The Best Things To Do In Suffolk With Kids In 2023
We spend a lot of our time travelling to far-flung places, but we are actually really spoiled with the choice of beautiful places in the UK.
One of our favourite places to visit is Suffolk because there are so many fun things to do in Suffolk with kids.
I grew up on a farm in Suffolk near the Suffolk coast and although we don’t live there now, I cherish those childhood memories.
We had so much freedom hanging out at the beach with friends enjoying the sunny Suffolk weather.
I absolutely believe that it is one of the best areas in the UK for getting the kids out and about to enjoy nature and you can’t go wrong if you choose Suffolk for your UK staycation.
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The great thing about Suffolk is that it is still very rural and quaint. The scenery is quite varied with agricultural lands and stunning, rugged coastline.
It hasn’t changed a whole lot in the last 50 years and this is what people fall in love with and why they return year after year.
If you are considering a family holiday around the Suffolk coast, here are the best things to do with kids in Suffolk that are definitely worth checking out.
Before you visit, check out the Rough Guide to Suffolk & Norfolk which is the most comprehensive and up to date guide out there.
Most of these recommendations are outdoor based, so our top tip for visiting Suffolk with kids is to be prepared for all weather.
As you can never fully rely on the British weather, we recommend packing some lightweight rain coats just in case.
Our lightweight TOG24 packable waterproof jackets come in handy during the summer. We each have one. See here for the men’s, women’s and kid’s jackets on Amazon. Or sometimes you can find great deals on the TOG24 website.
We cannot recommend them enough!
There are currently 8 colours in the TOG24 Craven Women’s Waterproof Packaway Jacket.
There are currently 12 colours in the TOG24 Craven Men’s Waterproof Packaway Jacket.
There are currently 7 colours inTOG24 Craven Kid’s Waterproof Packaway Jacket.
You can read our full TOG24 packaway jackets review here.
And finally – here’s what to do in Suffolk on a family holiday…
1. Eating Fish & Chips on Aldeburgh Beach
Aldeburgh is top of many people’s list of places to visit in Suffolk. It is 2 hours from London and boasts some of the best Fish & Chips in the country.
Queues form out of the door at lunchtime but once you have your fish & chips (wrapped), you can take them and eat them on the beach with a beautiful setting of colourful Victorian seafront houses behind you.
Just be warned, the seagulls will take a keen interest in your lunch!
As a side note, Aldeburgh also has one of the oldest working cinemas in the UK and you can head there if you experience wet weather in Suffolk. There are lots of other things to do in Aldeburgh too!
2. Easton Farm Park
Easton Farm Park is one of the best things to do in Suffolk with kids if they love visiting farm animals.
Easton Farm Park is home to some Suffolk Punch horses who used to do all the heavy work on farms in Suffolk before the heavy machinery came along.
When you see them you will understand why they were used on farms for this type of work. They are incredible creatures but are sadly veering towards extinction!
Our boys loved the petting corner where they got to hold rabbits and they had a go at riding a pony.
There are lots of playground areas including an enormous bouncy pillow.
The kids can drive around in their own little pedal tractors (free of charge) which you can pick up from the main entrance.
Be warned, there may be a little pushing required to get up some slopes!
Looking for rainy day activities for kids in Suffolk?
If you are unlucky enough to have wet weather and are looking for things to do on a rainy day in Suffolk, you could head here for their heated indoor play area and café.
Easton Farm Park is a particularly great place if you are looking for things to do with toddlers in Suffolk.
If you are visiting Suffolk at Christmas, this is one of the best places to visit Santa in Suffolk and they also have fun activities during October half term. See here for more things to do at Halloween in Suffolk.
3. Safari time at Africa Alive
Africa Alive is located just off the A12, 2 miles south of Lowestoft. Whilst we prefer not to see animals in captivity, we were pleasantly surprised with the layout of the park.
The animals have lots of space and the park is associated with a number of animal conservation projects. The animal encounters were really informative, especially meet the meerkats and feeding the giraffes.
The boys loved collecting the stamps on their card around the park and collecting their medal at the end for spotting all of the animals.
The park is quite large so if you need a break from walking, there is a free safari road train which is a fun way to get around. Always check for deals online and book in advance to get cheaper tickets.
4. Dunwich Heath
If you like to get out for coastal walks through heathland, you must stop by Dunwich Heath which is a National Trust site.
There are some great walks along paths that crisscross through the heath. Along the way you will find little information stations, telling you about the flora and fauna.
We love going at Easter when they run a fun and educational Easter egg hunt. They also have a few Geocache sites if you are into that.
They have a lovely little tearoom where they sell ice creams which is usually our bribe for when the boys are flagging on our walks.
We haven’t needed to bribe them here though because they love the interactive and educational aspect to the walks.
No bikes are allowed and dogs must be kept on leads here. Entrance is free but there is a car park fee (although if you are a National Trust member you get free parking).
5. Visit Southwold – a quaint British seaside town
Southwold is a great example of a British seaside town. It’s not very large and you can easily walk around it, visiting the lighthouse, the pier and the all-important Southwold beach huts.
In 2018 a beach hut sold for an outrageous £150,000!!
If you take a stroll along the pier, the kids will enjoy looking at their distorted reflections at the wacky wall of mirrors and there is a water-powered clock.
Not to be missed is the Under the Pier show where you can see around 20 weird and wonderful interactive mechanical creations.
If the weather is not great, you can do a tour of the world famous Adnams brewery (although note that no children under 18 are allowed on the tour).
During the summer months, you take a tour of Southwold lighthouse. You will need to book this in advance and children must be over 1.1m to climb the tower. See here for more fun things to do in Southwold.
Walberswick (see no.7 below) is easily accessed from Southwold by taking the Walberswick ferry.
It is just a short crossing in a large row boat and is a fun way to get to Walberswick if you are planning on visiting there anyway.
6. Peter Pan themed boating in Thorpeness
Boating on Thorpeness Meare is such a fun day out. You can hire the boats by the hour (rowing boats and kayaks).
The water is only about 50cm deep, but you don’t want to fall in because it has a very sludgy bottom (yes we did find out the hard way!).
The experience very much reminds me of Swallows and Amazons where you tie up your boat and hop off onto islands to explore.
This is probably one of our favourite things to do with kids in Suffolk. It’s a great choice on a sunny summer’s day.
If you were really organised, you could take a picnic with you to have on the boat or on an island. Watch out though.. there are lots of swans and geese around so you need to watch out for their poo!
When you are out in the middle of the meare, you’ll get a great view of the famous House in the Clouds.
You can rent it as your self-catering holiday accommodation if you fancy something a little different. It is definitely one of the more unusual places to stay in Suffolk.
Make sure to pop into the Tearoom next to the Meare for an ice cream or to grab some lunch after all your exertions.
They have an enormous choice of interesting sweets too. Also worth checking out for lunch is the Dolphin Inn along the road which has a great beer garden!
7. Crabbing in Walberswick
Going crabbing was one of my favourite childhood activities, and Walberswick is one of the best places in the country to do it. You need a bucket, a line, some bacon and a lot of skill!
There is a little local shop that sells all of the necessary equipment if you don’t have it (or try one of the ice cream vans in the car parks).
During the busy summer season, they may run out so it is best to go prepared. This simple crab catching kit works wonders.
There are hundreds of crabs of all sizes and you will have no trouble getting them on the end of the line, but getting them up and out of the water is another matter!
They are not to be kept so they are always put back (gently) for the next child (or big kid) to catch.
We have competitions to see who can catch the most or the largest. We then have a crab race at the end when we release them.
This is one of our favourite free things to do in Suffolk with kids.
8. Framlingham Castle
If your kids are into castles, Framlingham Castle is one of the most impressive castles in England and there is usually some kind of child-friendly activity being run through the summer.
It was originally a simple Motte and Bailey castle built in the middle of the 12th Century but that was destroyed and what you see now was built around the beginning of the 13th Century.
Mary Tudor was proclaimed Queen of England here and Ed Sheeran’s song ‘Castle on the Hill’ is based on it as he grew up in Framlingham.
There are beautiful views across the Mere to the castle and lots of green space for the kids to run around, including round the moat and up the slopes to the castle.
The town of Framlingham itself is a beautiful little market town and well worth a little wander around.
I could be called be biased because this is where I grew up, but in 2006, Framlingham was voted ‘Best place to live in the Country’ by Country Life magazine so I am not alone in thinking it is lovely.
Framlingham is a lovely place to base yourself and this is an ideal holiday apartment right in the centre of town.
9. Latitude Festival
Latitude festival has been going since 2006 and is held around the middle of July each year.
It’s located in the grounds of Henham Park just off the A12 near Southwold and is definitely worth considering if you are in the area, even if you just pop in for the day.
It has been growing in popularity with families and in 2018 it won best family festival at the UK festival awards.
There is a kids area with lots of fun activities, an enchanted garden, a woodland area for kids 12+ and a separate family camping area. It attracts huge acts each year.
10. Southwold Maize Maze
Located on the road to Southwold, the Southwold Maize maze is a great morning or afternoon out.
Each year the farmer grows his field of maize and designs ever more elaborate mazes (only open in the summer months when the corn is fully grown!).
There is a kids one and an adult one. So far we have found the kids one challenging enough and it is one of the best maize mazes in the UK!
There are stamps to collect and if you complete the collection, you get to claim your prize. There are also enormous bouncy pillow trampolines and tractors, playgrounds, pedal-powered go-karts and a dressing up box!
If you are visiting during the October Half Term, it is also one of the best places to go pumpkin picking in Suffolk.
11. Snape Maltings
Snape Maltings is a leading UK centre of the arts. Music, Arts, Crafts all housed under the roofs of re-purposed Victorian warehouses – set in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
There are lots of family-friendly events through the year, like family singalongs to hit musicals and child-friendly concerts. We saw a great kids’ comedian who had the kids laughing their heads off.
During the month of August they host the Snape Proms which offers a huge array of musical events. You can also head there to eat or to take scenic boat trips along the River Alde.
We like to go and take a walk and enjoy the outdoor sculptures and views in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
12. Exploring the Suffolk coastal beaches
Most of the beaches in Suffolk are very stony and whilst you may prefer a beautiful white sandy beach (if you do, check out the beaches in neighbouring Norfolk), there are still hours of fun to be had on a stony beach.
We love to walk along the rugged coastline (a very good workout as you take 2 steps forward and 1 back!).
The beaches stretch for miles and miles and there is hardly ever anyone on them. We think they are some of the best beaches in the UK for families.
We love to collect stones on these walks. Look out for the ones with holes all the way through as these can be threaded onto string to make a necklace.
There’s also quite a lot of amber and the boys love to find gems (worn down old pieces of glass).
We also have competitions to see how far we can throw stones out to sea (one way to avoid carrying back all those stones!).
Our favourite beach is Dunwich Beach (although we also love Thorpeness, Aldeburgh, Southwold and Walberswick). It has such an interesting history.
Although it was once one of the largest towns in the country in the 11th Century, it all fell away into the sea during storms in the 13th and 14th Centuries.
There isn’t much there at all now, although you can get some excellent Fish & Chips or an ice cream at the Flora Tea Rooms after a long beach walk.
The last time we were there, a whole load of Suffolk farmers turned up driving their old tractors. They all parked up and came to the tea room for fish & chips. Something you would probably only see in Suffolk!
13. Forest walks in Suffolk
There are lots of forests around the Suffolk coast and many of them are great for family walks or bike rides with kids. We love to go in May and early June when the rhododendrons are out.
This photo below was taken in Dunwich Forest on one of our favourite Dunwich walks but there is also Tunstall Forest, Westleton Heath and Dunwich Heath (mentioned above).
Other forests in Suffolk worth visiting are Rendelsham Forest and Thetford Forest.
High Lodge at Thetford Forest has so much going on including a Gruffalo Trail, Go Ape and playgrounds. It is on the Norfolk border so see here if you’re looking for things to do in Norfolk with kids.
The great thing about forest walks is that the tree canopy provides great cover if the weather isn’t the best so you can still get outside. Just make sure to bring some wet weather gear with you!
Many of the forests also have great bike tracks so make sure to bring the kids bikes with you.
14. Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge Suffolk is a really great place to visit, especially for kids who are learning about the Anglo-Saxons at school. It’s a National Trust site and home to a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon royal burial site.
A recent addition is a full-size Anglo-Saxon ship sculpture based on the outline of a buried ship.
We highly recommend watching a flim about the discovery of Sutton Hoo, The Dig (on Netflix) before you go for a little background on Sutton Hoo.
Sutton Hoo is one of the most lovely, fun and educational days out in Suffolk with kids.
Make sure you have your National Trust membership when visiting Suffolk as there are other lovely places for days out in Suffolk with kids.
15. Visiting pick your own farms
Suffolk is traditionally an agricultural county so you must go and try the local produce.
As well as picking your own fruit and vegetables at these pick your own farms, you’ll be able to pick up locally sourced meat and baked goodies from the farm shop.
If you’re visiting Suffolk in the autumn, make sure to check out the Suffolk pumpkin patches at Undley Farm, Siam Hall and Windolphs Farm.
Top Tips for visiting Suffolk with kids
- You will need a car to explore Suffolk properly. There is a rail network but trains are infrequent and taxis are not that common, particularly when Latitude is on and about 40,000 people descend on Suffolk!
- Bring your waterproofs and wellies. The weather around the Suffolk coast is very changeable due to coastal winds, and although I like to affectionately refer to it as sunny Suffolk, there is the occasional rainy day. Most activities are outdoors so to make sure you don’t miss out, throw on your waterproofs and get out and explore!
- Check out little villages where you will find some great country pubs serving fresh, local produce. For our recommended pubs, have a look at our post on the best family-friendly Suffolk pubs.
- Check out the Suffolk Wildlife Trust for things to do.
So these are our favourite things to do around the Suffolk coast with the kids. Read here for more things to do in Suffolk.
If you want to get away from the crowds of the Cotswolds, the Lake District or Cornwall, come to Suffolk and enjoy a slower pace of life.
If there are any other things to do in Suffolk with kids that you recommend, please leave us a comment and we will incorporate it!
Map of things to do in Suffolk with kids
Accommodation in Suffolk for families
There are lots of lovely places to stay on the Suffolk coast. In addition to some of the pub accommodation above, here are some other recommendations to suit all budgets.
Looking for a family-friendly campsite in Suffolk? Make sure to read our Suffolk Campsites post. It includes some lovely coastal campsites.
If you’re new to camping with young kids, make sure to check out our tips on camping with toddlers or campervanning with kids.
The Brudenell Hotel (Aldeburgh) – One of the best seafront locations in Suffolk.
Wilderness Reserve (Sibton) – The ultimate luxury getaway in Suffolk. The only problem with this place is that you won’t want to leave!
The Crown (Framlingham) – stay in a four-poster bed within a few minutes walk from one of the best castles in the country.
The Ship Inn (Dunwich) – lovely pub accommodation right on the beach with a huge beer garden.
The Westleton Crown (Westleton) – high end pub accommodation where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge once stayed.
The House in the Clouds (Thorpeness) – One of the quirkiest places to stay in the UK.
If none of these take your fancy, you can take a look at Booking.com which has a huge selection of Suffolk accommodation.
These booking sites have some great holiday rental options in Suffolk:
We have also listed some fabulous holiday accommodation on the Suffolk Coast as well as a few unusual holiday accommodations in Suffolk.
If there is anything specific you would like to know, we’d love to hear from you. We are always recommending Suffolk to our friends and everyone has a great time!
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