'We stayed in Southport for a weekend away and so much has changed since I was a kid'

I'm ashamed to say that even though it's less than an hour's drive from my home, it's been donkey's years since I ventured to Southport for a weekend away. As a child I had lots of fun-filled days there, but as an adult I wasn't sure it was ever far enough away to seem like 'mini-holiday'.

When an invitation recently came to explore the seaside town, it seemed like the perfect excuse to reacquaint myself with this part of the Sefton coastline, rekindle some childhood memories, and take a fresh look at all the delightful new things on offer.

We arrived on Friday evening, the sunshine timing its arrival with aplomb. Just off Marine Drive would be our stay for the weekend, The Waterfront Southport Hotel. For those looking for both the perfect location with stylish rooms, fabulous décor and friendly and welcoming staff, this hotel has everything you need.

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The Waterfront is situated at one of the best spots in the town, with stunning views over Marine Lake, and it is also within short walking distance to shops and the main centre. It also has its own underground car park so is a great place from which to explore Southport either by foot or by car, before coming back to relax.

In the mornings, it does a great fry-up, and by night, dinner at the Waterfront Marina Restaurant is both tasty and generously proportioned. There's also a delightful Sun Terrace with gorgeous views of the coast and the opportunity to enjoy the ultimate relaxation experience with nearby swimming pools, hot spa facilities and a gym.

After arriving and getting settled in our room we were eager to make the most of it, so headed out on a walk along Lord Street’s beautiful tree-lined boulevard. Our destination for the night was The Grand.

This luxurious restaurant, set inside a magnificent art deco building, has a perfect five-star score on Tripadvisor and last year was recognised as being among the top 10% of restaurants worldwide. It's easy to see why.

Serving up beautiful food with a a fantastic atmosphere, wonderful pianist and second-to-none service, it made for a truly memorable evening. The arancini, confit duck and sesame salad, rack of lamb and Eton mess we ordered on the menu all come very highly recommended. It was some of the best food we've had in a long time.

The Grade II listed building is steeped in Southport’s history and simply just looking in wonder around the room takes you to a world of glitz and glamour of yesteryear. Over the last 101 years it has been a garage and car showroom, a luxury cinema, an independent bingo club and then a casino. The Grand opened in July 2022 and is already one of the jewels in Southport's crown. We can't wait for a return visit.

When I was a kid I absolutely loved going on the 'flirt pennies' - as we called them - at the seaside and the opportunity to visit Silcock's Funland, just a few metres from our hotel, was too good an opportunity to miss. Armed with tub full of 2ps and a pocket full of £1 coins, we happily whiled away a good hour on the different slot machines as well as the more expensive arcade game classics.

The hall of mirrors was also a good laugh too, as it nearly presented my partner with a Marilyn Monroe moment due to the unexpected puffs of air coming up from the floor.

From there, we walked round the corner to engage in another nostalgic past-time - a game of crazy golf. At just a fiver each for a round of 18 holes, Masters Putting Course was great value for money and there was even a chance to win a free go on 'hole 19'. Sadly neither of us were skilful enough to claim the prize.

Our leisurely Saturday morning continued with a delightful stroll around the haven in the middle of Southport - Marine Lake. With its shimmering waters, beautiful landscaped promenades and lush gardens, it was a great place enjoy the fine weather and sit on a bench and watch the world go by.

No visit to the lake would be complete without a go on one of the self-drive motor boats. It was a great opportunity to explore more of the beautiful lake and get up close with lots of the adorable swans, ducks and geese that cruise around too.

Lord Street is the town's a famous retail location with many designer, household name and independent shops as well as lots of lots of excellent cafes and restaurants. One of the places we were really eager to try was Southport Market.

It's the first time we'd been there since it opened back in 2021 and it truly was a feast for senses. Nestled right in the heart of the town, close to Lord Street and Chapel Street, the choice and quality of street food is incredible with Mexican, Greek, Italian, Canadian just some of the lush cuisines on offer.

Stepping in through the beautifully decorated floral entrance, my immediate thought was that the rectangular bar looked like the one in American sitcom Cheers - albeit a much larger and modern version. It's well-stocked with loads of different drinks including cask ales, cocktails and soft drinks. As we pondered where to dine, we quenched our thirst with some pornstar martinis and carefully studied the mouth-watering menus at each stall before reaching a decision.

My partner loves her Greek food so opting for the delights offered by Pitamu was a no-brainer for her. She went for a wrap meal along with some halloumi fries. Thankfully the portion size was so big she wasn't able to finish it and I could do the chivalrous thing and help her out. That was after I devoured my own 'Beefy Boy' burger and seasoned fries from Lennys.

It was great to see the market packed with diners young and old, including lots of families, and it made for a fantastic atmosphere. The concept, drawing inspiration from the European culture of social eating and embracing local produce and combining it with a traditional Victorian seaside nostalgia, is really well executed. There's also lots of food choices on offer to cater for every palette and a varied events programme including wrestling, a Mamma Mia party, comedy bingo, a circus school and VR experiences to keep visitors entertained.

Well and truly stuffed, we needed to walk off all that delicious food so continued our enlightening stroll around town centre. Southport is not only a place to enjoy fish n' chips and build sandcastles, there is also the elegant Atkinson Arts Centre which stages a range of music, comedy, theatre and exhibitions. There is also the multi-award winning British Lawnmower Museum which includes garden machinery from the rich and famous like King Charles, Brian May and Eric Morecambe.

With our day continuing to be blessed by glorious sunshine and warm weather, we made the short journey to the Botanic Gardens for a walk around the beautiful oasis. The well-maintained Victorian gardens are bursting with floral splendour and colourful displays and it's a perfect place to enjoy a picnic, see the swans and ducks or chill out with an ice cream. Be sure to pay a visit to the aviary, and in particular the Macaws - one of birds Harley loves to play 'peekaboo' while Lola likes to dance to music.

No journey, either in or out of Southport, would be complete without a trip to Windmill Animal Farm in Burscough. It's a wonderful day out for children, families and adults alike - whatever the weather - with lots to keep you entertained for hours.

By this point on our weekend away the rain had sadly started to set in. However that didn't make a jot of difference during our visit, or dampen the enthusiasm of the other visitors, as the majority of the activities are undercover. From the moment we stepped through the door we were greeted with enthusiastic smiles from the hard-working, friendly and knowledgeable staff - including Farmer Matt - who couldn't do enough to make our day out the best it could be.

After picking up some bags of feed for the animals (word of advice, you will likely need several), we made our way to the miniature railway train for an enjoyable ride through the working farm which has been open to the public for more than three decades. My partner and I absolutely love highland cows and this was a great way to see them grazing in their fields along with the other sheep, goats and deer.

We made sure to get back for the first of the day's bottle feeding sessions in the lambing barn. This delightful experience, along with the train ride, is all included in the entry fee and is fully worth every penny.

A great surprise during our visit was the chance to hold and stroke lizards and snakes in the farm's reptile area - including a good size yellow and white python. The new giant sized ‘Reptile Area’ is situated in the main barn where you can also get up close and personal with the adorable guinea pigs and rabbits.

For families and visitors with children there are fantastic outdoor and indoor play areas as well as pedal carts, quad bikes and roller racers. This year the farm's Maize Maze is also set to be a record height and we can't wait for another visit this summer to try it out.

Spanning 22 miles, Southport and the Sefton coastline offers a cavalcade of other wonderful experiences. Whether its walking and cycling trails, 100 iron life-size statues in Crosby, kite surfing in Ainsdale, sand dunes, red squirrels, beautiful pine woods and even prehistoric footprints there is so much natural beauty to soak up.

Other popular experiences include the Squirrel Cycle Route which links Southport to Formby - a coastal nature haven offering breath-taking sea views in the company of natterjack toads, great crested newts, lizards, wading and sea birds. And if that wasn’t enough families can take a stroll along the Asparagus Trail, a hidden gem nestled in Formby's National Trust site.

The most recent data shows day visitors to Southport shot up 56.7% between 2020 and 2021 from 3.3m to 5.2m. And over the same period visitors enjoying an overnight stay rocketed by 60.4% from 350,000 to 561,000.

With a packed events calendar all year round to whet the appetite, ranging from the Southport Flower Show in August to September's British Musical Fireworks Championships, it's a destination that offers something for everyone and is the perfect spot for a staycation, whether it’s a romantic weekend break, a long-awaited family get-together, or a proper seaside holiday.

If, like us, you haven't been there for a long time then there are plenty of new hidden gems to discover and explore. For more information, go to the Visit Southport website here.