Mill Open House at Historic Yates County Park Oct. 18, and more…
Date: Sun, Oct 18, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Venue: Historic Yates County Park, Raleigh
Price:
Category: Outdoors
, LLC Historic Yates Mill County Park, at 6420 Lake Wheeler Road in Raleigh, is a 174-acre wildlife refuge and an environmental research center. The centerpiece is the Historic Yates Mill, which is the last operable water-powered gristmill in Wake County. The mill is on the National Register of Historic Places and was restored to working order in 2005. Admission to the park is free. Tours of the historic gristmill are offered for free on weekends at designated times from March through November. Visit the park’s website for information about guided mill tours. You can also enjoy other programs at the park (click here for details) or you can explore the park on your own. Read on to see what’s coming up, as well as to learn more about the park and the mill. Jump to a list of upcoming events, or keep reading to learn more about the park. , LLC The water-powered gristmill has been operational for more than 200 years. There were once 70 gristmills in Wake County, and this is the only one that is still in operation. Gristmills are used for grinding corn, wheat and other grains into flour. A stream of water is guided into a waterwheel. This provides the power to rotate large millstones that crush the grain into smaller pieces. You'll find gristmills near a source of running water, like a waterfall, or a dam. Modern mills, on the other hand, use electricity to spin heavy steel or cast iron rollers.
