About Franklin and Southampton County, VA

The City of Franklin

Once a railroad and steamboat hub of commerce, the City of Franklin is a laid-back cousin to larger cities in the Coastal Virginia region. The welcoming Visitor Center, in the old railroad depot, is in the heart of the historic area. You'll find a variety of shops and delicious places to eat as well as beautifully restored vintage homes, and parks perfect for an impromptu picnic. A mile or two away you'll find familiar chain restaurants, lodging options and other traveler conveniences. Be sure to check out the mini-museum of firefighting, cast a fishing line at Barrett's Landing on the Blackwater River and take advantage of the unique shopping options in Downtown Franklin. 

We welcome you to Escape to Tradition in the City of Franklin

Southampton County

A sprawling landscape boasts small towns waiting to be explored and more Century Farms than any other Virginia county. Scenic trails invite you and your horse to explore all the beautiful nature surrounding Southampton County. Numerous boat landings welcome casual boaters and fishermen. Hunters find abundant game and local outfitters who offer guides and comfortable lodges. Homes from the 1800's surround the classic courthouse and Courtland's quaint business district. The Rawls Museum Arts, part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, exhibits work by local, regional and nationally known artists. The gift shop features the work of local artisans-jewelry, pottery, glass, paintings and fine crafts. The Southampton Agriculture and Forestry Museum/Heritage Museum-with a grist mill, saw mill, county store, schoolhouse and more-reflects rural life form the last 200 years. Here you’ll also see the Rebecca Vaughan House where the last casualties died in the slave rebelion led by Nat Turner in 1831.

Near the North Carolina line where VA Route 35 and VA Route 186 meet, Boykins and Branchville are a small community with a big heart. In the Boykins town square a patriotic evergreen displays photos of local veterans and military. Main Street invites you into a charming array of shops. Linger for a cup of coffee, ice cream cone or meal on Main Street and then find the Boykins Museum, an 1840 train station displaying memorabilia of the county’s railroad history.

Located off of VA Route 58, set in some of Southampton County’s lushest farmland, Capron is home to the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia’s wonderful museum, housed in a vintage Masonic Hall. Newsoms, a farming community and "Home of the Jumbo Peanut", is known for the delicious Virginia Peanuts farmed there. 

The small town of Ivor boasts some of Virginia's finest hams - R. M. Felt's Packing Co. is known for putting the ham in Southampton. Local lore says Otelia Mahone, wife of the Confederate general who built the Norfolk and Petersburg railroad, now Norfolk Southern, named Ivor for the Scottish clan "McIvor".

We welcome you to Escape to Tradition in Southampton County.