Scarborough Tourist Information

Scarborough was Britain's first seaside resort, with visitors flocking to the town, to take its mineral waters, as long ago as the 1660s. By 1736 the first bathing machines were rolling across the sands to enable bathers to retain their modesty whilst taking a dip.

Things have moved on a little since then though Scarborough still has something of a traditional seaside town to it, and is the ideal place for family holidays, with plenty of activities for kids of all ages.

B&B in Scarborough          Scarborough Hotels         

Scarborough has two extensive bays - North Bay and South Bay - both with sandy beaches. The bays are overlooked by the remains of a fine castle mounted on a headland which separates the two beaches.

The playwright Alan Ayckbourn still lives and works in the town, and the Stephen Joseph Theatre (Britain's  first  theatre-in-the-round - where the audience sit on all sides of a central stage) has premièred most of his 72 plays.

Some visitors choose to come to Scarborough the old-fashioned way, by steam train from York.

If you - or your kids - love animals, then Scarborough has so much to offer, including the RSPB centre at nearby Bempton Cliffs, the Sealife and Marine Sanctuary, a bee farm, a Birds of Prey Conservation Centre, as well as boat trips to view the seals on Casty Rocks.

Scarborough Holiday Cottages

And there's a plethora of interesting buildings and churches, museums and galleries, arcades, fairs and amusement parks, and plenty of gardens - including one for blind people (but not only blind people) with specially chosen strongly-scented flowers.

Interesting fact: Scarborough Railway Station has, at 139 metres, the longest seat in any railway station in the world.

Things to see and do:

Scarborough Castle

Scarborough Harbour

Scarborough Lighthouse

Stephen Joseph Theatre

Little Hoppers Adventure World

Luna Park Funfair

Peasholm Park (oriental themed park)

Rotunda William Smith Museum of Geology

Royal Albert Park

Scarborough Art Gallery

Scarborough Pleasure Steamers

Spa Theatre

Honey Park Farm

Hispaniola sea cruise

North Bay Miniature Railway

Kinderland

Oliver's Mount Races

Scarborough Sealife and Marine Sanctuary

Bretton Farm Visitor Centre

Scarborough RNLI Lifeboat House

MV Queensferry seal trips

Shuttleworth Garden for the Blind

Terror Tower

Valley Gardens, Scarborough

Birds Of Prey & Conservation Centre, East Ayton, Scarborough

RSPB Bempton Cliffs