Wade's Mill in
Raphine (VA)

Historic 1750 mill that still operates via water power. Owner is fantastic and give tours of mill with history woven thru. Owner is a great personality and is welcoming to all. Great place for gifts, Jams, local honey, and local maple syrup. Worth the trip to see such a historic treasure. Glad someone trying to preserve our history

Absolutely wonderful staff! She was so knowledgeable and pleasant. The grounds are amazing—a small falls, gorgeous main event venue, and lovely historic mill that is still used today to fill grain orders. It even has a lovely cabin for rent.

I loved our visit to Wade's Mill last week! It's on a beautiful property and the store is so lovely! Lot's of neat things and you can walk through the mill - very cool! I bought some flour that I'm excited to use in my sourdough baking. Also, April (the owner) is knowledgeable and fun, and her dog is pretty cool too!

We spent Good Friday 2025 (with a school field trip) at Wade's Mill. April did a fantastic job of touring us around this historic mill. Merle was a wonderful greeter and enjoyed all the tiny hands that wanted to pet him. The shop is excellent. It's so hard to find non-GMO products and Wade's has an excellent selection of these goods. They even sell local honey and seasoned flour, folks. It is worth the drive just to visit their shop.

Wonderful grits, and the owners are outstanding, the grounds are beautiful, with an event barn, April couldn't have been any nicer. Their dogs were an extra treat, as the welcoming committee, especially. Merel!

We just had another wonderful visit to Wades Mill. We took friends with us for their first time, and we took family the last time for the Apple Butter festival. April is such a friendly person, and she is knowledgeable as she talked us through the mill’s history. We love the many products that she grinds herself. Thank you April, you are a great caretaker for the mill.

Everything about the mill is fantastic. The history, the look, the smell. It makes you believe in a better life, a better world and a better way. That's to say nothing about the flour. The flour is perfect for making all manner of bread and bread-adjacent items. Please, for the love of all that's holy, pick up a jar of blueberry butter. I'd never had blueberry butter before and didn't even know it was a thing. Now, with the scales dropped from my eyes, I can't go back to a world where such a thing doesn't exist. We could order online, but I'd rather make a day trip of it, stock up and step back in time for a bit.

April, you truly outdid yourself! What a spectacular event that was embraced by so many locals and folks from afar. This was the best Apple Butter Festival to date! The thought and vision you had for the day did not go unnoticed and you are a gem to Rockbridge County!! I had the privilege to volunteer at this amazing event in the Mill Shop and the compliments were abundant and plentiful. So many stories from where folks were from and what it means to them to have this quality product available. Kudos to the amazing vendors, musicians, volunteers, friends and guests and owner!

Visited for the Apple Butter festival, one of the best days of the year. It was uplifting to see a small business and volunteers handle such a large scale event accommodating what looked like thousands of people and cars. The apple butter was cooked in an authentic manner with the opportunity for visitors to stir the pot. Two different bands played and there was a variety of food and drink venders who all took card. With there being thousands of visitors, talking to the owner or getting a tour was understandably impossible but I was able to learn about the history by interacting with the locals. Very cozy fall environment with local vendors offering many different products. Great atmosphere and would highly recommend visiting both for the annual festival and any other time.

The people where extremely rude! From the man parking cars who paid no attention to handicap placard to park us in handicap parking but send us to an open field. If you do not furnish handicap park it should be so stated in ads not handicap accessable.also the only took cash..no cards except inside the building with a lot of other merchandise not really related to the mill. They did have flour and apple butter in the mill it's self. Outside they had the smallest copper pot for making apple butter I've ever seen in my 76 years of life. With a young man who did not interact with the crowd at all stood there like a robot. There was not one to explain the milling process to anyone, but wanted donations to in the future to have guides to inform the public if the process. Personally I took my granddaughter to have a learning . experience.she Was bored out of her mind and I was right there being bored. No history of the mill no one attempted to explain anything.customers helped each other in learning a few things.never would I go again . The lack of information on the process and results history of the mill,a huge waste of time and we where there less then an hour and seen ever thing but the alcohol displays and the live music.. a huge waste of time and gas

After having grits at Thunderbirds Cafe we had to find this place. I could stayed here all day. So peaceful. April is a one in a million. So friendly and knowledgeable. This is a huge passion of hers. We bought flour, grits, local honey and molasses. Can’t wait to try it all. If you homeschool this is a definite must stop.

My husband and I stopped in this afternoon and had a really great time! The owner, April is very welcoming and spent so much time with us, giving us the history of the mill. The property is absolutely amazing and beautiful. We highly recommend visiting. It was such a unique experience. We plan to visit again.

I kind of fell in love with this place! They go out of your way to show you how things were done and worked (including cut-outs so you can see things moving as the water wheel turns) and explain the different varieties they mill. There are two levels above where you can see the old equipment running, and in the gift shop you can choose what grains you'd like and they go upstairs and mill them fresh. You can even hike along the creek to see the little waterfall and a bit past it to see the actual dam. Beautiful area, you can tell the original owner and new owner (who were both there) really cared about the place and what they are doing.

Gorgeous property. Oldest continously running mill in U.S. Owner knowledgeable, friendly and runs a wonderful small, working museum, with a walking trail to mill pond dam and a lovely gift shop. So many fresh ground mill products and local gift items and foods to choose from. Family friendly. We will be bringing family and friends here to visit again and again!

My husband and I had a wonderful get away at this perfectly charming cabin. I'm an avid bread baker so this was a dream come true for me! But even if you are not into that....every little nook and cranny was just perfect. The cabin, the mill, the property, the hosts...and the sweet dog! I would definitely stay here again!

Luckily found this the day after they opened for the season! Very interesting old - but still working - mill. Most of the building is open for tours, provided by the owner. The mill is operated most mornings. Note that there are a lot of stairs involved, although the building appears to be as accessible as possible. The lowest level houses their shop, offering their products as well as other local products.

We visited Wade's Mill on our way south. And we so glad we did. The kids enjoyed running around, my wife has been enjoying the flour for bread making, and I enjoyed the rich history and country. We hope to pass through again.

The outside of Wade's Mill is a beautiful old stone building with crystal clear spring water flowing down the chute over a large water wheel, with lush green grass and moss growing all around with beautiful gardens and landscaping in the surrounding grounds. We were greeted at the entrance by a cute old pup that was glad to get a pat on the head. Inside, it was amazing to see how the mill mechanism worked through all four floors of the building. Everything was covered in flour and the floors and railings had a charming creak to them as you went up. You can even walk out on a small balcony at the top above the water wheel. They have old spec drawings of the system and other historical facts about the mill posted all around. It was very fascinating! They also sell their milled products and other novelties and gifts in the gift shop on the ground floor too. Great for families and history buffs. Highly recommended all around!

Wade's Mill is wonderful piece of history. This old grist mill still functions after all these years! The mill is situated on the old Benjamin Borden Land Tract. He was my ancestor. The land in this area was originally given as inheritance to his daughter also my ancestor. The area in beautiful with rolling hills and creeks. The cornmeal I bought from the mill made amazing cornbread!

This place is a hidden gem. It is an incredibly beautiful property with a adorable garden behind the mill. The owners are very kind and welcoming. Getting to actually see the mill in action from both the inside and the outside was nothing short of thrilling. I enjoyed every moment spent here in the fresh air surrounded by history and nature. We are so lucky to have this place tucked away in Rockbridge County! If you are in the area you must make a visit.

The owner was very nice and have us a brief history of the area and a tour and explanation of the mill.

John, current and 6th owner since 1700, was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the mill's history. The mill is a working mill and was established during the British colonies, by King George the VI. Recommend a visit.

Wonderful owners and a beautiful piece of working history. Took my family today and the owners gave us a tour and let my 5 year old help with the start up of the mill. Had great local products in gift shop. A must see if your in the area!

Great place. Met the owner John and he gave us a private tour of the place including all the background. It's a wonderfully old business that remains relevant today. Lots of great stone-ground products you can buy right there. There are starting to work with chefs and restaurants across the region. Support this business, it definitely worth keeping this tradition going. Beautiful setting too!!!

My wife and I dropped by on a whim, on a Sunday afternoon and met John, the current owner of Wade's Mill. He was very friendly and gave us a tour of the mill, all while explaining the full and wonderful history of the mill, even going so far as to start the mill up for us. We bought several fresh ground flours and mixes, and look forward to using them. Wade's Mill is a wonderful hidden treasure off the beaten path, and was a great place for a visit! We will certainly visit again!

The new miller is very friendly and competent about what he is doing. If you were more familiar with the mill under it's last owner, be ready for a little bit of a change if you visit again. The shelves are still well stocked with different food products, but now fewer cooking utensils and the like are out. I don't consider this a negative change though. I found the new owner to have more passion about what he's doing. I'm originally from Georgia, so I care about my grits. The white corn grits ground here are really good, and if you let them cook for a good while on the stove particle size is just right, and the flavor will run laps around Quaker brand. The drive to Wade's Mill from 81 is a stunning one. I'm a real sucker for rolling hill countrysides, and on your way to the mill that's the view for miles. I loved it.

My husband and I unexpectedly came upon Wade's Mill on Friday, August 12, 2016 and were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic welcome that we received from the new owner. We had been exploring the area and when we saw the "Mill Open" sign on the property we curiously approached the building. Inside there were bags of freshly ground (dated as such) bags of wheat, corn and other grains, local honey, jams and some stationery depicting the mill. There was a sign saying that the proprietor was busy upstairs and we should call up to him if we needed anything. We did so, but since he was immersed with his work there was no answer so my husband crept up the steps to get his attention. He immediately stopped what he was doing and eagerly showed us around the mill, explained its history and how it worked. He even invited us to feel free to walk around the property. We are home now and I just made some loaves of bread with the whole wheat flour that I purchased and it is heavenly. My husband and I would like to thank the new owners of Wade's Mill and wish them well as they embark on their new adventure in milling.