Thousands of US Air Force personnel at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, and their families, make Suffolk, England their home. The men and women of the USAF 48th Fighter Wing, at Lakenheath, and the USAF 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, along with their wives and kids, have created a settlement as big as a medium sized American town within the two military bases.
Both Lakenheath and Mildenhall are located in a beautiful stretch of East Anglia. Military families who take the opportunity to venture off base while they're here will find a lot to enjoy. And some of the best things to see are virtually undiscovered outside of the local area. Just 25 miles northeast, near the pretty market town of Swaffham in Norfolk, for example, there's a child and pet-friendly Norman castle, a futuristic, 220-foot tall wind-turbine with a viewing platform right under the nacelle (you can probably see your house on the base from up there), a very good country pub with a child-safe walled garden and good burgers, and a fun Saturday market where you can stock up on fruit and veg, plump English sausages, local cheese and game. Venture a little bit further, to Norwich, up the A47, and you have some of the best shopping, sightseeing and dining in all of East Anglia, plus a daily market under striped awnings that's one of England's best.
- A Day Out in Norfolk - Real England in Undiscovered East Anglia
- Plan a Day Trip to Norwich
- Read about Norwich Market in Top UK Cities for Markets.
Photo of Swaffham Church © Getty Images