10 Best Things to Do After Dinner in Scarborough

Scarborough’s Coney Island might not be the sprawling entertainment complex of its New York namesake, but it remains one of the South Bay’s original fun centres. It's hard to miss – look for the curiously Turkish exterior tower and the painted red-and-white façade on Foreshore Road, just a few steps back from the main beach.

Delve in and you'll feel transported back to the heyday of British summer holidaying. Twinkling arcade games, one-armed bandit machines, claw crane grabbers – it's all there, still buzzing and beeping in all its glory. You'll be winning your tickets and chasing the jackpot in a piece of Scarborough history, too, since the arcade now stands on the site of a Turkish hammam from the 1850s.

Luna Park Scarborough still reigns as one of the mainstay attractions of this centuries-old resort town. It caps off the long arc of South Bay Beach by rising just behind the main port area. Its rides and slides and attractions are all sat under the shadow of big Scarborough Castle.

After-dinner visits here mean you should be able to catch the spot without the booming crowds that fill it during the daytime. Cue the Dodgems and the King Frog rollercoaster, the spinning Cyclone, and the Hook-a-Duck fairground games. Cap the heart-thumping lot off with a bout of cotton candy and dunking donuts.

There's nothing quite like a ghost tour at Scarborough Castle to get the goosebumps rising and the hairs standing on the back of your neck. They take place up in the ruined citadel that keeps watch over the town to the west. You'll have to scale up there after dinner to meet your guide and get on the trail of the spectres and ghouls.

Usually starting at 7.30 pm, these haunting tours are seasonal, running for the spooky period of Halloween during the autumn. They whisk visitors to the half-crumbled keeps and castle walls to reveal tales of vampires and ghosts related to the darker side of Scarborough. Booking ahead is essential.

The Terror Tower is guaranteed to spook and scare since it's one of the leading haunted house attractions in the north of England. It makes its home on the salt-washed walks of Foreshore Road, a short stroll off South Bay Beach and about 5 minutes' walk from the main Westborough strip of pubs in the downtown area.

You'll be immersed in the supernatural from the moment you walk in. Spread over 3 storeys and 2 buildings, it takes daring guests through spine-tingling sets of horror movies. There are live actors there to spice it all up with extra screams, along with animatronic installations that are sure to get you high tailing for the exit.

The Hollywood Plaza Cinema has proudly stood on N Marine Road above the North Bay Beach of Scarborough since the boom times of this classic resort. It's a tried-and-tested family cinema option that's around a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute drive from the centre of town.

Today, you'll still get the vintage redbrick exterior and the kitschy cinema design of yesteryear. Only the box office is thoroughly up to date, offering screenings of the latest Hollywood Blockbusters across a variety of genres, from horror to coming-of-age flicks to high-octane action movies. There are ticket concessions for kids, students, and OAPs.

The Stephen Joseph Theatre is one of the leading lights in Scarborough's performing arts scene. It's the perfect place to go for a show after dinner. That's especially because it's within easy walking distance of most of the downtown's key gastronomy hot spots, sat neatly at the join of Northway and Westborough.

A theatre-in-the-round playhouse, the Stephen Joseph Theatre sits audiences in a circular pattern around a large central stage. That adds real immersion to the productions that are presented here. It also has an interesting history, being one of the first of its kind to be opened in Britain. The box office is eclectic, with everything from Shakespeare to modern dance on its calendar.

The Scarborough Open Air Theatre was put back on the menu of after-dark activities in the resort when it was reopened by Queen Elizabeth II back in 2010. It graces the North Bay Beach area of town north of the main centre, spreading over a stretch of parkland to offer a colossal stage and viewing space that's good for all sorts of productions and performances.

Sure enough, there's a hodgepodge of highlights in the offing. Come to see rocking musical shows by the likes of Tom Jones and UB40. Head in for the beer-sloshing Oktoberfest in autumn. Drop by to witness uplifting operatic renditions by figures like Michael Ball or classic sing-a-longs with Frankie Vallie. Its calendar is indeed well-varied.

The Cask Inn features jazz nights that are nothing short of legendary on the list of things to do after dinner in Scarborough. The venue is one of the town's most iconic pubs, sat between 2 elegant Georgian rowhouses on the south side of the centre.

Wednesday is the time that the jazz gets going. It's some seriously foot-stomping, hip-shaking stuff, with accomplished British saxophonists playing one week followed by lyrical guitarists the next. Aside from the music, The Cask Inn offers a range of burgers and pub grub, along with all manner of local Yorkshire ales to sample.

Scarborough has been a go-to resort town on the Yorkshire coast for over 150 years. You don't get that honour without having your fair share of top-quality pubs. And so it is that a whole montage of taverns and watering holes now runs through the centre, with the strips of Westborough and Foreshore Road often coming up trumps.

You'll find all sorts here. There are historic spots to sing sea shanties and hear tales of Scarborough's sailors – the likes of Lord Nelson Hotel and The Frigate. There are salt-washed venues with views over the South Bay, such as The Turks Head and Golden Last. There are even places with roaring woodfires that come into their own in the winter, such as Hole In The Wall and the Alma Inn.

The Opera House Casino is a top choice in Scarborough for an after-dinner adventure at the poker tables and on the one-armed bandit machines. It's plonked right in the thick of the town centre with busy St Thomas Street on one side and North Street on the other. You can walk there from the beach or the train station.

The main room offers a whole host of classic games. There are blackjack tables where you can stick or twist. There are roulette wheels for those punts on specific numbers. The joint also offers late-night eats and has a licensed bar.