20 Attractions to Explore Near Rendlesham Forest

The Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a stunning landscape packed full with wildlife and exciting places to explore and discover. It covers ancient woodland, commercial forestry, the estuaries of the Alde, Blyth, Deben, Orwell and Stour rivers, farmland, salt marsh, heathland, mudflats, reed beds, small towns and villages, shingle beaches and low eroding cliffs along 60 miles of coastline.

Bentwaters Cold War Museum is based in the United States Air Force (USAF) hardened command post on the former Bentwaters airbase. Its display include an English Electric Lightning, Hawker Hunter, BAC Jaguar, McDonnell Douglas Phantom & Harrier. Visitors can also see the fully restored War Operations Room and Battle Cabin, alongside the BT Telephone Exchange room.

Sutton Hoo is the site of a group of Anglo-Saxon burial mounds from the 6th and 7th centuries. One of the mounds, excavated in 1939, revealed the remains of a 90-foot long wooden ship. Most of these objects are now held by the British Museum. Scholars believe Rædwald of East Anglia is the most likely person to have been buried in the ship. The site is important in establishing the history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia as well as illuminating the early Anglo-Saxon period which lacked

Woodbridge Tide Mill is one of The Suffolk Coast's most iconic buildings, which has stood on the banks of the River Deben for over 800 years. The mill is a Grade I listed building. It is a three-storey building constructed from wood; externally it is clad in white Suffolk boarding and has a Gambrel roof. Its machinery reflects the skills and achievements of the early Industrial Revolution. It has been preserved and is open to the public.

Orford Castle is a Grade I listed, 12th century keep on the east coast of England in the county of Suffolk, which was described by historian R. Allen Brown as “one of the most remarkable keeps in England” in his 1962 book on Orford Castle. The castle is remarkably intact allowing visitors to explore from the basement, through the lower and upper halls to the roof where there are magnificent views seaward to Orford Ness.

Havergate Island is the only island in the county of Suffolk, England. It is found at the confluence of the River Ore and the Butley River near the village of Orford. It is a marshy nature reserve run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and is known for its population of avocets and terns. It is part of the ecologically important Alde-Ore Estuary and has protected conservation status as part of a national nature reserve, SSSI, SAC, SPA, Ramsar Site and is also a part of the Suffolk

Snape Maltings is a group of buildings including a famous concert hall in the village of Snape, Suffolk. Many concerts are given in the Maltings. Every year the Aldeburgh Festival has many of its concerts there. The composer Benjamin Britten used to live in Aldeburgh with the singer Peter Pears. They started a music school for young people. The Britten-Pears Foundation still continues today, with many concerts based in the Maltings.

Orford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Weir Point, opposite Shingle Street. It is divided from the mainland by the River Alde, and was formed by longshore drift along the coast. The material of the spit comes from places further north, such as Dunwich.

Parham Airfield Museum is situated on an old World War II United States Air Force Station. The Museum actually consists of 2 separate Museums, which join together to show how this corner of rural Suffolk was affected by the War in two very different ways. It also plays tribute to other 8th US Army Air Force and allied airmen operating throughout East Anglia during the Second World War, and also the men of the British Resistance Organisation.

Orford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Weir Point, opposite Shingle Street. It is divided from the mainland by the River Alde, and was formed by longshore drift along the coast. In the name of the lighthouse (and the radio transmitting station – see below), 'Orfordness' is written as one word.

The Red House is the former home of composer Benjamin Britten and singer Peter Pears. The collections left by the two men richly document their lives as performers and creators who made this place their home for nearly twenty years. Their home in Aldeburgh offers a charming snapshot into the two men's lives. Lovingly preserved, the house and gardens are open for all to explore.

The Aldeburgh Museum is housed in one of the most important timber-framed public buildings in England. Dating from the first half of the 16th Century it originally contained six small shops on the ground floor and a spacious meeting chamber on the first floor. The Town Council still meets here today and it provides an attractive display area for the Museum.

Framlingham Castle is a magnificent 12th century fortress with a long and colourful past which makes a fascinating family day out in Suffolk. It was once home to some of the most formidable names of Tudor England and it was behind these very walls that Mary Tudor was proclaimed Queen of England. The castle then transformed into an Elizabethan prison and later a workshouse in the 17th century.

The House in the Clouds is one of the UK's/world's most famous follies! Set in 1 acre of private grounds, this iconic landmark overlooks Thorpeness Golf Course, Thorpeness Meare and the sea on the very beautiful Suffolk Heritage Coast. It was a water tower at Thorpeness, Suffolk, England. It was built in 1923 to receive water pumped from Thorpeness Windmill and was designed to improve the looks of the water tower, disguising its tank with the appearance of a weatherboarded building more in keep

The Long Shop Museum is an industrial museum in the town of Leiston in the English county of Suffolk. Discover 200 years of industrial innovation on the original site of the Richard Garrett Engineering Works, from the first production line to the first woman doctor. The museum preserves interprets objects that tell the stories of the Garrett Works and the people of Leiston who forged its success.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust is part of a UK-wide network of Wildlife Trusts. It is the only charity dedicated wholly to safeguarding Suffolk's wildlife and countryside. From tiny meadows to rolling heaths, the nature reserves extend all the way along the Suffolk Coast from Trimley Marshes at Felixstowe to Lound Lakes north of Lowestoft and are some of Suffolk's most inspiring wild places.

The Ipswich Transport Museum is a museum in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, devoted principally to the history of transport and engineering objects made or used in its local area. Ipswich Transport Museum is a collection of over 100 major transport and engineering objects which were made or used in the Ipswich area. Local rail and waterway transport and aviation are represented mainly by photographic collections and smaller exhibits. The Museum also houses an archive and library together with costum

Felixstowe Pier is a pleasure pier in the Edwardian seaside town of Felixstowe, Suffolk, England. The pier opened in August 1905 with a total length of 2,640 feet and its own railway station, and was once one of the longest in the country. Steamer services operated from the pier to various destinations.

Leiston Abbey is the impressive remains of a 14th-century Premonstratensian abbey, one of the best-preserved monastic sites in Suffolk. The abbey ruins include the thatched Lady Chapel, which is still sometimes used for worship. Founded in c. 1183 by Ranulf de Glanville , Chief Justiciar to King Henry II , it was originally built on a marshland isle near the sea, and was called "St Mary de Insula". Around 1363 the abbey suffered so much from flooding that a new site was chosen and it was rebuilt

Felixstowe Beach enjoys a fantastic coastal location, just minutes away from a stunning beach along the Sunrise Coast. It was one of the iconic tourist location in this area and also the area around Felixstowe has some good walks, including the Martello Coastal Path, as well as a choice of cycle routes.