7 best things to do in Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth is a well-known seaside town on the East Norfolk Coast that has a rich maritime heritage stemming from its position at the centre of the herring industry. You’ll never be short of things to do in this special seaside town.
The famed ‘Golden Mile’ is a paradise for lovers of all things seaside entertainment with venues lining the promenade offering adventure golf, rides on giant snails and even rollercoasters. However, the attractions don’t stop there. You can also witness fascinating species at Sealife Great Yarmouth and learn about local history at the Time and Tide Museum. There are four Haven Parks to choose from near Great Yarmouth, each with their own unique attributes, so it's clear how highly we rate the town as a holiday destination. If you’re going to trust anyone’s opinion on this special Norfolk town, then let it be ours! Read on for more information on the best things to do in Great Yarmouth.
1. Hippodrome Circus
We had to give a special mention to the Hippodrome Circus, set within Britain’s only building dedicated to circuses. It’s just steps from Great Yarmouth’s seafront in the heart of the town. Built in 1903 by showman George Gilbert, world-class shows were born and have continued to entertain audiences ever since.
The arena is versatile, with a purpose-built floor switching around to tailor to each show. A hard floor sinks into a pool, bringing water performances truly to life. A show or two shows you why the Daily Telegraph named this venue as one of the seven wonders of the British seaside. Great for all-year round, head here and you’re guaranteed a thrilling time.
2. The Pleasure Beach’s amusements
Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach is an extensive amusement park with a mixture of modern and traditional attractions found at the top of Great Yarmouth’s Golden Mile. The biggest and most popular ride at the park is the Roller Coaster that has been thrilling those who dare ride it for almost 90 years. There are also around thirty other newer rides at the park, including the thrilling Sky-Drop and Big Apple Coaster. All of these rides can be ridden on a reasonably priced ticket which allocates visitors with a three-hour time session.
In addition to the white-knuckle rides, there are children's entertainment, amusement arcades, catering facilities, sweet shops and ice cream parlours that makes the Pleasure Beach an ideal family day out. The Pleasure Beach operates between March and October and has plenty of car parking adjacent to the park.
3. Joyland Children's Fun Park
Opened in 1949, Joyland amusement park has been thrilling visitors to Great Yarmouth ever since on the site of the former Anchor Gardens next to Britannia Pier. This historic free entry attraction has an assortment of rides such as the world-famous snails and Tyrolean Tub Twist making it one of the most exciting things to do in Great Yarmouth. Kids will also love the huge toy town mountain that houses the spook express kiddie coaster, jet cars and Neptune’s Kingdom undersea fantasy ride.
There is also an excellent American diner and for every £15 spent in there, you get a free ride pass, making Joyland one of our best value-for-money things to do in Great Yarmouth. Joyland Great Yarmouth rides are run on a token system. All nine main rides in Joyland cost one token per person. Joyland’s opening dates and times are weather permitting and subject to change so check online before you pay it a visit.
4. The town’s beaches
The scenic beaches of Great Yarmouth stretch almost continuously for over 15 miles and have been awarded both the coveted Blue Flag and Marine Conservation Society awards.
The North Beach is a glorious sandy beach to the north of the seafront. Wide sand dunes make the beach perfect for dog walking at any time of year. Great Yarmouth's South Beach is another glorious sandy addition, located south of Wellington Pier. The wide beach and its secluded sand dunes mean that its ideal for families who want a quieter stretch of beach. Meanwhile, Caister on Sea's North Beach near Great Yarmouth has a long concrete esplanade that is ideal for relaxing and is found on the doorstep of a fabulous Haven park.
5. Sea Life
Located on Great Yarmouth’s famous seafront, Sea Life features family-friendly exhibits with an extensive array of sea creatures to be seen. Sea Life Great Yarmouth is home to blacktip reef sharks, African dwarf crocodiles, and the easily recognisable clownfish. Your kids can discover more of the world of jellyfish in the Jelly Invaders display, watch the aquarium’s regal Humboldt penguins go about their business and walk the ocean tunnel that winds through a huge tank holding a quarter of a million litres of seawater, where the inhabitants swim around the lost city of Atlantis.
Opening times vary throughout the year (though typically the aquarium is open seven days a week) and pre-booking tickets online is essential, so give the website a visit before your trip to Sea Life Great Yarmouth.
6. Time and Tide Museum
Housed in one of the UK's best preserved Victorian herring curing works, this unique museum tells the tale of Great Yarmouth’s storied history. The Time and Tide Museum follows the progression of Great Yarmouth, from its humble Ice Age beginnings to the present day, through artifacts and film. On the way you will learn about the floods of 1953, the bombing of Great Yarmouth during World War Two, and the rise of the local fishing industry.
There's also an exciting programme of events and an excellent gift shop available to visitors. This wonderful museum truly is one of the most engaging things to do in Great Yarmouth. The museum asks that all visitors book in advance, so make sure to do this online before you visit.
7. Merrivale Model Village
Found on Great Yarmouth’s South Beach Parade, Merrivale Model Village is an attraction for families with little children that will make you feel larger than life. This award-winning model village has miniatured versions of a theatre, castle, stadium, houses, cricket pitch, holiday, a church, and mansion, all populated with hundreds of miniature figures with a unique story told in each scene.
Some of the exhibitions such as the Merrivale Garden and Majestic Theatre, have interactive features, while other scenes are rendered in a rare level of detail which will leave you astounded. Locomotive enthusiasts can also marvel at the 350m miniature railway track with over 28 different types of locomotive. The model village is open daily from 10am to 5pm, so don’t leave it too late to visit this excellent Great Yarmouth attraction as you’ll need to enjoy a game of nine-hole crazy golf before you leave at no extra cost.
Start planning your Great British break
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Important information
Pre-owned holiday homes from £14,995 – UPDATED 31 JULY 2024 *Holiday home price is based on a pre-owned holiday home and includes siting, connections and standard accessories.
Price excludes 2024 site fees, running costs and add-ons requested at point of sale. Subject to status and availability.
As at 31 July 2024, price is available at Blue Dolphin, Caister, Cleethorpes Beach, Combe Haven, Craig Tara, Far Grange, Greenacres, Golden Sands, Haggeston, Orchards, Quay West, Skegness and Wild Duck.
Images are shown for representational purposes. Access to holiday home is subject to park opening times.
Park cannot be used as a permanent residence. Haven Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 01968698) and is a FCA appointed representative of Bourne Leisure Limited (t/a Haven). Bourne Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 04011660) and is authorised and regulated by the FCA (Financial Services Register No. 312847) as a credit broker and insurance distributor. Registered office: One Park Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 4YL. We may receive commission from the finance provider if you enter into an agreement with them.
*New holiday homes from £29,995 – UPDATED 29 August 2024
*Holiday home price is based on a new 3-bedroom ABI Horizon holiday home and includes siting, connections and standard accessories.
Price excludes 2024 site fees, running costs and add-ons requested at point of sale. Subject to status and availability.
As at 29 August 2024, price is available at selected parks Blue Dolphin, Craig Tara, Cleethorpes Beach, Caister, Combe Haven, Far Grange, Greenacres, Golden Sands, Haggerston, Orchards, and Quay West. Price can be withdrawn at any time.
Images are shown for representational purposes. Access to holiday home is subject to park opening times.
Park cannot be used as a permanent residence. Haven Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 01968698) and is a FCA appointed representative of Bourne Leisure Limited (t/a Haven). Bourne Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 04011660) and is authorised and regulated by the FCA (Financial Services Register No. 312847) as a credit broker and insurance distributor. Registered office: One Park Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 4YL. We may receive commission from the finance provider if you enter into an agreement with them.
Free 2024 site fees when you buy a Haven holiday home
Offer is applicable to new customer purchases made through Haven from 19 April 2024, completing by 31 December 2024.
Offer excludes part-exchanges or private sales. Available on new & pre-owned holiday homes at the following selected parks only: Kent Coast, Burnham-on-Sea, Cleethorpes Beach, Craig Tara, Far Grange, Golden Sands, Haggerston Castle, Hopton, Orchards, Skegness and Wild Duck.
A credit equivalent to the value of your site fees due during the 2024 season will be applied to your account balance on completion of your purchase for use against your running costs e.g. utilities, after-sale add-ons e.g storage boxes or site fees. It cannot be applied to your purchase or refunded in cash.
Subject to availability and status. Deposit required. Access to your holiday home is subject to park opening times.
Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, discount, or promotion. Offer may be withdrawn or changed at any time without notice. Full site fees will be payable for subsequent years.
Images are shown for representational purposes.
Park cannot be used as a permanent residence. Haven Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 01968698) and is a FCA appointed representative of Bourne Leisure Limited (t/a Haven). Bourne Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 04011660) and is authorised and regulated by the FCA (Financial Services Register No. 312847) as a credit broker and insurance distributor. Registered office: One Park Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 4YL. We may receive commission from the finance provider if you enter into an agreement with them.
Let2offset - make no site fee payments until 2031
Let2offset is a contractual lettings product that offers eligible owners a guaranteed letting income at a preferential rate (calculated each year) in exchange for a stipulated number of letting breaks. It also allows eligible owners to pay their site fees and receive their letting income in 12 equal monthly instalments; the monthly site fee amount charged by Haven will be after deduction of the letting income.
‘Make no site fee payments when using Let2offset until 2031’ is available at 33 Haven parks excluding Burnham, Cardigan View, Far Grange, Garreg Wen, Lydstep Beach, Riviere Sands and Seaview. The letting income received will vary by make, model and location. The monthly site fee payment does not include running costs e.g. utilities, rates & insurance.
“Make no site fee payments when using Let2offset until 2031” is applicable to new and existing customer purchases of new Atlas Sahara 3 Bed or equivalent or superior grade holiday home purchases made through Haven where customers have also signed up to Haven’s Let2offset contract. It is not applicable to private sales and cannot be used in conjunction with our free Site Fee promotion. It is available across 40% of eligible Parks and applies when letting a new Atlas Sahara 3 Bed holiday home (or equivalent or superior grade for 15 weeks.
An example of how “Make no site fee payments when using Let2offset until 2031” operates under Let2offset is the purchase of an Atlas Sahara 3 Bed holiday home at Primrose Valley with a monthly site fee of £585.00 (includes purchasing discount of £45) and monthly letting income of £803.67. The monthly difference equates to £218.67, which will be credited to the owner's account. Both letting income and site fees are subject to yearly pricing reviews and the monthly site fee costs and letting income shown in the example are based on 2024 figures.
Modelled assumptions on expected annual site fee and letting income charges over the 7-year lettable life of the Atlas Sahara 3 Bed indicate that under Let2offset it is anticipated that these customers will continue to receive a monthly credit during this period, however, this is not guaranteed. The modelled assumptions are based on the historical performance of Haven over the past 5 years of trading.
Images are shown for representational purposes. Access to holiday home is subject to park opening times.
Park cannot be used as a permanent residence. Haven Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 01968698) and is a FCA appointed representative of Bourne Leisure Limited (t/a Haven). Bourne Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 04011660) and is authorised and regulated by the FCA (Financial Services Register No. 312847) as a credit broker and insurance distributor. Registered office: One Park Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 4YL. We may receive commission from the finance provider if you enter into an agreement with them.