Things to do in Sudbury, Suffolk with Children
If you are searching for things to do in Sudbury, Suffolk with children, I thought I would share my home town family favourites.
Its funny how things can go full circle. I grew up in Sudbury, yet when I left at 18 to go to university, I really didn’t think I’d end up coming back with my own family. As a teenager I thought Sudbury was too small with nothing to do. But after moving back in my thirties (not that we went far, I was just over the border in Essex for a few years) I’m blown away by how family friendly it is, the amount we have on our door step to do with our children and how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful part of the country.
Sudbury Parks to Take the Kids
Top of the list is Belvue Park – As long as its not raining, my children are always happy to spend time there. Its a just a five minute walk from the town and has things to play on for all ages. Plus lots of grass to set up camp for the afternoon with a picnic.
There are different play areas to enjoy, including an obstacle course and a giant sand pit with 3 climbing frames for different ages. There’s tennis courts, lawn for a kick about and a skate and scooter park. On sunny days and holidays there’s also a café hut serving cheap ice creams and drinks. The zip wire is also handily positioned near the exit, so you can bribe the kids to leave with the promise of a go, on the way out.
The Pit Park, Queens Road, Sudbury
I have no idea if this is the official name for it, but this is what I’ve always called it since I went there as a child. It didn’t used to be very nice, full of noisy teenagers, with very little to play on – I have to confess I spent far too many hours in this park as a teen when I should have been at school. However fast forward to now and it has a brilliant wooden and rope obstacle course for children that keeps them entertained for ages.
My children have been playing on it since they were tots and its still tricky enough to keep my nine year olds interest. As the name implies its in a big dip and if you didn’t know about it there’s not a lot of signage. Its on Queens Park Road with a little track turning up to it (On the right hand side if you are walking up from town) Its not overly pretty to spend lots of time there, but perfect for a quick play one morning or afternoon if you want to run the kids out to somewhere local that you haven’t been before.
Walks on the Sudbury Water Meadows
I can’t mention Sudbury without talking about the beautiful meadows and countryside surrounding us. Together with the old railway track running alongside it, Its wonderful for walks and bike rides all year round, and is the perfect spot for summer picnics with so much space for the kids to run and be free. If you are not local then a great place to park is the public carpark behind the Kingfisher Leisure centre. Its free, but you do need to get a display ticket from one of the machines. A lovely short walk to take is starting at the Croft and walking along the side of the river down to The Mill Hotel. You can then feed the ducks, see the salmon leap, the cows on the meadows (during the spring and summer) and end up at The Mill Hotel, which is great for a drink or lunch with fabulous views.
Family Friendly Restaurants and Pubs in Sudbury, Suffolk
Speaking of eating out, Sudbury has lots of great places to eat out as a family. One of our favourites is The Prado Lounge. Right in the middle of town on Market Hill, It’s a bar/restaurant that has a nice relaxed atmosphere to take children, yet still feels like going somewhere nice for dinner. The menu is great, good pub stables plus a tapas menu and my favourite – the cocktails! The kids menu is has all the usual’s you’d expect and comes with a carton of juice and hummus pot. The only thing to keep in mind is that the portion size’s for the kids meals are on the small side, so more suited to very little ones. I love the interiors – vintage luxe with industrial pops of colour full of comfy seating and large tables for when you are meeting up with friends.
Another reason I love going there with the children, apart from them enjoying the food, is they have a games table full of board games, toys and colouring which makes waiting for a meal to arrive far more enjoyable. (Obviously I have no idea if this is going to be there when they open initially in May because of corona restrictions, but hopefully they will be able to bring it back at some point.)
The Talbot Trail, Sudbury
If you’ve ever wondered what the red posts you see dotted around Sudbury town are – It’s the Talbot Trail. The bronze sculptures tell the story of Sudbury’s rich historical heritage. You used to be able to collect a map at Sudbury Library to then use to follow the trail around the town, learning interesting facts about Sudbury’s history on the way. I did this with my children a couple of summers ago and they loved it. Even now my little girl still often points out the different characters when she see’s them, as we go through the town. Hopefully as the Library opens properly again, these will become available.
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