What a fun day! We drove in for my 10-year old's birthday. The creeking and sluicing were perfect to feed our son's rock-hounding interests. We read online that the creek was salted, as are the buckets. That's was fine---definitely made it a fun treasure hunt---more work than Easter eggs and more excitement when fun specimens were found. It is like having a stocked lake for fishing. No rubies in our five $5 buckets nor in our $25 "emerald and aquamarine bucket". But we found many emeralds, a sapphire, tons of agates and Jasper. Oddly, no aquamarines... Also found amethyst, sodalite, fluorine, mica, a single citrine and lots of smoky and rose quartz. A couple of moonstones, a turquoise, a couple of tiger eyes, and malachite....lots of things that are definitely not native to NC, but still lots of fun to find. :+) Probably nothing to make jewelry from, but plenty to polish in our rock polisher at home. Sluicing was probably more rewarding than the creeking. We likely went too far downstream to find the "salt". Most of what we found were river quartz, but my oldest found a few small emeralds in the creek, too. Probably should have sluiced first to know what it was we were looking for (the display case showing examples of the rocks was pretty dusty and hard to view...and was not near the creek) and we'd have come out with a bit more. Lots of picnic tables, port-o-potties and a couple regular toilets in rooms large enough to change out of muddy clothes if needed, too. Hand washing stations, lots of shade... and the creek was great for staying nice and cool. We could have hung out there all day playing in the water and picnicking. The kids were in quick-dry shorts, but they probably ought to have just worn their swim trunks. No metal tools in the creek area. That would've been nice to have on their website, which stated you could bring your own tools. We hauled some hand shovels in our car on a 7 hour drive, only to find we couldn't use them. Boo! They ran out of creek sluice boxes to rent...customers stood in line waiting for peeps to come up from the creek to snag a creeking box. The ones we ended up with had multiple holes in the screens. The plastic hand spades we were provided with the sluice boxes were worn down so that only and inch and a half or so remained past the handle. The green spades were particularly nubby. Regardless, they worked, but my knuckles got a bit scraped up in the creek as those spades didn't dig very far before your handle was also in the sand. All the staff were friendly and helpful. When we were waiting for spots on the sluiceway to open up, Trey helped us ID what we'd found in the creek. Todd and others working the sluiceway kept walking up and down helping to identify specimens, staying really enthusiastic about our finds every time, and keeping the kids excited and working hard to look things over carefully. Our birthday boy proclaimed this the best birthday surprise ever because he has always wanted to do this. Wonderful family memory for us...and glad we made a special trip out for this. My eldest thought the creeking was the most fun and rewarding. While my youngest thought the sluiceway was more fun---but he enjoyed playing in the creek. Would've been 5 stars if the spades and rentable sluice screens were in better shape. Next time, we will plan a bit better and bring our own plastic tools to make things easier. read more

I loved this place it was so cool! Lilly A was amazing. She knows how to talk to people and is very helpful. Just very kind overall :)

What a great place to go! Read the website info, to feel prepared (mining fee, buckets to sluice, creeking, or going to the mining area, what to bring, etc). I have been to Emerald Hollow Mine many times now. The staff is amazingly helpful, friendly, and informative. If you find a stone you really like, there is a master lapidarist (and several others as they were taught them), on site to make custom jewelry, cabuchons, faceted stones, or even confirm stone wights for you, on premises. Prices are amazingly fair and trust me well worth the long wait - they are well known. Go to EMH. It is alot of fun. I enjoy each and every time I go! read more

I drove over an hour to go to this gem mining spot with my kids. The kids were super excited. I paid almost $40 for them to go down to the creek. A flash thunderstorm came and we were told my staff that we would be forced to evacuate the area and told it was dangerous to stayWe drove an hour back home and did no gem mining whatsoever. I called the next day and asked if we could come back and receive credit. They staff was extremely rude and told me no. That I should waited out the dangerous thunderstorm with minor children not in the car for over an hour. I will never return and advised all my friends and family to never attend this activity. I would highly recommend finding somewhere else to take your children. This was the worst experience that we have ever had read more

We just got back from vacation and this was a plan stop for us. My grandson is into rocks and couldn't wait. It was raining and everything was slick and it was cold. I was surprised at how much it cost -- that was a big surprise to me but it's vacation. We went to the dig site first. It was a lot of fun digging and finding what they told us to look for and digging and finding a nice spot to dig and getting gems. We also went to the creak, it was cold but fun. Angel was very full and made my grandsons day. Showing us what to look for and helping him find gems. We enjoyed the day and since we have a better ideal of things we would go again. read more

Great fun today at Emerald Hollow Mine. Definitely need to GPS directions to find it. Might want to do prior and save, cell service seems to be spotty. The guys there are very knowledgeable, helping to identify what you bring out of the mountain or stream. Reasonable price for a fun adventure as you are passing through NC. I bought some cheap waders at Walmart, came in handy as the clay earth was very soft and slippery and the stream was cold. read more

If you are anywhere in the area with some free time, THIS IS A NOT TO MISS. And its great if you have friends visiting from out of town and want something to do. I saw it profiled on the Travel Channel and went to the web site. I was thrilled to see it was right nearby where my parents just moved to, and when I asked them about it, they had already been. The next time I was down there, we headed right over. It was so much fun for the 3 of us the Friday afternoon we went, that my mom and I headed back over the next morning bright and early. On the first day we did creeking ($8 fee that includes a screen to use - think panning for gold, but instead of a pan you have a screen and are looking for gems). You get incredibly wet and a little muddy/sandy (it dries and brushes off quick) so dress appropriately. I didn't find anything really special in the creek but my parents found 2 emeralds: one about the size of a hazelnut and an enormous one the size of a small walnut. Then we headed back up the hill and tried the sluice. Mostly we did the $2 buckets of dirt and found lots of various stones - sodilite, amethyst, bloodstone, topaz, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, garnets, quartz, etc... I did 1 $10 bucket and only difference was I found more stones and a few larger ones. Mom and I only sluiced the next day. You can also go "dig & sluice" your own for a fee of $15. But that is a huge amount of work and much more fun to use the buckets they fill with a backhoe. They have buckets from $2 to $100. The $50 & $100 buckets are "seeded" with hunks of crystals. And you can choose a bucket (I think for $40 that comes from an area more rich in rubies & emeralds). For your $5 sluice fee you get a screen and 1 of the $2 buckets. You will get a bit wet and dirty even at the sluice so be sure to dress accordingly and have something handy to protect your car seats if you need. We just did the normal buckets. I don't remember what mom did (probably about 8 of the $2 buckets in 2 days), but I do know what I did: 6 $2 buckets and 4 of the $10 buckets. For my efforts I came home with over 60 rubies/sapphires/emeralds and a quart-sized bag FILLED with amethyst, bloodstone, sodilite, quartz, topaz, garnets, citrine, and a variety of other semi-precious stones. I can't recommend this enough. Great place to take kids of all ages - young and just young at heart. Don't worry if you don't know the first thing about stones - the staff is very attentive and will help you sort through your finds. There is also a lapidary on site to "cut & shape" anything worthwhile for you (for a fee) but when we were there it appeared that the options for cutting were limited. Get there early so you can park in the close lot and get seats at the top of the sluice if you can. read more

I've been wanting to go mining for crystals and gems for a few years now and this past weekend my husband surprised me with a visit to Emerald Hollow Mine. I was excited from the minute I found out!!! I expected to have fun, but not only was it fun, it was the best day I've had in eons!!! Mining in the creek was really addictive, I mind relaxed and found a sense of peace while on the search for priceless treasures!! Then there was the incredibly sweet and helpful staff, I was impressed by a staff member named Jay!! Not only was he eager to help, but I felt he went above and beyond helpful. I watched this young man while I cleaned my pans, he was great with individuals who were alone, funny with couples and awesome with families!! I watched as he made a very young girl feel super special right before she left by helping her find a special surprise in a pile of dirt someone had just left behind. She left with a beautiful crystal and a wonderful memory!!! I can't wait to go back!! Lisa Staiger read more

My fiance and I had a lot of fun here. If you live within an hour or so and are looking for something fun to do, this is a great unique activity for any age. In the $5/bucket sluicing, we each found a tiny emerald, garnet, and amethyst, and he found a ruby as well. We went into the gemcutting shop and the girl there patiently and cheerfully identified our nicer gems. I don't know what it's like at other mines, but to me entertainment and gemstones is well worth $5/person. Next time we'll try the creek! read more

Emerald Hollow Mine - Rock guide - Jewelry Near Me - Hiddenite, North Carolina

Super fun for families but SO expensive. Because we had limited time, we decided to do the buckets and priced them before we got there. However, we weren't aware of the permits. These have to be purchased whether you dig in the creek or in in the buckets. Four people and 2 small buckets was over $50. It was a neat activity but just more expensive than it should have been in my opinion. read more

Our 10 year old has had a growing interest in rocks for a couple years now and we decided it would be in his best interest for us to continue to foster this desire to learn. While we showed up with a very minimal background in geology, we also didn't show up totally unprepared. I made sure to give myself a little crash course and also made sure to do my research (the good and the bad) about the location we were heading to. A lot of rockhounds complained about the buckets and creek being salted or seeded (which just means items were planted in there...some of which not native to that area). I could see how that would upset some people. I was grateful for it, and to be fair, what we found in the creek was all native to the area, and therefore didn't give the appearance of being obviously seeded to us. They were also very upfront about the difference between "native" and "enriched" buckets (if you want to skip the dig site, or buy buckets in addition to it). While we were there to learn - I also wanted my son to go home with more than just quartz and some small emeralds so we bought a couple of enriched buckets. They have plenty of price ranges to choose from. We spent $40 on 2 buckets ($15 super bucket and $25 emerald/aquamarine bucket) and from them came home with 3 sandwich bags full of specimens for his collections. We didn't get super lucky in the dig site, mostly coming back with quartz - but again, we were here for a learning experience, so a lot of our time at the dig site was spent looking at the types of rocks and discussing which areas would be good to dig in and why, following small veins and just really getting a hands on experience to put previous knowledge of rocks and gems to work out in the field. After having him put a handful back, we came home with lots of quartz/smoky quartz, some tourmaline, and some super small emerald. After a long day of digging and walking up and down the creek my son loved just sitting down with a bucket of dirt and sluicing it, but he said overall his favorite part was being out in the dig site. A couple things about this gem mine in particular: 1.) Some people complained about the bathrooms-I have zero complaints. Yeah, they're kind of out-housey, but they have real floors, electricity, a toilet that flushes, a sink outside with running water...Idk what those people were expecting - you're out in the country at a gem mine! 2.) Bring lunch and bottled water-some people complain about the vending machines, but we have gone to a gem mine closer to home and they didn't offer vending at all, so I had already planned on coming with our own provisions. We also knew that we were spending an entire day there and were going to need more than what vending machines offer. 3.) Some poor reviews discuss being misled as to the experience they were going to have there. Whether you're experienced at dig sites and know exactly what to look for and where to dig, or if you go to a mine where they take truck loads of dirt from the mine and dump it out into a general area for guests to sift through, or you're heading into an actual mine: it's all hard work. Yes, it's about a half mile from the sluice to the dig site. No, it's not a long or treacherous hike for most...until you're hauling back a 5 gallon bucket full of wet red clay/rocks. Common sense told us we didn't want any part of that, so every half bucket we would go to the sluice and took turns leaving a parent at the dig site so we didn't have to take our tools with us. 4.) Maybe the website has changed over the last year or so. but we spent about 4 weeks total over the course of the last 4 months researching not only this mine in particular but also the geology of the area in general. At no point was I led to believe that we were going to find tons of hiddenite. I was never led to believe that it was easy work, that everything I was going to find was native to the land (at least in regards to the creek and buckets) and that was fine. But, it wasn't a fabricated experience. I was given the upfront knowledge and allowed to make my own decision. Could we have left with a few bags of quartz and still have a kid who enjoyed his trip and learned things all while saving a few bucks? Sure. I chose to purchase enriched buckets. I wasn't being misled at all. 5.] You can rent their tools or bring your own. Metal is not allowed at the creek. It says that on their website. We wanted to save some money on our trip, so we brought our own tools. A 5 gallon bucket, hand shovel, full size shovel, rock hammer, and a spray bottled with water (to work through some of the clay on rocks at the dig site to make sure we were on the right track) worked well for us. for the creek I went to the dollar tree and picked up little sand toys; it was a plastic shovel and a plastic tray with small holes-worked awesome! 6.) Taj and Tray were awesome hosts! Super friendly, lots of knowledge and great with kids! read more

Fun place to go to do something different! The place has aged very well and the staff is very nice and knowledgeable. The last time I went, I took family who was visiting from another state and they enjoyed themselves greatly. read more

Such a great experience! What we loved was that anyone, no matter their skill level when it comes to geology and mining activities, could enjoy themselves. Staff were extremely helpful, and were genuine in their consideration and efforts to educate us on what each rock was, quality and pretty much answer any/all questions we had. They were friendly, attentive, knowledgeable and readily available to assist. They exceeded our expectations and made the experience that much better. We purchased some buckets, and did creeking. The buckets were fun because they guaranteed some special finds, which was exciting to sluice through. We loved creeking! We found a lot of native gems in the creek. Definitely recommend doing both! I would recommend emerald hollow mine to anyone looking for a unique, hands on, memorable experience for themselves and/or their entire family! read more

It was one of the most unique places to find gems they are so beautiful Worth my money I highly recommended it.

Great place always a good time make sure to check weather before you go but don't let a little rain scare you! Wait Out the storm and come back ! Found tons of great gems in the creek! read more

Rockhounders- STAY AWAY. They salt the creek with poor quality specimens that are not remotely indigenous to the area. Expensive prices, and dismissive staff. Tourist family attraction- expensive but sure take the kids to easily find bright colored rocks and make the kiddos feel like experts. As a local rockhounder I was appalled and severely disappointed. I have been to many digging sites, flumes, mines, etc all around WNC --including an emerald mine where *gasp* I actually found emerald and local specimens. The staff was dismissive and so unhelpful-giving poor advice a new rockhounder would have listened to. They didn't even have any emerald in matrix or quartz points found there for people to see what to look for. For $60 we had "full" access to the digging area, creek and sluice. Full is in quotations because the digging area was roped off in many areas with the threat of losing your permit. It seemed to me they roped off areas where people found something so they could dig there themselves as there were many dangerous holes that had not been roped off. After digging for awhile and not finding anything even hinting at emerald or anything of value, we carried our bucket back to the sluice (that we had to pay $10 each to access) and found nothing. We were not yet disappointed because our hearts had not been into digging that day. We headed down to the creek where we were greeted with a muddy creek bottom very recently littered in low quality fluming material- mostly amazonite and adventurine (aka lots of greenish rocks). Also found jasper and sodalite. The least they could do if doing it so obviously is throw in some cheap crystal points or hell there are cheap Colombian emeralds too. I would much rather go to a legitimate dig site where access is not so restricted, prices are reasonable and you can actually find quality local specimen (those places are out there and there's one nearby too just do some googling). Will return to hiddenite- you couldn't pay me to return to Emerald Hollow. read more

We went with the full intention of digging out emeralds, they won't let you dig where you can actually find some. The place they really come from is off limits. Your best bet is to have some fun in the creek and know thats all its going to be is fun. Wear crappy clothes and bring a change of clothes with you, your car will thank you for it. Also the best thing you can wear is aqua shoes in the creek. The buckets are fun to sift thru, great for little ones. read more

Where to begin on this place. It is one of my favorite things to do in North Carolina. When you arrive you go down a dirt / gravel path until you get to the bottom where the mining operation is. When you get there you have 2 choices; either go to the creek or buy a bucket and pan it up top. I like to do both. The creek is a lot of fun and you can rent the kits when you come in. There is just something fun about digging under rocks and pulling out sand and then shaking it through the water to revel your treasures that is so fun. I would say to buy a bucket up top as well as it just adds to the experience and gives you some good stones to take home. This place is so much fun and if you are passing through make sure to stop and add memories you soon won't forget! read more

This place is great if you have small children that love the adventure of a treasure hunt! We traveled from OH to visit this place over spring break and we had a blast. My two boys loved the sluicing from the various buckets. They do offer "Enriched or Salted" buckets from other parts of the world and they offer emerald buckets mined from their property. We went for two days and spent about $200, which I thought was very reasonable, compared to what we'd spend at a theme park or another event. We did everything they had to offer. Dug in the ground, sluiced and hunted in the creek. It was hours of fun! The real treasure to be found here is not in the ground; it's the memories you'll create with your family and to me that's priceless. Recommendations: If you plan on digging, bring a wheel barrel. Take a bucket with water, so you can clean off rocks at the dig site. Bring sandals or water boots if you plan on doing the creek. read more

Worst experience of gym mining I have encountered. I got 2, 5 lb buckets and only found around 10 gems. Very disappointing. 10/10 would never recommend this place to anyone else. read more

We are avid rock and gem hunters and after hearing about the $50,000. 5.5 ct. Emerald found in Hiddenite in 2012, we were intrigued to rock here. We enjoyed it so much we are going back Tomarrow. We also sliced a $100 bucket between the two of us and got way more worth that in great gems and rocks to make jewelry with. They are dog friendly too, as long as they are on a leash. read more

Really fun place to visit, and highly addictive!! Having our wedding rings made at the lapidary on-site with some of our finds, great people and atmosphere all around! Can't wait to see our finished product. Lots of great memories here!! read more

Went with my mother and sister for Mother's Day and had a pretty good time. Others are definitely right about clothing: wear something you can change out of and probably bring some wet wipes to scrub down with since the clay sort of smells and gets on everything. read more

We are in Concord on vacation and visited the mine yesterday. The employees that greeted us were nice and helpful. There is a sign posted that explains the different buckets/prices and what you'll find in them. No one pushed "buying" anything upon us; they were very cool. We bought a permit and received three buckets (one for each of us) for sluicing and we were pleased with our findings and the experience as thunder was in the distance which just added to the fun! Being from Chicago we heard the music of birds we had never heard before which added to the mystique. I must encourage you to wear appropriate clothing as you will get dirty and comfortable shoes is a must! Don't expect frills and fancy as this is a mine, a working mining camp if you will with old bathroom facilities and you know, when you gotta go you gotta go! Enjoy! read more

There's gold in them there hills.... or at least maybe some gems. Went here with the kids and fam while visiting Charlotte, NC. It was raining the day we went, which with the clay \ mud combo made for a disaster. One word of advise is to dress in clothes which you will have no issues with disposing of after you have visited here. We opted to pay for the bucket of gems and wash them off in the trough with water. It kept the kids amused for a couple of hours so it was definitely worth the cost of admission. read more

If you go there, I would not suggest digging. It is very misleading how they promote it. the area is picked over and they periodically bulldoze the holes back in (we dug deep and found leaves). it is very hard to find a vein and you need geology experience to be successful. They only give you shovels which limit your ability on how deep you can go. if you do find a vein, it is impossible to dig it out. Instead, the owners quarantine the area and they dig it all out making the profit twice off your work. If you do go there, I suggest getting a large bucket for $250. At least there will be some precious gems. I have gone to other mines and had more to show that cost less. read more

Took my daughter who loves rocks and gems. She had a blast doing the sluicing, cleaning the gems and a few rocks, then telling me what most of them were. The workers there were very helpful. You didn't know what something was but it was pretty they were always there to help. They even, if you asked, would look over the ones you left and tell you if any of them should be kept because they weren't found often. We had a blast. read more

Seeded dig site, hugely overpriced for cheap crushed minerals defiantly a waste of cash and the trip $60 to play in the dirt and a confined roped off area, plus charged for ever bell and whistle of the mining experience, payed over $150 just to rent some buckets, save the money go elsewhere this place buys bulk minerals online and seeds the streams as well, been mining in over 18+ states and this by far is the worst place to mine, don't believe me read the reviews anywhere else and you will see I'm not the only one who agrees read more

I too have been to the Emerald Hollow mine. It is a long drive and you can get VERY dirty with staining clay so wear gardening clothes (those you don't plan to wear again regularly). I advise that you bring rubber kitchen gloves or latex surigical gloves and your own trowel and towel. Bring drinking water and some large containers (gallon freezer bags or 1 quart plastic jars work best) to take back your finds. Don't waste too much money on buckets above $10 at the sluice unless you bring your kids. They will get a kick out of the bigger, shinier samples found in the higher priced buckets. DO bring a few bucks for the rock stand there. They have some nice pieces for sale at a reasonable price. I'm always amazed that folks enjoy creeking so much. That water is cold! Having said that though, I found my best pieces in the creek. Emeralds can be found there but are mostly very rough, low grade pieces. But the Tourmoline pieces that I pulled from the creek are exquisite. If you go there, take home EVERYTHING that even remotely looks like it could have a crystal. After sorting out my gem and crystal finds, I stored the left-over 'garbage' in jars on my shelf. I found the jars a year later so I soaked the 'junk' over night in Coca Cola (forget the nay-sayers, it works), rinsed them, scrubbed them with a toothbrush soaked in peroxide, and rinsed them again. I quickly found that my best specimines had been sitting in these jars on the shelf disguised as mud balls and pebbles. Just a little more processing of my reject pile turned up my true treasures. What you bring home is usually rough but that doen't mean it has no value other than collecting. One piece that I found (watermelon Tourmoline with an embedded double-terminated black Tourmoline crystal) fetched a decent price on ebay. So, go have a great time. Then come home and have a great treasure hunt there cleaning up your discards. You'll be glad you did. As for the mine, I'm going back again this spring. read more

Great place, nice people, knowledgeable. I imagine they get busy...go in the morning during the week. You will get dirty.

Its a good introduction the gem mining but its not as legit as they'd have you believe. Looks like they fill the creek from time to time with non-native gems. They give you the option (at a good price) to mine for yourself. They have the pre-dug $10 buckets but you can also dig and sluice or dig, creek and sluice or just creeking. Its fun if you want to see if your 8 yr old has a real interest in getting dirty and wet and sweaty to look for rocks and minerals. read more

We bought the $250 bucket and split it 5 ways. It was sooooo much fun!!!! The staff was very informative and helpful! I would highly recommend. read more

My wife and I visited the mine on Tuesday. Prices were reasonable, and everything was decidedly low tech, though the plain air approach to things was somewhat refreshing. The staff were super friendly, as were some of the other visitors. The had a charming little gift shop with many types of rocks, mostly uncut, with a few tumbled. Their main trade is in cash (the rental prices are all in cash) They had a section with vending machines, but we brought our own refreshments. The facilities are in one section, and are the outhouse variety. They have a gem cutter onsite, but we didn't visit him. There are three main activities one may do: Digging - $18 total (includes all activities) plus $10 deposit (get $8 back when you return the equipment). Having tried this, I would personally not advise going with this activity, unless you know your geology. You get a long handled shovel, and 5 Gallon bucket and given some simple instructions to get to the start of the dig sites. It's about 400 - 600 yards from the main area which seemed pretty close....with an empty bucket and high spirits. Once in the area, you have your choice of spots. It seems ideal for you to be able to dig up "the big one", but there are no staff in that section that I could see, so you're really on your own. I approached a fellow that looked quite minerly (read he had a pickaxe and miner hat, suspenders, and dirt from head to foot), and he muttered that he has been in the area quite some time, but was pretty vague about advice. My thought - go really deep into the brush, and find an unclaimed spot, so I walked another 1/2 to 3/4 miles. Once there I began to dig through the clay soil. My initial approach was to sift through the dirt and just put in rocks (both large and small), but after spending a laborious half hour without filling even the bottom, I gave that plan up. I settled for filling with loose dirt..... great plan, except for the walk back ;-). A very tired, dirty, sweaty, exhaustive mess later, and I'm back to the general area. As I'm turning my shovel back in, 2 or three equally tired, dirty, sweaty, exhaustive gentlemen said that they found 1 small stone in the 3 buckets they had brought back, and wished me luck. Creek walking - $13 (includes sluicing) - $5 equipment rental, $4 back when you return the equipment. Get to walk about the creek bed. Didn't do this, as I was drained by my "mining" efforts. Talked to a couple of people that said they had some success on some smaller stones. Sluicing - $5 - The main event. They have three sets of benches in behind covered water tables with box sieves. You get a complimentary bucket filled with dirt (1 Gallon) and potential for gems. My big chances from mining? Nothing ;-). My wife and I got started on the compliemntary buckets. We were rewarded with few pieces of jade, and quartz, and other smaller stones!! Very much encouraged, we had the option to buy extra buckets: $2 - The complimentary bucket $5 - Ruby's and Sapphires $10 - Super Bucket and up through $100 Gem Cutter special. The wife and I spent an extra $24 (2 complimentary, 2 Ruby, 1 Super bucket), and had a tremendous amount of luck! We had an excellent time sifting through sand, getting really muddy, and finding pretty rocks. Many various gems, which we're still trying to identify, but a ruby the size of a large olive pit!! A very friendly retired couple from Michigan were beside us, and were rock hounds. They had a bit more disposable income than we, and were finding more success than we were with the $50 buckets. As we're chatting and splashing around, the Gentleman found a ruby almost the size of a golf ball!! All in all, I would absolutely recommend this activity for all ages. We will be going back, but now that I've had my "experience" as a miner, I'm good to go. We will definitely bring more cash, they obviously want you to spend more money and there are more gems in the higher priced buckets. From our observations the best value for money spent was the $50 buckets but we were happy with the gems we brought back. Well worth the trip for a unique experience!! read more

I grew up around the creek. We use to ride dirt bikes all over there and through the mines before all the big finds and popularity. My family and friends would fish and hunt. Swimming in the creek use to be great when more water was coming through. There's a real cool waterfall around there. But, here's my complaint about the mines. It's messed up the natural habitat and the creek itself. Hardly any fish in the creek. Use to be nice sized fish in the creek. I thought many years ago about testing and shutting that place down. The money Jamie Hill has made can't reverse the damage. And the dirt bags you buy consist of dirt imported from South America years ago. I could go on more. read more

The staff here were all very helpful and very eager to talk about mineralogy and geology. They were happy to advise us how to mine here and then left us go be out on their land by ourselves. My brother and I are rockhounds and amateur miners. We have been to about 10 legit mines in the last 8 years. Every mine you go to is different. Some let you pick stuff up off the ground, others you get to beat up rocks. This mine has 5 acres of land you can dig in with a shovel or use hand tools to find your pocket or vein. We picked a spot and stuck to it. Eventually we found a vein and had it confirmed by one of the staff experts as a good spot. After 3 days working in that spot, we sifted what we could in the sluice and took the rest home. We left with 3 buckets of good material to search through at home. While mining, we noticed a few people digging one bucket from the surface and going to sift just that. You have to put more work in than that to find something as rare as an emerald or hiddenite. Even though in the end, we didn't find a rare mineral, we still felt successful in just finding the vein. We feel confident going back to mine again because of that conformation and experience. read more