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.

DON'T GET SCAMMED!! READ THIS FULL REVIEW FOR ALL THE DETAILS. I really wanted to love this place…read more The fact that Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine is unsalted is what brought us here--it felt like a rare opportunity to experience an honest dig and possibly find something special. And we did. I found what appeared to be a naturally formed ruby crystal: very clear, vivid red under lighting, and visibly fluorescent--something gem-quality by any measure. Unfortunately, the excitement ended in the dark room, where we were invited to examine the stone. A staff member, Eric, took it to look more closely and never gave it back. We left empty-handed and deeply unsettled. Eric was extremely excited about the stone, literally did a little jump and said "WOW!!!" while examining it, and then the stone disappeared while he was holding it. Before we left, he said he thought one of the other miners there "swiped it," but there were no other miners working in the dark room at that time. Makes me wonder if this is business as usual when someone makes a good find--encourage them to hand it over in the dark room and then palm it. We trusted Eric at that point. He had been helping us with our questions and giving us great guidance all afternoon. We called the next morning to speak to Eric about the situation, but no one answered and after leaving a voicemail he didn't return our call. I'm sharing this not out of anger, but because others should be aware. If you visit: Keep all stones in your line of sight at all times. Examine them in daylight if possible, before entering any enclosed spaces.Politely decline if someone offers to take the stone from you to "look closer." If you make a great find but want to continue mining, put the find in a safe spot in your car and lock the car. Show it to no one. I hope this was just a misunderstanding. But it didn't feel right, and I wouldn't want anyone else--especially children or first-time rockhounds--to lose something they worked hard to find. This could still be a great experience, but only if you advocate for yourself and protect your finds. I encourage the mine to put better safeguards in place.

We've been to the other mines in the area and this one is by far our favorite…read more.... Great Experience!!! Highly Recommend!!!

We decided to mine here on our last trip it was a great experience! Staff are friendly…read moreknowledgeable and helpful! We brought back the star ruby we found and had our wedding rings made. Highly recommend!

Owner and employees are very friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. Large selection of choices…read moreas to "native" bucket sizes and well as other buckets with various gem stones.

This mine experience was great. It was indoors, lots of things to look at, and everyone was super…read morenice and knowledgeable! We bought a medium bucket and got lots of beautiful gems. We didn't get duplicates. And then for free they will cut down a gem to your picking and ship it to you if you're far. I definitely recommend this Gem mine!!

This is the place to go! Great people who know their stuff about gems. We bought the $60 buckets…read moreand wound up with lots of sapphires and rubies. Even an emerald. They even offer cutting and polishing which is cool.

This is the place to go gem mine! I've been to several gem mining places in western North Carolina,…read morebut this place is by far the best experience I've had. The people who own and operate are by far the most knowledgeable and passionate I've seen, and our buckets were loaded with gems (we got the 60 buckets). They mentioned they are a newer operation, and it's a smaller operation, but it made it that much more enjoyable to get the personalized service and their immediate excitement over the gems we are pulling out of the sieves - almost like a "boutique" experience. They took pictures for us as well! After all the gems were washed, we went to the store to get them bagged up and looked at in the UV light. They do offer cutting services, which we will likely go back and have them do on some of the more glamorized stones (rubies/emerald). We got rubies, topaz, amethyst, quartz, emerald, garnet, moss agate, moonstone, aventurine, aquamarine, and more! The store itself is stocked with all kinds of jewelry, sculptures, and other treasures. They have REAL dinosaur eggs on display! I cannot speak highly enough of the experience and the people - it was a hidden gem for sure (see what I did there)!

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 brought my 9 year old grandson in to check out stones. One of the owners was there and so very…read morehelpful. He explained the various rocks and gave my grandson an education in chemistry and geology, which was awesome! We will be returning and encourage people to bring kids in for the educational experience. Excellent customer service!!

I went to Rocks and Knots almost by accident. I was there for a different business and saw the…read morerocks in the front window. Wow! The store is full of gems and precious rocks, many mined by one of the store owners. There are hand done tie-dyes. macrame wall art, purses made by hand and a ton of other stuff. The owners are very knowledgeable and super helpful and friendly. Everything is fairly priced and they gave me an extra bit off the total because I bought a few things. Oh yeah, the rock and gem guy makes beautiful custom jewelry as well! I would definitely recommend this store for gifts for people you have a difficult time shopping for. It is probably the most unique store in Waynesville. 5 stars!

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.

Recently came here to explore some of the downtown stores in the area on my vacation. Staff here…read morewas really friendly. Found a few great items to gift as friends as well as potential stocking stuffers as well. Clean store with a variety of home goods and other unique one of a kind products you don't see anywhere else. It was a bit overpriced.

The Cottage Craftsman is an awesome find. You're welcome. ;)…read more Beautiful pieces of pottery were spread throughout the front of the store. Plates, mugs, dishes, and more. If I hadn't been flying home, I would of bought more than just the one dish. I'll be back on my next trip for more. If specialty foods are your thing, then you can also find some treats at The Cottage Craftsman. Cheeses, sauces, syrups, and more. I went home with two syrups made in North Carolina - Ginger Peach and Strawberry Lavender. After touring the Biltmore (because I had to see where Richie Rich was filmed - duh), I was regretting not snagging some wine to take home. Luckily for me, while shopping in Bryson City, I found a few different Biltmore wines at The Cottage Craftsman. I bought a few, including their Christmas at Biltmore Limited Edition to bring home. There are also handmade soaps, jewelry, and other unique items to purchase. If you want to snag some pretty awesome gifts for yourself or someone else, then step on in to The Cottage Craftsman. You'll be happy you did.