Very interesting Mill with a wonderful old spillway providing the power. The guide inside really did provide some interesting information and history. You can buy some flour and other products that have been ground here.
A restored working mill gives insight into the lives of the early settlers of this area. Cornmeal for sale. Park workers give interesting facts about the mill.
Mingus Mill is a perfect stop on your Smokey Mountain getaway. The mill is a water powered grist mill. The turbine runs and grinds corn into meal. Packages of corn meal and flour are sold on site. Inside the building there is a park guide who will share information about the mill as well as displays on the history of the mill. There is also a path you may walk that follows the spillway. Beautiful scenery. There is a nice parking lot as well as clean bathroom facilities (which is a plus when traveling, especially with children). The kids will LOVE the bridge over the creek.
This is the best way to find an old mill.......just stumble upon it while you are on the back roads. We decided to walk around outside first and by the time we got back to the mill they had closed. Lesson learned.....go inside first. But the best part was seeing a mama and baby elk by the side of the road. We pulled over to take pictures and sat there a while and just watched these beautiful animals.
This mill is so convenient to the main Parkway road that you should really take a few minutes to see it. It's charming and some historical information can be had.
Such a nice and quiet surprise! It was very interesting to see the mill grinding corn and the men that were there "manning" the place were very nice and informative. If you are in Cherokee or on your way over the mountain to Gatlinburg, this place is a definite stop.
Don't look for a water wheel here as this is a 'turbine' driven grist mill. Water under gravity pressure drives the turbine which drives the grinding wheels. The mill is well restored and operates, although not during our visit. Buy some stone ground corn meal.
Really a neat little place to stop at and look around. But some corn meal and you won't regret it! This is a great spot to visit if you are at the park looking for elk.
Mingus Mill is about 4 seconds up the road from the Oconaluftee Vistor Center once you enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is worth a quick stop to check it out. The hand dug flume outside that feeds water to the turbine that runs the mill is really interesting and you can go into the mill itself and see how it works.
This is a relatively "new" mill, built in 1866. It is driven by a flume and water turbine. It is in excellent condition, well restored, with working machinery. The long flume makes it more interesting than most. Definitely worth a stop.