Mabry Mill Travel Guide

When we were on our honeymoon trip down the BLue Ridge Parkway, we stopped at Mabry Mill. This is one of the most photographed features on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I don't know whether I have a picture of the Mill itself (to see it click on the URL below), but I gave my husband my camera and he took my picture sitting on the old mill wheels next to the path.

When we walked up the "Mountain Industry Trail" (which is less than a half mile) was saw such things as farm implements, and a whiskey still.

Now they have live demonstrations of mountain crafts such as gristmilling, spinning, blacksmithing which were a part of the early 1900's. Also from the displays, you'll learn the recipes for homemade soap, moonshine, and why it was necessary for miller Edwin B. Mabry, the owner of Mabry Mill, to build flumes. I don't remember whether we saw the demonstrations or whether they even had them then.

The Mabry Mill Trail is one of the more popular trails on the Blue Ridge parkway. During the fall and on weekends, you are likely to find the parking lots full.

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At milepost 176.2 of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd County , Virginia, you can visit the picturesque water mill MABRY MILL. We visited the Mill on a foggy, misty October 25. It is a popular tourist attraction mainly for the picturesque views of the Mill itself. Even in the mist, it was eerily beautiful. A short trail around the mill connects historical exhibits about life in Rural Virginia. The trail allows visitors to view the Gristmill, Sawmill and Blacksmith Shop. You will also see a log cabin, blacksmith Shop and animal shelter.
Also, there is Mabry Mill Restaurant and Gift Shop. The restaurant is famous for its buckwheat cakes. country ham, Virginia barbeque and blackberry preserves.

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Favorite thing: Located on Milepost 169 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, ROCKY KNOB INFORMATION STATION is close by one of the Parkway's most popular attractions - Mabry Mill (Milepost 176.1).
The Rocky Knob area offers many amenities for the visitor, including a campground, cabins and the Visitor Center which used to be an old gas station. When I went inside, the lady there showed me some old pictures of what the gas station looked like years ago.
Located near the intersection of the Parkway with Virginia Route 8, The Rocky Knob Recreation Area covers more than 4000 acres and includes four hiking trails.

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Favorite thing: Since we did not eat here or shop here, I will put this tip in General.
The MABRY MILL RESTAURANT & GIFT STORE is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 176 - 266 Mabry Road.
The Gift Store offers handmade gifts and regional crafts.
The Restaurant is open for Breakfast Lunch and Dinner.

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Favorite thing: Farming has been a way of life in Southwest Virginia for generations. Ed and Lizzy Mabry's nearly Century old Gristmill is without a doubt the most picturesque spot on the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. Even in the foggy mist, there was an eerie beauty about it.
Ed built this Mill and the Mabry's ground corn for their neighbours for three decades. Ed was talented in many other areas as well - adding a wheelwright shop, sawmill and blacksmith Shop.
Rangers and volunteers offer cultural history demonstrations like spinning wool, making baskets, even Blacksmith demonstrations are presented in the Blacksmith Shop.

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Favorite thing: Ed Mabry built a home near his Mill - a two story frame house. In the 1930's, Parkway designers decided the Historic home did not fit in with the look of the Parkway, so they dismantled it and brought in the Matthews' Family Log Cabin which was nearby.
Rangers and volunteers offer cultural history demonstrations in the LOG CABIN, like spinning wool and making baskets. When I visited the cabin, a volunteer was showing folks how to spin sheeps' wool. In the cabin was a lovely old fireplace (pic #5), a loom (pic #3) and a spinning wheel (pic #1).

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Favorite thing: The following is from a plaque near the Mabry Mill and reads:
"A VERSATILE MILL"
This building has three sections. The center section houses a gristmill; The wing to your left contains a sawmill, while the section to your right houses a woodworking shop. Ed Marley built the original mill and both additions about 1910.
In the Gristmill (1) the customer poured shelled corn into the hopper on top. Large, carefully grooved millstones,separated by fractions of an inch, sheared the kernels. The Miller checked the texture of the meal as it entered the bin and could adjust the distance between the millstones if necessary. A second set of millstones would grind "chop", a coarser product used for livestock feed, Customers paid a toll of 12.5 cents a bushel or one- eighth of their total meal.
In rainy weather, when the water supply to the Mill increased, Mabry operated his Sawmill (2). A sliding carriage transported logs of oak, chestnut and other species past a circular saw (pic #3). Like the Gristmill, the saw was powered by belts and shafts connected to the water wheel (pic #4).
In the woodworking shop (3) Mabry used his jigsaw and other tools to perform custom work and to cut spokes and wooden rims to make wagon wheels."

Fondest memory: Inside the Gristmill two volunteers were actually grinding corn for corn meal. They bagged the corn meal and put them on a shelf. The bags of corn meal were available for purchase (pic # 5).