Park Authority

CONTACT INFORMATION: Open during regular business hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
703-324-8700 TTY 711
12055 Government Center Pkwy.
Fairfax, Virginia 22035
Jai Cole
Executive Director

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Colvin Run Mill Tours

View Operational Hours   View Holiday Hours

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

  • Mill Tour tickets may be purchased in advance online or onsite at the General Store. Purchase your tour tickets here.
    Buy Tour Tickets

  • Tickets are released on Sundays for tours the following week.
  • 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.
  • Watch the mill grinding grain during the Mill in Motion days. Mill in Motion runs on the first and third Sunday,  April through October conditions permitting. Please call ahead to confirm.


Grinding Grain

We are firing up the 1811 mill to make fresh grain, stone-ground on site. Come see the 20-foot waterwheel turn the gears to power the equipment and grind grain you can take home and bake with.

After you explore the mill, spend some time in the Miller’s House then visit the General Store where you can buy milled flours, grits and cornmeal.

The 200-year-old Colvin Run Mill will be operating from noon to 3 p.m., weather dependent, on the first and third Sunday of the month April through October

The cost is $10 per person and participants may arrive any time after noon.

Tickets can be bought here or onsite at the General Store

 

Buy Tickets

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

 

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