Loud and in your face there’s nothing better than a trip to Blackpool

See the light and take a trip to Blackpool!

I’ve been to Blackpool more often than I’ve visited certain relatives.

Loud and in your face no wonder I choose the Vegas of the North every time.

Of course, there are the old favourites that even those who’ve not been to Blackpool are aware of the tower, Pleasure Beach, zoo, Sea Life Centre and Madame Tussauds.

But when you’ve been as often as I have, you stumble upon lesser-known attractions or find a different way to enjoy old favourites such as taking a heritage tour.

The tours are led by nationally accredited guides and include informative visits of the Winter Gardens and Stanley Park, as well as of the pier, town centre and other areas.

Blackpool Tower does its own heritage tour, which is available on selected dates. We’ve done the tower tour twice now and it sees small groups led by an informative tour guide down a narrow, winding set of stairs into the bowels of the 120-year-old building.

Taking in the backstage area of the famous circus into the circus itself and then up to the ballroom and, if you’re lucky, the deafening organ chamber, the guide has plenty of anecdotes to make the entertaining 90-minute tour fly by.

Further down the Golden Mile, the Pleasure Beach has also started offering a different take on its many attractions.

If being whisked around the promenade on the Big One at 80-odd miles per hour isn’t scary enough, the amusement park is now offering hardy punters the chance to walk up their flagship ride after hours.

In full safety gear and escorted by experienced ride operators, brave souls can walk the 420 steps to the 235ft peak of the ride for a photo opportunity and the chance for a unique view of the illuminations below.

We strapped on our harnesses and hard hats and made the ascent one rainy winter night. It’s a strange experience standing at the top in the elements, the people on the promenade below just tiny specks and the incoming sea across the road making a crashing sound against the wall.

Back on terra firma, the park is also open late for special events, such as Halloween.

The town’s newest attraction is a £3m indoor spectacle called Illuminasia.

Housed in the Winter Gardens, it’s a massive walk-round exhibition that opened earlier this year and contains six eye-catching zones covering more than 4,100sq metres and features 35,000 lights.

The Land of the Giants zone, with its over-sized bugs, huge toadstools and the biggest dog you’ve ever seen, is like a scene from Honey I Shrunk the Kids. It’s an attraction well worth checking out.

If you fancy some more refined culture, a visit to the Grundy Art Gallery is recommended. Some of the touring installations are a little too abstract, but it seems to fit in just nicely with Blackpool’s out-there style. After all, where else could you see a 15ft latex puppet dinosaur on display one month and a study on Sigmund Freud the next?

More mainstream is the Brooks Toy Museum on the south promenade, which features a huge collection of vintage toys and old technology, such as phones and televisions. Downstairs is even better, where a collection of retro arcade games such as Space Invaders and Ms Pac Man wait to be played, all for the tiny sum of just 20p each. Out of all the arcades in Blackpool, this one will bring the most pleasure for those of a certain age.

Of course, with all of the town’s pubs and clubs, there’s plenty of choice for the evenings. But it is still a Mecca for hen and stag parties, particularly at the weekends, so the main town centre drag is best avoided on Friday and Saturday nights.

Speaking of drag, one of the most popular nights out is Funny Girls, housed in the old art deco Odeon cinema. Think cabaret crossed with Lily Savage and you’re on the right track. And it’s not just popular with a certain age group on any night the audience will be made up of people from 18 into their 80s.

The show celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2014 and has twice appeared on the Royal Variety Performance.

Other venues popular with all ages is the town’s four casinos. With two in the south, one in the central and another far beyond the North Pier, there’s plenty of chances to get lucky at the slots and tables.

And if you fancy a quieter day after a big night out, there are lots of tranquil seaside towns and quaint spots in the surrounding area, such as St Anne’s, Fleetwood, Lytham, Poulton-le-Fylde and Wrea Green.

So if you think you’ve done it all before or that Blackpool isn’t for you, take a closer look and you’re sure to find something new about Britain’s favourite seaside town.