We were fortunate enough to have a school field trip opportunity to Sturgeon's Mill, what an absolute treasure in the middle of Sonoma County! All of the volunteers and docents were as gracious as could be. If we get the opportunity again, I'd go back in a heartbeat. The history and the fact that the mill is still running is just incredible. A true testament to all involved. read more

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This is a great family, friendly experience to check out a historical milling operation. They have tour guys that are friendly and knowledgeable about the process. It is a very wholesome experience. There is plenty of parking and you're welcome to bring your own picnic. However, they do also have food that is very affordable. Entrance fee is free and they accept donations. read more

Sturgeon's Mill - About - Tours Near Me - Sebastopol, California

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What an unforgettable field trip experience for my son! He went with his Homeschool Charter Heartwood. Kids were invited to participate in the working mill. Absolutely stellar presentation by several docents, guides, volunteers and mill enthusiasts! Wonderful to connect with folks here. Everyone has a smile and a story. Incredible to have this history and working mill in our county!! read more

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A hidden gem only open to the public four weekends a year. This Saturday vI was privileged to attend their open house. Tons of Volunteers and docents were available for tours and to show us how a steam driven lumber yard works. The massive logs and massive saws are incredible and the steam whistle ear splitting. A wonderful look into the past that is kept alive by this team if volunteers. A treat for all ages! They also have a blacksmith working, someone in the office and a pair of beautiful draft horses with a friendly owner who demonstrated how these beautiful horses can be used to pull huge logs out of the forest. So much to see and hear, I forgot to take any pictures. read more

Sturgeon's Mill, is one of the world's last steam-powered sawmills that still uses its original equipment. The mill was founded in 1914 and has been restored, it's an authentic time capsule of a late 19th and early 20th century sawmill. This is a dream spot for historians, gear heads, steam heads, students of California history, and, of course, photographers. They offer guided tours or you can wander on your own. Admission is free, donations are welcome. The mill is run by dedicated volunteers, the day I went I think the youngest was 9 and the oldest over 80. Check the website for important information before going to the amazing living museum. There is more to see here. Starting in 1924 Woodland garden was added to the site, restoration begun in 2009. Two of the ponds are still here and so is the corkscrew redwood tree. You will be able to see many specimen plants They also serve reasonable priced food in an area what can seat 200 people. read more

Sturgeon's Mill - Tours Near Me - Sebastopol, California

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6 out of 5 stars. Unbelievably warm, personable and knowledgeable staff who share a sense of pride and passion for what they are doing. The mill holds open house events a few times a year and I would highly recommend you attend one even if you're not interested in the subject matter. It's a beautiful mill in a gorgeous area. There's good folk and good food here. And, more than enough history and things to look at to keep you feeling proud to be a Californian for an hour or two. They people who work at Sturgeon's Mill are a rare breed, hard working folks who still find time to find out who you are and how they can help connect you to the history of the area. Better than Critter Country in Disneyland. Great job, keep up the important work. read more

Sturgeon's Mill's open house was just fantastic ! I saw how a big tree trunk was turned into planks and beams using steam powered equipment. It's a fabulous day out in the woods! I highly recommend going to their open house which happens only 4 times a year. read more

I saw an old episode of Calif. Gold where Huell Howser went to Sturgeon's Mill and went to their website to find out when they had public tours. The dates for FREE Public Tours (Donations accepted) for 2013 are: Sat 5/18/13 & Sun 5/19/13; June 15 & 16; Sept 14 & 15; Oct 12 & 13 from 10am-3pm. For 2013 they are celebrating their 100th Anniversary. You can get a Self Guided Tour Map & walk around during the public tour dates. These are the things you can see: Museum - it's tiny. Only takes maybe 10-15 min to see it. Williamette yarder/donkey Entrance to boiler & engines - ancient steam engines is Cool! Sturgeon's Creek Sawdust Burner - just look inside, meh Picnic Area - tables you can bring your lunch & eat. Think they sell like chips, saw popcorn for sale near entrance 75c, free water from large cooler. Original office - small with old typewriters, check book, invoice, etc. Log deck & carriage viewing platform - nice to see them working Main saw & head rig viewing platform - pretty interesting, I took lots of pictures & videos. Blacksmith shop - small, saw guy working Log Deck - bunch of logs Edger & Matcher viewing platform - neat to see Planer - pretty neat to see them trimming wood We walked around the Woodland Gardens - still a work in progress. You can see the Dawn Redwood Trees & Corkscrew Tree. Portable bathrooms available. Worth a drive up to see it on Public Tour Days! Website: www.sturgeonsmill.org read more

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This is a great look at life in a 1914 steam powered lumber mill. There are some cool old tools, vehicles and a couple of blacksmiths. They run the circular saw and planers all day. They sell live edge slabs up to about three feet. I couldn't tell for sure but it looked like open season on offcuts at the end of the day. I'd say this is worth about 30 minutes of out of your way. Combine it with a trip to nearby Occidental, Sevastopol, or Freestone to make it worth coming from further away. Especially if you go to Wild Flour bakery in freestone... Admission was free but there were ample opportunities to donate. On the way in I dropped a twenty which seemed to be two to four times average. I was a little miffed when I found out later that they had a raffle for a redwood log and I'd already dropped a twenty. Next time I'll know. They sell food for what looked like very reasonable prices. I can't report on the food because I was there late in the day and they had run out of the things I was interested in. There is a big picnic area and it was priced for a family to be able to afford to feed the kids. This place is open four weekends a year. If you enjoy this place, I'd also recommend the Penngrove Power and Farm Implement museum on the second Saturday in July. I'd advise you not to mention that you were not born in Sonoma County. I was talking to a gentleman volunteer about how long I've been driving by and mentioned that I was from Southern California. He booed me and told me to go back home. I'm just saying but he didn't look like a Pomo Indian. Just a random ass but he put a damper on my enjoyment of the day. read more

Great Father's Day weekend run. So happy to see multiple generations of families touring the mill.

My fiance were in the area and stumbled upon this place. It's a historic museum with plenty of demonstrations and very friendly, knowledgable docents. We also got lunch here - regular burgers and hot dogs but was satisfying. read more

I can't say enough about this place, except for the fact that I'm thrilled that this historic site is still around today! It's so nice to go to a historic park where people are actually doing something for a change, like a historical reenactment. This was an old sawmill from the 20th century, & there's a few of the historical buildings left to look at. The admission is free, & they have an open house one weekend a month during the summer. read more

Wow what a day ! Our visit to the historic Sturgeons Mill was fantastic... 4 times a year the old mill workers fire up the steam engines and get to milling huge redwood and cedar logs culled from donations by local arborists . The sprawling Mill located in a forested valley near Graton is fully functional and if you like history, dramatic action by giant saw blades and planes, great sounds and smells, venerable technology, vintage tools and trucks and a great lunch get over there! It's a time machine transport back to an earlier age that will enthrall anyone from 9 to 90! You can buy the finished lumber! read more

Sturgeon's Mill - Promise a fantastic journey into Marin County's past ! - Tours Near Me - Sebastopol, California

I had no expectations when a family member invited me to visit here. I am normally not at all interested in this kind of thing, but was pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had. The all-volunteer staff is so knowledgeable and humbly passionate. It's a great thing to do with a mixed crowd of age ranges and will bring out the kid in everyone. We really enjoyed everything and loved the blacksmith's shop - it's surprising how fascinating cutting up and processing trees and pounding iron can be. Our guide had a great sense of humor and enjoyed telling stories. I have a newfound respect for all of the machinery and expertise it took to work at this mill and could imagine what it was like back in the day. What a day well spent....make sure to leave a donation - totally worth it as entrance is free! read more

Go see this mill. It is incredible! The volunteers are full of some excellent and interesting information, and it is awesome to see an old-school mill in operation. It is a great time and appropriate for people of all ages. Thanks, Michael read more

Several times a year this restored 1920s-era saw mill opens to the public (free event). The beautiful forested surroundings, interesting demonstrations and tour, along with the friendly informative people made this a really enjoyable experience! read more

What a cool place! Put the cell phone down for a minute and see how things were done back in the day. (Actually cell phone reception was very poor in the area so bringing an old fashioned paper map is a good idea, especially if you are going somewhere else afterwards. Our cell phone was fading in and out on the way to Occidental, luckily just down the road, and another member of our party got lost on the way to lunch because of this.) A real live lumber mill complete with huge logs and one hundred forty year old mill engine kept running in tippy-top shape by a crew of amazing volunteers. What a labor of love! These folks love sharing their special place with visitors. All kinds of old trucks, ancient, rusty tools and equipment. Sweet little garden off to the side. Didn't eat at the cafe since we were headed to Occidental afterwards, but I noted a nice selection of inexpensive eats. Want a souvenir of your trip? Bring your pick up truck and get a freshly cut live edge board for a table. Maybe not on Mother's Day. Stick with flowers for that day. Open on special event days for the public to come and see how it's done. They also will mill lumber for you and if you happen to have a redwood log, they can put it to good use. One very important detail that I would like to see mentioned on their website... no dogs whatsoever. For good reason, the machinery is extremely loud. A dog would be frightened. read more