Family Day Out Review : Madame Tussauds Blackpool**

[Ad] We have always wanted to visit Madame Tussauds Blackpool and what a privilege it was when we were invited to visit the attraction when we were in Blackpool.  We had such a brilliant star-studded experience as we got to rub shoulders with British TV stars, sporting legends, pop royalty, the cast of Coronation Street, Doctor Who and MARVEL SUPER HEROES all in wax form.

My children also had the chance to take photos with their favourite TV and sports personalities such as Ant and Dec, Arianne Grande, Wayne Rooney as they pretended to be superstars and celebrities themselves.  The wax figures looked so realistic and we had lots of opportunities to take selfies and have a fun half-day of interactive and immersive activities.

Keep on reading to find out more about our experience and why Madame Tussauds Blackpool is a must-see attraction when you visit Blackpool for a Weekend Getaway, family day out or the Illuminations.

One of the highlights for us was visiting and getting up close with the MARVEL SUPER HEROES wax figures.  Madame Tussauds Blackpool welcomed the MARVEL SUPER HEROES area last year and it includes Marvel favourites: The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Spider-man, Groot, Rocket, Ironman and the newest arrival, the powerful Captain Marvel. Our kids took the opportunity to mimic being the characters themselves, whilst us adults had fun reliving our nostalgic childhood. 

We had the opportunity to explore four exciting zones and jump into the action with a variety of interactive experiences, all inspired from the blockbuster films that continue to be a huge hit at the box office. My husband had the chance to test his strength against the Incredible Hulk, whilst I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Thor (Chris Hemsworth). 

I have to admit, that I thought it was an attraction where we would be looking at the wax figures but in reality, we had a playful and immersive experience as we explored each wax figure in detail with Madame Tussauds Blackpool allowing its visitors to touch the wax figures.

We love Strictly Come Dancing and we all religiously sit down to watch the show every season.  As a family activity, our kids will always pretend to be judges yelling out the scores and dancing on the carpet. So, imagine our excitement when we had the opportunity to visit the Strictly Come Dancing area where we got to meet the wax figures of Craig Revel Horwood, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman and get to see the coveted glitterball trophy as well. Both Madeline and Thomas had the chance to do interactive roleplays as they got to sit on the judges’ chair as well as the presenters’ chairs, which was a lot of fun!

It did not matter that it was busy on the day, as all the visitors were orderly and lined up for their chance to waltz across the Strictly dance floor to judge the competition and even see costumes used in the show, giving everyone the chance to experience this area and not feel rushed.  

Our next area was even more exciting as we got to visit all things Doctor Who!  This area takes its inspiration from the TV series where we were invited to venture into the forest and search for the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, before coming face to face with a wax figure of the Doctor herself, Jodie Whittaker.  My personal highlight was to touch and feel the TARDIS prop as it was the actual one used onscreen throughout series 11! 

If you are not familiar with the British Television programme Dr Who which started in the 1960s, it is actually about an eccentric yet compassionate extra-terrestrial Time Lord who zips through time and space to solve problems and battle injustice across the universe. 

As fans of the show, we were excited to see the props and friends and frenemies costumes from the recent series of the show. There are lots of opportunities to dress up and get your photo taken professionally,  which you can later pick up.

We love watching the TV series I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, so it was fun looking at the area. My kids are mega huge fans of Ant and Dec, so they were super excited to have their photos taken with the stars.

Another must-see area is the Coronation Street area, where fans can visit get up close and personal with Britain’s longest-running British soap opera since 1960.  Did you know that even Prince Charles has appeared onscreen?  if you are not aware, the residents of Coronation Street are ordinary, working-class folk, and the show follows them through regular social and family interactions – with the occasional soap-worthy murder plot thrown in for good.  

We got to see and have a drink at the replica Rover’s Return Inn Pub which was wonderful! This was the perfect timing as kids were getting a little tired, so we could fuel up with some drinks and snacks before we continued with our tour of the place. 

The best part about it? There were lots of wax figures of the famous characters around the pub for us to take photos with such as William Roache who plays Ken Barlow, Jean Alexander who plays Hilda Ogden, Doris Speed who plays Annie Walker, Bill Tarmey who plays Jack Duckworth and Julie Goodyear who plays Bet Lynch.

Our kids totally enjoyed every moment of their visit and it was stimulating for both my kids and they were never bored throughout their visit.

My kids were totally in the zone when we visited the Sporting Heroes Academy as they got to meet the wax figures of famous Blackpool footballer Stanley Matthews and rub shoulders with Wayne Rooney, Lewis Hamilton and Mo Farah.

As you can see from every photo here and the video that they were totally excited and wanted to take photos and selfies with almost everyone at Madame Tussauds Blackpool. Even my husband who is camera shy got out of his shell and took a few fun photos for the blog, love the one with him and Muhammad Ali below.

So if you want to feel like a star and want to brush shoulders with your icons such as Simon Cowell, Arianne Grande, Britney Spears or even Freddy Mercury do make a trip to Madame Tussauds Blackpool as you won’t regret it. It is a great fun and interactive day out, especially if it is wet and windy outside. Here’s a 10-minute video sharing more of what we did on the day.

FAQ:

• Ticket promotions that give you a free ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket are always based on the full price adult ticket. These promotions are only valid with tickets purchased on the day and not tickets booked in advance or online. Please check the promotion’s terms and conditions carefully prior to your visit and ensure you bring a valid voucher on the day of your visit. If you have a 2-for-1 voucher you must present this on arrival.
• A Group of 4 tickets must include 1 adult per group. Adults are 15 years and over. Children are 3-14 years old inclusive. Under 3’s enter free.
• You are not permitted to bring food and drink into Madame Tussauds however a variety of food and drink is available to purchase in the Rovers Return – our fully functioning bar.
• It takes around 2 hours to complete a visit of Madame Tussauds (We easily spent about 3 and a half hours there).
• No animals or pets are permitted into Madame Tussauds. However, they do permit seeing eye dogs, guide dogs and hearing eye dogs.
• Families are advised that Madame Tussauds Blackpool spans four floors therefore negotiating the attraction with a push chair can be difficult. However, they do have a buggy park available at the attraction.
• Yes you are allowed to touch the figures at Madame Tussauds in a fully interactive experience
• There is full disabled access throughout Madame Tussauds, however the area is limited to the number of wheelchairs within the attraction at any one time. Please call the attraction ahead of your visit to let them know.

What are their Opening Hours?
Monday to Friday & Sunday: 10am until 5pm
Saturday: 10am until 6pm

How much does a Family Ticket Cost?

You can purchase discounted tickets for a few attractions in Blackpool in advance, our family tickets for 2 adults and 2 kids would have cost us £58 at the door or £49.50 online. Our tickets also entitled us each to a drink at Rovers Return Inn.  Do purchase yours here if you are heading to Blackpool.

Where is Madame Tussauds in Blackpool?
87-89 Central Promenade
Blackpool
FY1 5AA
01253 299483

Get here by bus: Bus routes 1, 10 and 11 travel to the venue

Get here by car: Follow M55 to the end.  Take second exit at the Round about. Follow the brown tourist signs to “Central Car Parks.

Parking: The nearest car park is Central and Bonny Street Car Park 100m.Walk to the Promenade and the attraction is opposite Central Pier.  We parked up at a family-run carpark called Lytham Road Car Park (FY4 1HT) and this only cost us £7.50 for a whole day and was only a short walk away to the Pleasure Beach Tram Stop, you can then stop off at Central Pier stop for Madame Tussauds.  We did walk back from Madame Tussauds to the carpark and it took us about 20 minutes.

Would recommend you to download the Blackpool Transport App on your phone, if you would like quick details on live updates or timetables and to pre-plan your journey.

About Madame Tussauds

Madame Tussauds Blackpool is a wax museum located in Blackpool, United Kingdom. The attraction opened in 2011, replacing the previous Louis Tussauds waxworks. It features over 80 wax figures of famous celebrities, film and television characters, athletes and musicians. Did you know that millions and millions of people have flocked through the doors of Madame Tussauds since they first opened over 200 years ago and it remains just as popular as it ever was? There are many reasons for this enduring success, but at the heart of it all is good, old-fashioned curiosity.

In a nutshell, Madame Tussaud was born Marie Grosholtz in Strasbourg in 1761.  She starts her career by modelling the famous author and philosopher in 1777 and later becomes art tutor to King Louis XVI’s sister and goes to live at the Royal Court in Versailles. On the eve of The French Revolution, Marie returns to Paris.  In 1793 Marie is imprisoned with her mother in the notorious Laforce Prison,Paris. On her release she is forced to prove her allegiance to the Revolution by making death masks of executed nobles and her former employers, the King and Queen. In 1794 The French Revolution ends and Marie inherits Dr Philippe Curtius’ wax exhibition. She soon marries François Tussaud in 1795. She soon moves to the British Isles, leaving behind her husband with her exhibition on tour and establishes a base in London at ‘The Baker Street Bazaar.’ In 1850 Madame Tussaud dies and her grandsons move the attraction to its current London site on Marylebone Road and continue her legacy.

You may also want to read this:

Family Day Out Review : Blackpool Tower

Family Day Out at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester

Family Day Out to Trentham Gardens in Stoke-on-Trent 

Day Out at the Thinktank Science Museum in Birmingham

Photo copyright: Madame Tussauds / Yeah Lifestyle

*This is a Collaborative/Gifted Post.  We were gifted tickets to Madame Tussauds in return for the feature.  All opinions are our own.