by Patrick Billington
•
18 July 2025
Scarborough is THE place to visit during the summer holidays 2025! Even WILL SMITH will be coming to Scarborough on 24th August! There's loads to do whilst here. Here's some ideas! Scarborough Walking Tours (Guided) Scarborough Walking Tours, from Visit Scarborough, offer guided walking tours of Scarborough. Email patrick@visitscarborough.com to book a walk that works around your visit! Prices are from just £12pp for a 2 hour 15 minute walk. North Yorkshire Waterpark North Yorkshire Waterpark is the ultimate destination for adventure, excitement, and unforgettable fun! The park is home to one of Yorkshire’s largest water sports lakes, spanning an incredible 250 hectares of pure thrill! Whether you’re diving into action on the water or exploring our many land-based adventures, there’s something for everyone, from adrenaline junkies to family fun seekers. Scarborough Castle Visit, and you can explore lofty viewing platforms within the Inner Bailey and the Great Tower offering great views over the town, the harbour, and the bay. Leave plenty of time to explore the vast grassy headland – it’s a gigantic wildflower meadow, bigger than 12 football pitches. On the cliff edge you’ll find the remains of a Roman signal station and an Anglo-Saxon church built on its site. Look out for a striking modern sculpture about climate change, part of the ‘Wild Eye’ art and nature project. Scarborough Sealife Centre There is so much to see at SEA LIFE Scarborough! Dive in and you'll discover: Penguin Island - Head outside and meet the cheeky colony of Humboldt penguins that reside on Penguin Island and get closer than ever before as you make your way through their walk-through home. More than 2500 creatures - Dive into an amazing underwater world and take a fascinating journey to the ocean depths as you discover amazing creatures at this unique indoor and outdoor attraction Tropical Ocean Tunnel - Take a stroll through the incredible 200,000l Ocean Tunnel and be mesmerised by the incredible beauty that lives within. You might even come face-to-fin with Blacktip Reef Sharks Rainforest Adventure - Immerse yourself in a world of creepy crawlies, lurking lizards and curious critters. Come just centimetres away from Green Tree Pythons and be mesmerised at the incredible colours of Poison Arrow Dart Frogs. Alpamare Water Park ll the way from the Alps, Alpamare Scarborough is a waterpark like no other. If you love adventure, it’s time to experience the biggest, the fastest, the wettest, the warmest, the cleanest, the waviest, the newest, the funnest, the most unlike-any-waterpark-you’ve-seen before waterpark. North Bay Railway Sit back and ride behind one of the historic locomotives, and enjoy a relaxing journey along Scarborough's North Bay. Splash down on the Historic Water Chute and hit the heights on our Skytrail. Take to the lake on our Boats & Balls. Indulge in soft scoop ice cream and delicious hot food from Sidings Snack Shack, then grab a momento from the station gift shops. The Beach Scarborough has some of the best beaches in the country, with the perfect castle-building sand! There is a mixture of soft sand and tidal hard sand. Scarborough is home to some stunning rock pools, where at low tide you can explore and maybe find crabs, fish and even lobsters! But do make sure you know the tide times . Boat Trips Take a speedboat ride or hop on board the pirate ship Hispaniola for a more leisurely ride around the bay. Look out for dolphins, seen most days currently! Open Top Bus Ride There are now 3 companies taking you along the seafront, including East Yorkshire Buses and Shoreline Suncruises. And Viscount Travel has the only vintage open top bus in Scarborough. Breathe in that sea air between Scarborough’s biggest attractions and feel that wind in your hair on our open top bus. Naval Warfare One of the world's longest running shows, see manned model warships battle it out with pyrotechnics and commentary. At 3pm every Monday, Thursday and Saturday until the end of August. Live Entertainment You are spoilt for choice in Scarborough, from world-famous acts headlining Scarborough Open Air Theatre to the Spa Orchestra and endless summer entertainment at Scarborough Spa. There are also many shows to enjoy at the YMCA Theatre and the world-renowned Stephen Joseph Theatre. Scarborough Fair Collection The Scarborough Fair Collection hosts a magnificent working collection of Vintage Cars, Steam Engines, Vintage Fairground Rides and Mechanical Organs topped off with a ‘Mighty’ Wurlitzer Organ in our spacious ballroom. We are set in the scenic grounds of the Flower of May Holiday Park, on the coast road between Scarborough and Filey. Scarborough Footgolf 3 different courses dedicated to FootGolf. The first of their kind in the Scarborough area. Luna Park No visit to Scarborough is complete without a visit to the fabulous Luna Park. Fantastic rides, an amazing atmosphere, delicious food and lots of family fun! Luna Park has been fully refurbished recently and is perfectly positioned in the heart of Scarborough on the harbour in South Bay. Scarborough's Cliff Tramways Scarborough has two remaining cliff tramways, both in South Bay, including the oldest cliff tramway in the UK at Scarborough Spa, now 150 years old. The other, Cliff Tramway next to the Grand Hotel, is 140 years old. Oliver's Mount Racing Oliver's Mount Road Racing Circuit is unique and hugely popular. There are events throughout the year when the country park becomes a motorcycling racing circuit. North Yorkshire Moors Railway One of the longest and most scenic steam railways in the country, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway winds its way through forests and moorland valleys between Pickering and Whitby taking in Levisham, Goathland and Grosmont along the way. Donkey Rides A tradition that continues with generation after generation enjoying a donkey ride on the beach. Find donkeys in South Bay in Scarborough. Rotunda Museum Opened in 1829, the Rotunda Museum is one of the world’s first purpose-built museums and was built to a design suggested by William Smith. The interior, with its fascinating Georgian gallery, features a frieze showing the geology of the local coastline designed by Smith’s nephew, John Phillips. The original cases tell the history of the museum and they explore the stories of the nineteenth century Scarborough Philosophical Society which brought the collections together. When you visit you can also learn about fossils, the remarkable 11,000-year-old artefacts from our Star Carr Collection, as well as coming face to face with the wonderful creatures which once called Yorkshire home, in the Ancient Seas Gallery. Scarborough Art Gallery Scarborough Art Gallery houses the borough’s permanent collection of fine art, which has grown through gifts, bequests and purchases since its beginnings in 1947, reflecting the vibrant mix of the community and its cultural heritage. Walking The Coast The Cleveland Way comes right through Scarborough, offering some of the very best cliff trails anywhere in the country. The full walk is 110 miles from Helmsley to Filey but you can enjoy the coastal paths either side of Scarborough, going as far as you want. There are numerous options, be it a circular walk or getting trains or buses back to your start point. This coastline has everything from dramatic cliffs to hidden coves with waterfalls. Sea Watch Station Spot bottlenose dolphins, porpoise and over summer Minke Whale from the new Sea Watch Station on Marine Drive. Parks & Gardens Scarborough has some of the best parks & gardens in the country, from Peasholm Park to South Cliff Gardens, we have some beautiful parks and gardens for you to explore, with boating, putting and crazy gold available in some of them too. Must-See Gems Check our page of even more must-see gems in Scarborough: https://www.visitscarborough.com/must-see-gems