the lift hill of the Big One. The blue track is the suspended coaster called Infusion. The white structure is for the Big Dipper wooden coaster.



We rode a wooden kiddie coaster, Blue Flyer, and the mother was video taping her child's ride with her cell phone.



We rode so many rides this day; Wild Mouse coaster, Ghost Train dark ride, River Caves dark ride in a boat, Alice in Wonderland and more. This place is just great.

They kicked us out at 5pm and we headed up the street along the beach (7 miles long) for a drive and some food. What a great unforgettable day at a another place we have dreamed of coming to.