Named for a county in England, the city has had a long relationship with trains and remains a railroad hub even today. The
Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum is housed in the former depot. An award-winning model railroad display in HO scale replicates the city as it appeared in the early 1900s, illustrating the presence and influence of that industry.
Just behind the museum is the entrance to the Cedar Hill Cemetery that began in 1802 and is the final resting place of veterans, including confederates from the Civil War. A self-guided walking tour amid cedar trees, grave markers, monuments and statues is offered.
Perhaps Suffolk's most interesting resident was Amedeo Obici, an Italian immigrant, who founded
Planter's Peanuts and established a factory in the city. His former home, a 1920s art nouveau-style structure is under restoration. The next closest shelled experience is the Planters Peanuts Center on W. Washington St. Find a wide assortment of these nutty treats for sale. The area continues to be a major peanut producer.
Historic
Prentis House is one of the oldest homes in Suffolk and serves as the visitor center, while the nearby
Riddick's Folly House Museum, built in 1837, has ties to prominent Suffolk families.
Overseen by Virginia's Department of Historic Resources, there are more than two dozens sites in and around Suffolk that depict events that helped shape or affect the community. Pick up a map at the visitor center to drive the route and gain a better understanding of colonial life, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, religion, education, the swamp, as well as Native Americans and African Americans.
Suffolk, a city with many waterways and lakes, occupies a thin diagonal slice of Hampton Roads on the southwestern edge of the region.
