Needed a rainy day activity with the kids and Elijah Mountain is covered so that checked off the most crucial box. Good for a relatively short morning or afternoon activity, but panning for gems is fun! We got the $30 bucket and it was enough for two kids to each come home with a full ziplock bag of assorted gems. The chickens also huddled up by us which was also fun and I hear there's other animals too, which we didn't get to see since we weren't feeling the walk in the rain. Inside is a store with all sorts of rocks that are gorgeous if you're looking for a particular aesthetic or souvenir. read more

Luckily, we met Joe upon entering and he gave us the run-down. This place is fantastic. There are many things to do for couples, families, kids, groups, and, I suppose, solo. An easy drive six miles out and loads of free parking. There's even a lady walking around with her pet python snake, ready for pictures or hugs. The huge retail space is great for souvenirs and gifts. read more

My partner and I had so much fun here in August 2026! We purchased the $70 fossil bucket and spent about an hour sifting through and collecting our treasures, about 3 ziplock sandwich bags full of fossils, shells, crystals, petrified wood, and sharks teeth. All of the staff were friendly and helpful, and they assisted us in identifying a few of our finds. They also had a shop with a large selection of crystals, rocks, jewelry, megalodon teeth, and more. It seemed reasonably priced based on other rock and crystal shops I've been in. We spent probably another 45 minutes at least looking at all the items. The attached ice cream shop has a bunch of different flavors and they also sell drinks and little candies. We got rocky road flavor and orange blossom flavor and both were excellent! Overall, we had so much fun and we are definitely planning on coming back and we have already told friends about it! read more

My daughter and I had such a great time and we can't wait to do it again!!! We bought The Beast and we'll worth it. I recommend it, you definitely won't be disappointed. read more

It was just "fun"..I love the world of gem, and this place has it all! A worthwhile experience!

My boys had the best time today. First they went shopping in the unbelievable gem store with so many selections and then they each went mining and found great gems. There was indoor mining with a heater on which was much appreciated in the cold weather . The Staff was very friendly and helpful. Great pricing too! read more

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I was skeptical going to this place but its chill. They've got buckets at any price point you can imagine, packed with gems ... the store is not gigantic but packed with stones of any size and price point you can wish for ... and they have a bar with beer, wine and thc. Great find off the beaten path read more

Everything is so interesting and quaint. As you might imagine, it's rustic and laid back. The staff is friendly but not right under your nose. You can enjoy mining for gems and unwind by being a little scavenger, investigating the cool finds. read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - My beautiful amethyst geode! - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

This is a great place to spend a couple of hours. There are so many things to do here. Something for everyone. The gem mining is the best we've ever done. The owners are super nice. They have the best prices on gems and stones we have seen in a while also. And they stock some rare stones we haven't yet seen. The goats are the cutest and you can feed them too. Birds are everywhere and so friendly. Lots of chickens and peacocks and ducks, oh my!! We easily spent two hours here!! We will be back. read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - All the gems in one bucket!! It was well worth it!! - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

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This was such a great experience; even better than expected. We mined 3 large buckets between my son (9), my husband and myself. My kid LOVED it (and so did we). The place is big, has beautiful rocks, gifts, a fun obstacle course for kids, dinosaur statues, shaded tables, a bar, chickens and goats. The workers were kind and professional. Highly recommend this excursion. read more

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I can see why they were voted #4 best things to do for family fun! While I don't have any kids, I enjoyed the amount of kid-friendly and adult friendly things to do! Their inside shop has so much to look at and they have a bunch of options to choose from for gem mining bags. They even have an at-home option. I also loved the goats and birds! Their prices were more appropriate than other places I've seen like this for gems and other items in the shop. The koi pond going throughout the floor in the building was one of my favorite parts! read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

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Wonderful place! We purchased the $70 dollar bin for a chance at Amethyst and other precious stones. It was well worth it and we even got a megalodon tooth. read more

This place claims to be the largest in the state. I don't know if that is true, but we had a blast! The store has so many crystals to choose from! Some are certainly fake of course, but lots of pieces seemed pretty legit. As for the mining, we did the check-in offer and had a fun time of it as a family. You're guaranteed to get some nice gems in the bucket, and the kids really had a good time checking out all the crystals within their buckets. Worth the trip over if you're going to Asheville! read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

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This was our first visit to this establishment and our kids were incredibly excited. Just a look of their faces as they found hidden gems in the buckets and explain to each other what each was by looking at the charts was exciting to me. Then going over to the Goat Petting area as well as looking at the beautiful birds and free-range chickens was a comfortable moment to pass the time away. The staff was eager to help and did an awesome job making us feel welcome. This is definitely something we want to come back and see every year! read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

Everything is priced fairly. There's also a 60% off clearance wall. The store has lots of cool finds and the staff are so nice! We used a groupon for the gem mining and it was such a good deal. Recommend bringing your family and kids down. Kept hearing a little kid say it was the best day ever! There are also cute goats to feed in the back read more

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The GEM store is filled with great reasonable items. Gem mining was fun, the grounds are great. The big disappointment was after actually gem mining, I was expecting someone to assist with viewing our finds with us to let us know what we found. Yes, they had laminated visuals placed thorough out the mining area, but I was expecting a more personable experience. No one working that day acted like they wanted to be there. I have been gem mining for years and this is the weirdest experience I have ever had. I will try a different place in the future. read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - from 1 small bucket. - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

Great place to spend an afternoon- the staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. They have both indoor and outdoor areas to sit and gem mine. There are also other amenities to check out- goats, peacocks, crack a geode, picnic tables out back, store to browse. We have been here a few times and our son has a blast each visit! read more

We have been coming here for 10 years. The story we were told by Elijah's mother was that he had to start a business for his homeschooling program and he chose to start a gem mine on the outside area of an antique store. His business became so popular that he moved his business inside, sharing space with the store and eventually replacing it as the sole business in this location. He now occupies both inside and out and while a portion is dedicated to gem mining, a large part is dedicated to shopping gem related items like bracelets, four foot tall geodes, smooth stones, rough stones, magnets, stone jewelry, and the list could continue for ages. It is really unique and prices can be reasonable, depending on the season. But here is what you need to know, kids and even young adults will love the mining for gems. You choose your bucket size (make sure you check in for the 50% off YELP COUPON), go over to the water, grab a screen and trowel in fistfuls of dirt, then rinse and see what you have. It is normal to find rubies, emeralds, fools gold, and I think some of the larger buckets guarantee at least one geode. If the kids are careful, the process takes 20-30 minutes depending on the bucket size, but that is only the first step. The second step is taking them in bags to the counter to see what they have found, get explanations and learn some gemology. After that, everyone will want to peruse the shop as there really are interesting things to see. Some items are just a few dollars, while others like the aforementioned four foot tall Geodes, can get quite expensive. But really a fun time and a short drive from a lot of the local areas. read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - Motherload from the giant green bucket - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

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Granddaughter enjoyed feeding the goats. We took a bucket home and she loved looking for gems! So fun!

We loved it here!! Kids had a blast, and it really is worth it to go big or go home! We got the big bucket for my 3 littles and 4 adults to share and we spent a good 1.5-2hrs going through it! read more

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It has the best selection for different types of stones and a lot of pretty gems... If you get lucky you might just get yourself a Ruby and I want to add everything that you purchase from the Elijah gem mine... You won't be sorry for doing so You're going to be very excited.... But hey don't listen to me anyone else reading this needs to go as soon as possible and visit the establishment whether it's with your family or by yourself you can't go wrong. read more

We came here last weekend after we apple picked at nearby sky top orchards. wow, this place was so fun! We had a great time. There were both Groupons and 50% off Yelp check in offers available which made this a very affordable activity and we left with three sandwich bags crammed full of stones. the kids loved this place and they also have an extensive stone store and even goats and snacks. We didn't spend as long here as we could've. Super cool place well worth a visit. read more

We spent two entertaining hours at Elijah Mountain today. Our kids each mined their own bucket and found lots of nice size stones. We browsed the large crystal selection in the shop, feed the goats, and had ice cream. A great family activity if you are staying in the Asheville area. read more

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WARNING this is a crappy little tourist trap. Do not believe any B.S. about this being the largest gem mine or goat farm or #4 worldwide anything. Its all lies. What you get is 4 unhappy goats in a noninteractive pen, and three peahens in a small cage. The mine doesnt exist....its actually just a pre-filled bucket of sand in which you get to pan for predetermined treasures. The gift shop is nice,but there are larger and better ones in town. Also, if you are looking to get rid of a child or two, there is an unsupervised deathtrap playground outside. Nearest hospital is about 15 miles that-a-way, FYI. TLDR if you have very young kids who don't actually know what a mine is, and are passing by, and need to pee, by all means stop by, otherwise avoid. read more

We enjoyed being about to dig in the dirt and find some wonderful mineral specimens! They were offerings a coupon when we went so we got two different bucket options. I can't remember what they were called but the 5 gallon bucket had some amazing things in it! I loved petting the goats and walking around their store front looking at all the beautiful crystals, rocks, and gemstones! We have been to a few other places like this one since but none has compared to this one! It was our first mining experience and our favorite so far! read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - Your able to pet and feed these cute goats! - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

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I would have preferred to dig on my own in a creek, but many "gem mines" use a man-made flume and charge per bucket of dirt. There is variety, minerals from across the world, which is a plus. However, I believe Elijah Mountain predetermines what is in each pail to ensure each has a pleasing amount of items. This is great for younger folks, but for a teen like me, it takes from the discover aspect. That being said, I really did enjoy my time here. I visited twice, one on my first day of vacation and one on the last. It's a great experience for all ages. I got a sizable moss agate, a fragment of a trilobite fossil, smoky quartz (my favourite mineral), rose quartz, many low quality amethysts, three garnets, zebra jasper, and much more. I'm pleased with it. Don't expect to walk out with a mountable ruby, sapphire, or emerald, however. They are available in the dirt, but are so small it's not worth mounting. If you are interested in jewellery, head to Vessel on Main Street in Hendersonville. It's a sick shop affiliated with Elijah Mountain. You can buy fossils, rings, necklaces, stones, I bought two gorgeous stone bookends. The goats are adorable and there is a wealth of items available to purchase on-site at EM. It's a nice family business. They are knowledgeable of the minerals but I wish they were more engaging and explained further. I'd definitely go back in a year or two, if I returned to the area. For what it is, I'd rate it five stars. I'd rate my experience four stars, but that is my personal opinion. If this is what you're looking for, it's perfect. read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - Two $25 buckets got me this. - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

Fun gem mining!! You can spend hours here digging for the gems all size buckets! Beautiful peacocks, goats, and chickens as well as a kids obstacle course! Fun for the whole family! Loved it! read more

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Employees were wonderfully sweet and helpful. Gem mining was a huge success with the kiddos. We also loved exploring the property and visiting the animals. Best gem mining we've ever experienced! read more

Look, we all know that this place is a 'tourist trap' and they place the items in the various buckets. However, that doesn't stop it from being a fun activity. We got the green bucket to share and we took our time with it. It probably took us about an hour and we filled up I believe 4 sandwich bags with pretty stones. We also had a large geode in our bucket that they cracked for us. We also bought a small bag of smoothed rocks and a sparkly rock for our niece. I would definitely go back and do it again. The staff was all super friendly and informative. read more

We stopped here on our way home from Maggie Valley. We didn't have time to do the actual "mining" , but we spent a good amount of time in the shop. They had a wide selection at a wide variety of prices. This was a great stop for us and we all found a little something to purchase. We also fed the goats. It's definitely worth a stop, if you're staying in the area, or simply passing through. read more

We had an absolutely wonderful time at the gem mine. My son found a ton of gems in his bucket as well as a geode! This place is an absolute must of you're just visiting in the area, passing through, or even a local. Extremely helpful and friendly staff also helped the visit! We will definitely be making another trip back soon! Thank you guys for all the fun and memories! read more

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Big rocks, little rocks, round rocks, square rocks, and pretty rocks make for a really large retail space and gem mine that is full of... well, rocks! (Gems, I know). Anyway, we were offered a coupon from a place we were staying nearby and decided to give Elijah's a try. What fun! We got a big bucket of dirt, sat on a bench, and then found a bunch of cool stones. It was just fun to sit with one another and every few minutes turn and say, "Ooooh! Look at this one!" If you can't get a smile on your face while doing this, then there is most definitely something wrong with you. Grab a friend or bring the family and enjoy a fun little prospecting experience. The staff was friendly and willing to answer any questions we had and I'm sure would welcome your group as well. read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

Best fun for the kids and adults. You pick out a bucket of whatever size and kinds "find" their treasures. A lot of different treasures in the bucket and the kids really had fun. The adults were also amazed. We went back the next day to get a birthday present we saw the day before. Great animal farm in the backyard that our kids loved. read more

This place was so much more than we expected! For $12 our daughter got a bucket full of gems and stones to sift through. We also received a chart so she could identify her treasure. What a great learning experience. The staff was helpful and kind. There was plenty of room to social distance if that's a concern. The goats were the icing on the cake. This will definitely be a spot we recommend to others that visit the area. So pleased! read more

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this was horrible there was chickens everywhere and sand and also no place to wash my feet. my feet were covered in sand and my hotel was cleaning not to mention the building was run down. read more

Had a great time at the gem mine. We bought the $65 bucket and shared it amongst me, my wife, and son. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. They gave us all kind of insight into the gems and geodes. We would absolutely go back. Had a great time. read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine - Gems we found on our trip. - Kids Activities Near Me - Hendersonville, North Carolina

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Like so many Mamas I know, I serve as my family's unofficial one-woman entertainment committee. This is especially true when it comes to planning vacation activities. I always try to get creative, at the risk of major skepticism (read: eye rolls) from hubby. Last summer's Ghost Tour idea was met with just such a reaction. So was this year's Gem Mine concept. Luckily, I was vindicated both times. In other words, the whole family got into gem mining at this cute l'il place. So yeah... I honestly wasn't sure what to expect and since you may feel similarly, here's how it works: You begin by choosing a bucket, which is filled with grit that you need to sift through to find your gems. If you have your heart set on finding emeralds 'n rubies, they indicate outright that your chances will be MUCH higher if you go with a more expensive bucket. If memory serves, $50 is the absolute least you'd need to spend for this. Alas, we shared a $35 bucket and our most exciting find was a Green Opal, though we also found LOTS of other semi-precious stones, with Rose Quartz being the one I most vividly remember. If you're here with a bunch of kids who don't want to share, I believe the smallest bucket runs around $12 fwiw. Once you pick a bucket, they offer you the choice of 'mining' either indoors or outdoors. Said 'mining' consists of scooping some of your bucket contents onto a sifting screen that you then lower into a trough of running water that washes away the grit to reveal your finds. Sharing, between the three of us, this took 30 minutes, max. Afterward, I enjoyed browsing in the shop, while hubby and kid went to check out the Creek, where it's possible to set a spell and even bring a picnic. Was really impressed with the patience and kindness toward kids that the staff here exhibited during our visit. Really lovely to see. They will set your gems for you here, but sadly, when we inquired, there was something wrong with the equipment that they use.:( Bottom line: It can be overwhelming trying to choose a Gem Mine to visit from all the many options in the area. But it's hard to imagine going wrong with this one. read more

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This is by far one of the best gem mining places that we've been to! I like how the gemstones are mixed with dirt. Another place our kids went to earlier in the week mixed it with rocks so it was hard for the little kids to pick through and make sure they got everything. Staff was very friendly. We had four kids split the Green Giant (5 gallons). Took them about 45 mins - 1 hour to go through it. They got a lot of big gemstones and 2 geodes. Due to COVID, the staff is not going through the gems that you found, but you can ask about specific pieces if you're curious. Our kids ended up getting a few pieces polished into a necklace and stone. Starts at $50 for one and gets cheaper if you do more. They have a big gift shop that you can browse around and goats that you can see and feed. read more

Elijah Mountain Gem Mine is always among our "bucket list" of activities when visiting the Hendersonville, North Carolina, area. For the last 3 years, I've dropped my daughter Kate at Camp Ton-A-Wandah for summer camp. The first two years, we stopped at Elijah Mountain Gem Mine with her younger twin siblings and Mom. This year, Kate took a friend who was also attending camp and hitching a ride. Leaving Vero Beach, Florida, early in the morning - Hendersonville is an approximate 10-hour drive with all the construction on Interstate 26 in South Carolina. And remember - I'm travelling with two 11-year-old kids. On the road and blazing our way toward the Blue Ridge Mountains, Kate called ahead to find out what time Elijah Mountain closed and "what time do you take your last customer." After she hung up, I advised the kids "I don't think we're going to make it before they close." Arriving at Elijah Mountain Gem Mine exactly 15 minutes before closing time - which was also exactly 15 minutes after Kate was told they took their last customer - we pulled into the parking lot and ran into a staff member picking up garbage. Opening my SUV window, I quipped that "we drove here from South Florida - can you hook us up?" We were told yes - "come on in." The kids were happy and we quickly made our way inside. I was happy for Kate's friend as she doesn't have many of these personal experiences in real life. I thought she would enjoy an experience like this. Friendly and courteous staff that go out of their way to make each experience special; Joe, Jordan and Elizabeth are the staff we've encountered at Elijah Mountain Gem Mine. And it seems like we always run into Joe - he must be in charge as we run into him each summer we visit. A wonderful array of stones and rocks that have been previously mined, it's all about the personal "mining" experience at Elijah Mountain. We always order the "Green Giant" which is a 5-gallon bucket of mine dirt with extra fossils, geode, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Using an online coupon saves about 20 percent over the already posted specials. On this particular visit, Kate and her friend moved to the mining area to mine their bucket. Calcite, lepidolite, emeralds, sapphire, amethyst, jasper, sodalite and a bunch of other "special stuff" that I cannot even remember were among their "find." Kate's friend even mined a geode which was later cut to reveal its inner beauty. I told the kids to "hurry up" a few times while Joe told them to take their time - no rush. All told, they spent about 40 minutes mining, which was about 30 minutes after posted closing. While they were mining, I snapped a few photos, walked the store and spoke with Joe and Jordan. Elijah Mountain Gem Mine is a must stop place on your "bucket list" when visiting the Hendersonville area. We've visited on exactly three occasions and each visit was a 5-star experience. Keep up the good work! Bill Lewis, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. read more

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Amazing fun! At first I was unsure and then the place just made me feel like a big kid!