We all know how much a holiday by the sea can cost, with every attraction trying to snatch the money out of your wallet.
So Skegness Attractions has come up with the Skegness for Free Guide, giving you ideas of things to do for Free in Skegness.
Skegness Beach
Number one has to be the Skegness beach, miles of the East coasts golden sands, much better than the pebble beach they have at Brighton on the East Sussex coast. I should know I used to live near Brighton before we moved to Skegness. One of the reasons we moved to Skegness from down South was the pebble beaches, we got sick to the back teeth that the kids couldn’t build a sand castle and sunbathing on aggregate isn’t very comfortable or relaxing :-), so we moved back to the East coast for the glorious sand.
Here are a few ideas to keep you and the kids occupied on Skegness Beach and all you need is a bucket and spade…
1. Build a beach dodgem or boat with the kids to play in out of the sand.
2. Play king of the hill, make a hill from sand then get the kids to scramble up to the top, the 1st on top of the hill wins. Of course a little cheating is allowed by pulling your sibling off the hill.
3. Hurdles, build humps out of sand then have the kids time their best time.
4. Sand sculptures, go wild with your imagination.
5. Pebble throwing, dig holes in the sand and throw your pebbles in the holes, the one who throws most of their pebbles in the holes wins. Give more points for getting the holes that’s furthest away.
6. Long jump, draw a line in the sand get the family to run down a stretch of beach and jump when they get to the line.
7. Beach wrestling, draw a large circle in the sand get two people to try and push each other out the circle, the winner challenges another member of the family. this is a lot of fun.
8. Beach art, collect shells etc.. from the beach. Draw a picture in the sand, then decorate it with your collected beach bits.
9. When the tides are coming in rush to build a sand castle, when finished place a stick, shell or feather on top of your sand castle. The last person to loose their feather when the tide splashes up around your sand castle wins.
10. Place the kids buckets a distance from the sea, have them race against each other or time how fast they can fill their buckets with water, by running to the sea filling their spades and carrying it back to the bucket.
Skegness Tower Gardens Park
Tower Gardens is a great park to take a break and spend the day with the kids playing on the grass, feeding the ducks, having a picnic while relaxing in the shade of the trees. During the summer Tower Gardens has events through out the holidays, so you’ll be able to listen to a brass band at the Tower Gardens band stand in the afternoons.
See our full Tower Gardens Review
Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve
Gibraltar point is Skegness’ own Nature Reserve where you can take a relaxing walk with the family getting in tune with nature, then pop to the visitor center and have a coffee and a bite to eat.
See our full Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve Review
Skegness Church Farm Museum
Church Farm Museum admission is free or on event days a very small price to enter. Step back to the Victorian age and explore the gardens and embrace some history on a budget. It’s a relaxing day out.
See our full Skegness Church Farm Museum Review.
Skegness Sunshine Play Area
Sunshine Play Area is a brand new park (2009) for Skegness kids (aged 3-14 years). It’s found at the back of the beach on the Skegness waterway just off the Skegness Pier field.
Skegness Fairy Dell Paddling Pool
Fairy Dell Paddling Pool can be found on the boating lake just off the bridge.
The Vine Walk Skegness
Go on a mystery walk down The Vine Walk : A wooded pathway that goes from Richmond Drive to Drummond Road just off the beach. To start the walk keep going up Richmond Drive passed Tescos and Richmond Primary school until you get to a path that says public footpath and a billiard board advertising the Vine Hotel opposite Richmond caravan park, follow the foot paths all the way through to Drummond road, from there you can either cross the road and walk straight up to the beach or turn left and walk down Drummond Road towards Tower Cinema.
Skegness RNLI
For free you can look at the RNLI Life Boat for 5 or 10 mins and read some interesting facts on the wall about the history of the life guards and if you buy a trinket or two from the shop the money goes towards keeping the RNLI active to save people in trouble at sea. The life guard station can be found on the main beach front opposite the ice cream parlour.
Skegness Illuminations Walk
Great Fun for all is to go on a Skegness Illumination Walk in the summer evenings, costs nothing and is a magical walk looking at the lights. Skegness Illuminations is usually switched on sometime in July and they stay on until October.
Skegness Beach Rangers
During the six weeks holiday on the central beach you can find the Beach Rangers. You can spend the afternoon playing volley ball, beach cricket, badminton, rounders for free. Anyone can play no matter your age. All you do is sign up with one of the beach rangers, all equipment is provided free.
Skegness So Festival
The SO Festival is a three day arts festival that takes place in Skeg during summer the exact time varies each year. The Skegness SO Festival is the best free event skeggy has with lots to do for all tastes from street artists, music, fireworks and art around the town. The SO Festival is different each year so there’s always something new to see and do.
Bottons Fun Night – Fireworks Display
In September Bottons has a free fun night with a big firework display on the beach to end the summer season with a bang, the fireworks usually go off at about 9 o’clock in the evening and lasts about 15 – 20 minutes.
Does the boat still go through the gardens on the canal? We went on one some years ago, and it had an interesting power/ steering system. I think it might have been a Hotchkiss Cone system. Thanks.
Are you talking about the canal at the back of the beach?
When you say Gardens it lost me a bit, I wouldn’t say it went through Gardens more waste land at the back of the beach if it’s the one I’m thinking of.
If it’s the curvaceous canal where the old paddling pool used to be, that passes by Skegness Pier Field and goes up to north parade where X-Site Skate Park and the Seal Sanctuary is, Then yes it still runs
It was closed for about 3 – 4 years due to new legislation that said people operating the canal had to have a licence, but last year 2010 it was re-opened.
It’s been took over I believe by the company that runs the Tower Cinema
Prices last year was I think £2 per passenger on the boats.
I’ll try to find out how much it will cost this year.
Sorry for the long winded replay :)
I hope this helped
Marie
Is there much open in Skegness in March? I’m looking to come up on the weekend of 19th/20th March with my 10yr old soon and was wondering if the crazy golf and arcades will be open.
Coming from the midlands and dont want to make a wasted journey if nothing is open!!
Thanks
Hi,
I saw the crazy golf was open today 18th March the pirate themed one on south parade all the Arcades are open and Natureland seal sanctuary is open all year round.
Everything else like Bottons pleasure beach and other attractions are still closed in Skeg there usually fully open for the Easter Holidays until September.
It’s not to bad in Skeg to find something to do for little Kids the new arcade opposite the Embassy Theatre has a nice soft play area and a whole floor with loads of arcade games designed for the little ones.
there’s always the beach, bring your wellies and you can still have fun in the sea even in the cold water in March :)
Hope this helps
Marie
Hi I am thinking of going away to skeg at the end of march as a birthday weekend starting on the 23rd is every open or isit still shut until the summer holidays?x