Skegness is the classic English seaside resort, the kind of place that divides opinion sharply. The town's famous slogan, "Skegness is SO bracing," coined by the Great Northern Railway in 1908 and illustrated by the Jolly Fisherman poster, is one of the most enduring pieces of advertising in British history. The bracing part is accurate: the wind comes straight off the North Sea with nothing to stop it, and the beach, while wide and sandy, is not for the faint-hearted outside of high summer.
The town is dominated by Butlin's, the holiday camp that Billy Butlin opened here in 1936 and that remains the area's largest employer. The modern Butlin's is a far cry from the regimented "Hi-de-Hi!" camps of the postwar era, but it still defines the character of the town. Beyond Butlin's, the seafront has the usual array of amusement arcades, fish and chip shops, and fairground rides that characterize the English seaside, with the Clock Tower and the truncated remains of Skegness Pier as the central landmarks.
If you are looking for natural beauty rather than candy floss, the Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve at the southern end of the coast is a genuinely important site for birdwatching, with migrating waders and wildfowl visiting the salt marshes and dunes. It is a completely different world from the neon of the seafront, just a short drive away. The Natureland Seal Sanctuary on the seafront and the Village Church Farm open-air museum cover the rest of the family-friendly ground.