Been there multiple times. Owners are great folks. The experience is real. Whatever you find you…read moredug yourself. Take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. I was there during one of them and what was stated is bs!!!! You are going to get dirty and have to work for what you find, but you will find some amazing material and lasting memories.

Scam Alert -- Avoid at All Costs…read more My family arrived at Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine at 3pm and immediately realized we had made a mistake. We were charged $30 per person just to stand on the property, plus a 10% credit card fee. Moments after taking our payment, the only employee on site, Zach, announced he was leaving for the day and that we could "stay on his property." No staff. No guidance. Nothing. When I politely asked how we were supposed to identify any gems without an employee present, he became agitated and hostile. I asked for a refund since we had just arrived and no services had been provided. That's when things escalated--Zach began yelling and got in my face aggressively. We immediately returned to our car and left. The property itself is nothing but piles of rocks. No buckets or tools are provided -- you're expected to scavenge everything yourself. Bags cost $20 each unless you post a positive review on the spot, and they charge another $75 just to evaluate anything you might find. It's pure extortion. I have since filed a police report and am actively working to recover the $165 we were charged for absolutely nothing. Please sort reviews by "lowest" before visiting--many people describe similar experiences. This place feels unsafe, unprofessional, and predatory. Stay far away.

This place was such a hidden gem! (Get it?). Family owned and ran, they were so friendly and…read moreknowledgeable about each stone we found. Sam even took the time to separate all the valuable stones from the rest and had them bagged and ready for us. Lots of options to fit into any price range. Definitely recommended!!!

The workers were super knowledgeable and kind. We loved hearing his stories as we sifted through…read moreour buckets. We got two buckets for twelve dollars each and we are taking home a bunch of goodies!

Very fun experience for our 2 little boys. The goats and bunnies are very friendly! My son did the…read moremining and scored some really cool gems and fossils! Will be back someday to do the kayaking!

beautiful place with very nice people. i got so many gems for only $50!!! So much fun!! woman…read moreworking was very informative and showed me what each and every stone was. i WILL be back.

The wife and I have been going to Duke's for over 20 years. They taught me how to pan, they wife…read morehow to find that beautiful gem stone, and it has been worth it. It all started as fun and still is. Watching others that come in and helping them learn and have a lot of fun while doing so brings a smile to my face. No you won't get rich but some of the gold over that I got when it was less than $1k is now worth much more and locked in a safe. I bring bags home to pan over time. Go and have fun a watch the little ones faces light up when finding that first piece of gold or a nice piece of gem stone.

Dukes Creek Mines is well worth the price!!!! We did the large Gem bucket white tier and split it…read morebetween the two kids. They both got an amazing amount of rocks and gems. The man working that day was so amazing to our family and let our kids crack open two Geodes!!!! Dukes is located right outside of Helen and Clarksville and absolutely worth visiting!!!!

A real gem of a store! The front half has items for sale but the real prize is the owner's…read morecollection of rocks, gems, minerals, etc located in the back half of the store - it rivals even the Smithsonian in variety and size! And it's free to view! As a rock enthusiast I easily spent an hour just wandering the collection and store, definitely recommend stopping in.

What an amazing place! I had a couple of links taken out of a gifted watch and they are very…read morepleasant to deal with and removed links while we toured the shop. Amazing merchandise and a gem museum is in the store which in an of itself was amazing. Highly recommend!!

I was skeptical going to this place but its chill. They've got buckets at any price point you can…read moreimagine, 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

My boys had the best time today. First they went shopping in the unbelievable gem store with so…read moremany 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!

What a total gem of a shop! Everyone here was awesome, happy to answer any questions you might…read morehave. They have gorgeous displays and lots of different gemstones to peruse. The even have a small museum of things I got their mystery eggs and loved what it sas packed full of! All the gemstone glitte.

Shhh.. don't tell anyone. There isn't going to be a 10 carat ruby/sapphire/diamond hidden in that…read morebucket of dirt. But nothing is more fun than watching little kids try so hard to find one, especially in a place with all the COVID precautions needed to keep everyone safe. We had a fantastic time at Crystal Mountain. The "mine" is well set up with all sorts of crystals and stones on display and available for purchase. On the right side of the shop is a sluice that runs roughly 30 feet. If you head into the back of the mine, you will see fossils and other unusual finds. After walking around a bit, we decided to go with the green bucket to split between our two girls and used an online coupon to save a few bucks on it. The green bucket comes with all those little extras, including a geode, that kids find so important. The very kind and well informed owner/manager of Crystal Mine carried our bucket to the sluice and showed our girls how to find those special stones. He gave us several bags to hold their treasures and then left us to 'mine' for gems. Our girls cried out over every little find. They especially loved anything quartz. The owner came to check on us and showed the girls how to tell what kinds of gems they were finding. We filled up four bags with various kinds of stones including a huge geode. Once the bucket was empty, our girls looked over the store and the owner helped them make their own necklaces. We appreciated how mindful he was of expense. Each one cost just $6 when all was said and done and yet he made our girls feel as if they were wearing Cartier. The best moment came when he cracked their geode. In an unexpected bit of good luck in rotten 2020, the big geode turned out to be two geodes. Each one cracked to reveal a cavern of crystals and our girls were simply thrilled. The owner wrapped each one in paper so they could take their geodes home. Our kids had such a good time in this gem mine. It filled them with wonder, something I want for them every day. Much of the credit goes to the owner/manager. He made every moment into an experience... even if we didn't find that 10 carat sapphire.

We've been to the area year prior and can say that this place is by far our favorite to gem mine…read more My kid's had a great time as two opted to dig sift through theirs and my youngest opted for salted. Highly recommend + the young man there was really nice and shared a smidgen of history on how his family came to own the land. We will be back, one day!

One of the best experiences my boyfriend and I had what an adventure family owned business third…read moregeneration coming on absolutely fantastic personable outgoing Hands-On find exciting beautiful stones gems to my precious precious teaching learning experience Ginger and Tom and Kate and everybody awesome treated you as family rather than customers would recommend this to anybody you have to try their male bucket service grandkids had a blast finding gems

Stopped by this little gem of a place on the way back from Asheville. It was one of many gem…read morestores, but this one caught my eye and had quick access on and off the highway. The selection is diverse and interesting. The gentleman behind the counter was friendly and answered several of my questions without hesitation. He seemed to have been at this for a long time! The prices are fair for what you get. They have an interesting mix of crystals and cut stones. I could have spent a lot more than I did. It's not too close to me, but if I was ever driving that way back to Asheville I would definitely stop again.

Jay and Irene are knowledgeable and willing to find a way to help you. Ring sizing is a must for…read moresomeone with huge fingers like me... and these guys can make it happen. Definitely recommended.