Colvin Run Mill Historic Site

Fairfax County, Virginia

CONTACT INFORMATION: Hours: Hours: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Thursday – Sunday

10017 Colvin Run Road
Great Falls, Virginia 22066

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Colvin Run Mill Tours

Colvin Run Mill is Fairfax County's award-winning, operational, 19th-century water-powered gristmill. The site offers recreational and educational activities for all ages through tours, school programs and special events. Admission to the park is FREE. There are fees for tours, programs and special events.

Tour Information

  • Tour Times: Weekends at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
  • Grind Days: First and third Sunday, March-November
  • Tickets may be purchased in advance online or at the General Store. Sign up for tours online in advance here.
  • The General Store will be open on weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Tickets are released on Sundays for tours the following week.
  • All visitors age two and older are required to wear a face covering/mask indoors and are asked to observe social distancing.
  • Tours last approximately one hour and include two ADA-compliant floors of the mill. For safety reasons, all visitors wishing to see the inside of the mill must be part of a guided tour.

Grinding Grain

Public grain grinding tours are closed for the winter and will resume in March.

Mill staff continue to produce stone-ground products for you to purchase year-round.

You can purchase the grain in our store, which is open Thursday – Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Blacksmithing Demonstrations

First Sunday of each month when the mill is grinding.

11 a.m. - 3 p.m.  No reservations required.  FREE.

Watch as the blacksmith fires up his forge and works with hammer and tongs to make iron tools and utensils.

Northern Virginia Carvers

First Sunday of each month, April to November, in the Education Center

11 a.m. - 3 p.m.  No reservations required.

Learn about the art of carving wood from members of the Northern Virginia Carvers.

Enjoy a walk through history.

CRM exterior 3 410w.jpgTour Colvin Run's restored mill - a water-powered technological marvel built c.1811. On this multi-sensory tour, you'll see the massive waterwheel and gears, hear the roar and knock of those wheels, feel the furrowed stones that grind grain, and smell the burn of mill stones. You'll learn about George Washington's plans for a mill on Colvin Run, hear stories about the man whose ideas revolutionized the milling industry, and encounter the family that ran Colvin Run Mill for more than 50 years.

Customized tours range from interactive flip books that engage young visitors to in-depth historical and engineering information that pique the interest of the most enthusiastic history buff and engineering fan.

A group of people on a tour looks at a grinding stone in the mill

 

Fairfax Virtual Assistant