City: Raleigh, NC

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (919) 856-6675

Address: 4620 Lake Wheeler Rd.

Description: Anyone who drives around the Triangle will notice the number of streets named for the gristmills and sawmills that dotted the area long ago. Seventy of these mills once stood in the county. Yates Mill is the surviving artifact. Founded in 1750, the mill operated until the 1950s, then fell into disrepair. It was restored and reopened as the centerpiece of a county park in 2006. Visitors can tour the mill March through November. Demonstrations of the mill grinding corn into meal are held on the third weekend of those months. Yates Mill cornmeal is also available for sale online and at the park. Surrounding the mill are 174 acres of woodlands, including several trails of less than 1 mile each, and the mill pond, where fishing is allowed. The A.E. Finley educational center holds displays about the natural and political history of the site. The park is open 8 a.m. to sunset. The center closes at 5 p.m. Admission is free.