Things to do in Suffolk?

[MommyUpNorth]

We're going to be spending a good part of the summer in Suffolk... Bury St Edmunds area. Should say that this is Scottish summer, so late June til early August.

Can anyone please recommend some things to do? I'll have 3 kids with me (11, 10 & 8), and we're open to trying pretty much anything! :) Wondering about hiring bikes... Adapted tandem maybe for myself & the 7 year old. Walks, farm parks, indoor play place, water park? Anything at all that you've enjoyed with kids.

Are there any autism friendly cinemas?

We're up in very rural Scotland, so activities are few and far between! Will have a car and will be travelling back and forth to London a few times, so anything on that route...

Thanks!

[Bilberry]

We visit very near that area fairly frequently but not for so long. Locals may give you a better idea but things we do include;

Colchester zoo
Framingham castle
Orford castle
Colchester castle
(see a theme here? Castles are English heritage but get in free if a renewed member with historic Scotland or half price if first year member).
Beach (nearly all shingle)
Boating on Thorpeness mere (only 2 foot deep) and nearby Aldeburgh - look at the lifeboats.
Thetford forest
Steam museum (begins with B, possibly Bressingham)
Sutton Hoo (English heritage again, only fills a couple of hours)
Bewilderwood, Norfolk (sort of tree house theme park, very good but go before the English school holidays)

[MommyUpNorth]

Brilliant list Bilberry, thanks! Will have a look at getting a membership to the English and/or Scottish heritage... hadn't thought of that. That would probably open up quite a lot & wouldn't matter so much if we did lots of little visits in case DS is having some off days.

[cansu]

Crown pools in Ipswich has pool with wave machine. Bury pool quite nice also. Abbey Gardens in town has sand pits, nice play area. Forest and adventure playground type area at Thetford Forest. Indoor play place called Curve motion in Bury. Cineworld has Saturday am cinema sessions at reduced rates.

[MommyUpNorth]

Thanks cansu! Will add it all to the list.

[headinhands]

I think cineworld in bury have asd friendly viewings.

Nowton park just outside bury is gorgeous. As is waking along the old train track in Sudbury. Belle Vue park in Sudbury is gorgeous too.

[SummerTimeTOWIE]

Kentwell Hall - privately owned so can be pricey for a family but great fun on one of their Tudor reenactment days. They also do WW2 reenactments.

National Trust membership along with English Heritage might be a good idea. For NT - Long Melford Hall, Lavenham Corpus Christi, Bury St Edmunds Ixworth Hall (great walking the grounds of the last one).

Not sure where you can hire bikes from but if you are accomplished cyclists, then there are loads of beautiful cycle routes around Suffolk. You can buy maps of the routes from most newsagents/bookshops/Tourist Info/Amazon etc.

Fish and chips on Aldeburgh beach - best chips I've ever tasted. There's two chippies in the town (same owners) - if it's a weekend or the town is busy, start queuing 5 minutes before opening times as the queue gets long very very quickly. Sometimes one chippie has a long queue before the other - but there's no rhyme nor reason which one is going to have the queue each day.

Snape Maltings - great for grown-up shopping but has plenty of walking for kids. Best visited during the week as this can get very busy at the weekends. There's an exhibition of modern art on at the moment with the majority of the exhibits outside by the river.

[Bilberry]

If you are not Historic Scotland members already you might be better getting English Heritage membership as that would give you free entry (and half-price back in Scotland). However, you get into National Trust free the first year you join the National Trust for Scotland and NTS membership is cheaper than the National Trust.

[MommyUpNorth]

Jotting down all the rest... Looks like we'll have plenty to do now! Thanks so much for all the suggestions.

We have sorted the English Heritage membership... Will go and look up the NTS. Thanks for that tip!

[Safeinourbubble]

I am repeating most things but I suppose that adds weight! I second Nowton Park. Abbey Gardens, central Bury. Cambridge Arts Cinema also runs autism friendly sessions. Jimmy's Farm - half way round Ipswich. Soft play and roller skating - Curvemotion. Sutton Hoo. High Lodge, Thetford. Colchester zoo. Have you spoken to Autism Suffolk? - lovely people. Ickworth Hall has lovely grounds - favourite of another friend's son with asperger's. The local libraries are good. Bury's has a caf. Abbey Garden's refectory is big and friendly and has seating outside and good loos. There are lots of local places with private pools that you can rent out by the hour. Bowling - we use Strikes in Sudbury because it is so much quieter. Have a wonderful holiday.

[Safeinourbubble]

Ooooh forgot Colchester's castle park is amazing and the fun pool Colchester is one of the best locally. Can get very packed but possibly not in June.

[MommyUpNorth]

Thanks safeinourbubble!

Have sorted both English Heritage & National Trust now.

If we go somewhere where there is a carer discount, is there a standard document that is accepted? I was going to photocopy our blue badge, carer's allowance & dla documents. Would those cover everything? Can photocopy a document with diagnosis on it as well from geneticist/peadiatrician...

[Safeinourbubble]

I usually take carer's allowance letter, dla letters and statements - tends to cover it. Colchester zoo does reductions, so definitely worth it.

[Lesuffolkandnorfolk]

Hi Mommy

I am the Local Editor of the site here and the editorial site here. I am hoping to include much MORE info on living and holidaying here if you have SN or your child (ren) do. Let me know what you found helpful, what was not so good and I'll feature it on the site as I want to compile a 'Twenty best places to go to if you have additional needs' feature.

BTW the Wolsey Theatre is a fully inclusive place to go see productions with many productions featuring signing, interpretation or lowered stimuli. They have a lot of info about this on their site. The Cineworld in BSE has autism friendly screenings as does Bury Picturehouse here. The local park, the Abbey Gardens in BSE is great for children as is Nowton park here.

You will find that a lot of places will aim to accommodate you but so many of our buildings are ancient and therefore problematic for wheelchair users and buggies .

[Lesuffolkandnorfolk]

And the swan feed at Brundon is free fun here.