Blackpool Model Village & Gardens — Attraction in England

Blackpool Model Village and Gardens comes with the tag line “The Biggest Little Village in Lancashire” and offers tended gardens with village scenes creatively placed between in cute miniature. Located on the edge of Stanley Park, immediately next to a skate park and easy walking paths, the location is idyllic and the setting very relaxing. It turns out it’s not all about the seaside when you go to Blackpool and just down the road is an amazing lake absolutely teeming with wildlife and just a five minute drive away is Blackpool Zoo. We visited Blackpool Model Village and Gardens on our five day trip using Resort Pass Plus, which gets you entry into the model village for free (parking charge of £2.50 still applies). If you don’t have a multi ticket of some kind, then the cost is £7.50 for adults, £6 for children and under threes are free. I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t super impressed with Blackpool Model Village, although my husband enjoyed it, so mileage may vary. As a child my grandmother loved model villages and we went to quite a few on holiday and I always remember being impressed by the detail and thought of the scenes. As an adult, I’m a bit of a nerd who follows Warhammer painters, and I’ve seen people do some crazy things with a 2 inch miniature. Here, things looked faded and a little haphazard, with very little detail present. My husband on the other hand, who’d never been to a model village, was fascinated. Our two and a half year old also enjoyed it, pointing at lots of different things as he spotted them. Older children may get bored, as there’s nothing specifically to keep children engaged, but a promise of ice cream at the end may keep...

I feel quite bad for giving such a low score as the staff were really friendly and the village itself was well cared for but my score has been based on the cost of entry against the quality of the village itself.

I've been to a few model villages including Babacombe and Lakeland and this really doesn't compare. In each of those there is a clear theme with well known landmarks replicated and believable miniturised cityscapes. At Blackpool model village there is no obvious theme just a random selection of individual buildings and characters. Even this has not been well thought out as many of the characters and vehicles don't match - e.g. in one scene characters are dressed in period costume but a modern sports car is displayed alongside them.

Young children will still probably enjoy it and if you have nothing to compare it to adults may also enjoy it but unfortunately I have visited other model villages and this doesn't warrant comparison especially for the cost of entry for a family of two adults...

I've been visiting the model village since it first opened and I still love coming here! Enjoyed my most recent visit so much I stayed three hours! Beautifully crafted models of houses, shops, a lovely stone church, castle, farm, Tudor marketplace and much more, with very individual little people going about their imaginary lives! The route quiz is fun and ensures that you don't miss anything. Models are set in mature leafy gardens with bridges and water features, a bit overgrown in parts but that just adds to the charm! On this autumn visit the flowerbeds and berries added a lovely dash of colour. Well maintained paved paths, ample seating and a nice picnic area with tables and a wishing well. Kids will love pressing the buttons to make the little trains run. The ice-cream at Anita's was really good, so many tempting flavours I had three scoops! There's a small gift shop and decent clean toilets. Staff were very friendly. A magical place to visit for young and old alike. Will keep...