I have some family visiting and they don't care about London and the HUGE things most people want to see. They're more into the little cultures of the towns, pubs, etc. I may want to do some large things other than London with them like going to see Bath. Could I please have everyone's opinions on great Tea Shops, Pubs, Things to do I may have missed in the surrounding towns. I believe they would be here either Sept or Oct so that may or may not factor in as well. Also, my husband will probably have to work so kid friendly helps! 

Lavenham is a cute village to visit. It is a classic little town with the crooked buildings. My MIL and her sister were just here and we went to the Saturday market in Ely and the Cathedral and Lavenham locally. We spent some time in London, Norwich, Great Yarmouth, and Windsor and of course in Mildenhall/Lakenheath/Bury. 

Ok, thanks. Do you have any actual recommendations on anything specific other than just towns? 

Take them to West Stow's Anglo Saxon Village. It's small, very quaint and really shows some local history without being OTT and in your face about it. There is a nice little cafe there as well there sells fantastic scones, which are a must-have for all foreigners! It's about a 15-20min drive from Mildenhall & is kid friendly - I've been there twice now, I went last weekend with my 4yr old nephew & he loved seeing all the old weaponry etc. There is also a kids play area by the parking lot which he had a blast in as we had a picnic on the benches outside.

http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/play/weststow-asv.cfm

Check out the events page on there for details of when they're have actors/actress there doing really cool re-enactments & falconry displays! 

I would deff recommend going to Bath if you guys can! My family LOVED it, I am obsessed with it and I am counting down till we can go back! haha.

We stayed in a B&B in Philip St. Norton, the owner was super friendly and its kid friendly, and so is the family owned pub across the street. The wife cooked and the husband took orders, and they actually brought in their 18 mo old son to say hi!

For local I would DEFF say Cambridge. Aunties Tea (by the huge Barkley's bank in the town centre, in the market) is a must. Sit out side (if the weather permits) and you can see the Church across the way and Kings College. The Eagle Pub has USAF and RAF all over from WWII and the food is really good.
The Punting is fun to do and you get to see all the way around Cambridge, and if they are here for summer you can go in the colleges and tour (some you have to pay a few pounds).

For restaurants there are TONS. teri-aki is really good sushi. The Vault for local and different foods (our personal fav), Don Pasqual has pretty good pizza, La Tasca is really good Spanish food.

All depends on what you like to do and eat. 

I've always though Bury was a good place to take family. The market days are fun and then go down into the abby. I've heard Lavenham is a cool place too. 

Cadbury World!! I've been 3x already cause everyone who comes wants to see it. I've heard some people say they didn't enjoy it, but I love it....I love chocolate though! :) I like to go to Stratford Upon Avon when we go that way..I love the city centre with all the shops and Shakespeare stuff. I also enjoy Gt. Yarmouth, down along the pier..there's casinos, a little amusement park an aquarium and lots of little shops and restaurants. 

Alrighty, thank you for all the replies, if anyone else has more suggestions, the more, the merrier! 

I would suggest taking them to York if they want to see a beautiful village. I haven't been there myself yet, but I've heard nothing but great things and have seen the pictures. It looks lovely! 

In Lavenham, we just took photos and we went to a cute little pub. We only had drinks, so I can't say much abut the food, and I honestly don't remember the name.

We went to Ghandi's and Enthaising in Mildenhall - something different than what they were used to. We also walked around the town center and they enjoyed the card shops are UK cards are a lot funnier and nicer than US cards.

I took them on a tour of Tesco's! Free, kid friendly, and surprising interesting. They were happy to just see the funny crap I pointed out. (I should put together a scavenger hunt!)

In Bury, we looked at the area near the Abbeys (Wanted to go in but forgot about it) and the candy shop there.

We went to Cambridge and did the private punting tour - there are some cheaper ones too! We ate at Teri-Yaki and they loved the punting. They also loved the English shopping just to see how different and similar it can be.

We did all kinds of stuff in London and Windsor, but I will leave that out. :P

Norwich - we went to a Mexican place - mambo jambo and did some shopping. They found that town really neat. Great Yarmouth was really empty the day we went. The beach is always nice I suppose.

It really depends what they are into, but I have been to A LOT of restaurants in the area, so if you need any input on those I can help. Pubs? Not so much.

Beware a lot of tea houses are not kid friendly - so I have been told and someone posted about it on here also.

I know that I really like nature and animals, so I took the family to Banham Zoo (Not so impressive really..) and also to a few of the nature reserves around here.

Sorry for writing you a book, but I figured something may catch your eye! They were just here a week ago or so.
Good luck! 

"I took them on a tour of Tesco's! Free, kid friendly, and surprising interesting."
LOL. I found this so funny because for the first few months, Tesco is where my husband and I would spend our "date night". It was fun exploring all of the fun stuff that you can get under one roof, instead of driving all over to specialty shops like we had to at home (I cook-- I have never seen so many cooking oils!).

Norwich is awesome. You can go see a Championship League team play football, shop or navigate a rented boat around.

Castle Acre Priory, Castle Rising or the lavender fields are all within an hour's drive.

There's an auction place in Watton. They have viewing on Monday nights and auctions on Tuesdays. It might be fun to go have a look around. 

I'd take them to visit Mel Gibson. He could use a friend right now. 

Mel is taking a phone call right now...... 

Sandringham estate is beautiful. There is a musem in the estate, the grounds and garden are beautiful to walk around, there's old horse coaches, restaurants, and so many more things to see. Its a great day out. Here is the website for it: http://www.sandringhamestate.co.uk/index.asp . Also Hunstanton is just a 30 min drive from Sandringham. It is a pretty little town on the coast. Great place to get some real fish and chips. 

Castle Rising is just down the street from Sandringham also. It was a quick stop compared to most castles, but still nice to see. 

I agree with all of these! Sandringham is a great place to go and then you can go a couple miles north to the coast and enjoy the boardwalk.

Bury gardens are free, gorgeous, and a playground for kids! Market days are Wed. and Sat. Parking isn't bad if you can find the parking areas.

Go punting in Cambridge with a student guided tour. It is informational and you get some good history of the town. Great punters by the restaurant Teri Aki.

Icklingham has a church you can just drive up and walk in. No charge. Left "as is" from way back when. You can even climb up to the bell tower (at your own risk). Wonderful Free House restaurant, The Red Lion. Local, fresh food. Very friendly.

Ely Cathedral is awesome and look up a great tea room called, Peacocks

Norwich is ok. They have a castle, but not that exciting. However, there is a great interactive area for kids there.

Lots of places to go within driving distance. Good luck and have fun! 

Definitley try to get up to the N Norfolk coast, (personally I'd avoid Gt Yarmouth and Gorleston). I like brancaster, (quiet), cromer and sheringham (old style coastal resorts.
Bury St edmunds is really nice. Cambridge, (Madingley cemeteery puts the US presence here in perspective really quickly), Oxford, York, Bath, Norwich, Stamford, good for history. Brighton (long drive form the bases) supposed to be worth a visit. There are lots of national trust fortified houses / castles you can visit in Norfolk - like oxborough hall, houghton hall, etc. look up the national trust web site. venues geenrally cater for children too. 

ps the British 'national parks' are all pleasant but again a fair drive from East Anglia... 

Thanks to everyone for their input. I will concur with avoiding Gt Yarmouth for sure. I went there a couple years back. I'm not rushing to go back. lol But again, thanks for the input! Keep 'em coming!