Had loads of fun with family vacation! Wish gems were bigger but can only blame that on nature.

Very tucked away little spot, but it was cute and we had fun! My son loved the sweet little cat that came to greet us. We found some nice gems and we had a great time. read more

We had such a blast at the Old cardinal gem mine!!! Definitely a hidden gem in beautiful Franklin Nc Darcel made it such a memorable trip for us we will definitely be back soon read more

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She was soooo kind. She helped us and told us which each stone was and was so nice to my friend and made her feel so special on her bday. She made sure she learned our names and helped us with the buckets and rinsing. Super knowledgeable and personable. such a fun experience for my friends birthday! read more

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Best place I've ever been !!!! The staff is very helpful and kind. It's a little hole in the wall so it's one of a kind . Darcel was great help and knew exactly what she was talking about. We ended up purchasing some jewelry to be made out of a few of our treasures and are so excited for them to come in!!!! So if your ever in Franklin nvm and want something fun to do with the kids stop by old cardinal to make magical memories that will last a life time read more

Had the best time at Old Cardinal Gem Mine today!! So many great finds!! Sapphires, Rubies, Amethysts, and Moonstones And even a shark's tooth. Old Cardinal is our favorite Gem Mine in Franklin. They never disappoint!! read more

Old Cardinal Gem Mine - Finding Fabulous Gems at Old Cardinal Gem Mine. - Tours Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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I took my 8 year old daughter to Old Cardinal. I'm so glad we picked this spot over all the others. My daughter found so many colorful gems and we had a lovely time meeting and chatting it up with the owner, Marcelle. She's lovely and very knowledgeable. We will be back!!! read more

This place is awesome and the owner is fantastic. Thank you for making our vacation memorable!

This place was off the main road and I wasn't sure we had made the right decision as we turned down some narrow winding roads. We passed up so many places along the way. So glad we did! The owners were sweet and helpful. My girls shared a $50 enriched bucket and we were entertained and pleased with our finds. They also had contemporary Christian music playing which I really enjoyed as we mined for our gems. read more

Old Cardinal Gem Mine - Tours Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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Don't let the appearance fool you - it's a "gem"! Super nice people, lots of space to shift through your buckets, great gems were found. We all had fun from ages 1-55! read more

We had the absolute best time. Doesn't look like much going up the driveway, but we were met at the doorway by Morgan and then it was game on!!! She explained in great detail how everything worked, pricing, and possible finds according to which bucket/price you chose. Morgan and Isaiah were great. read more

Old Cardinal Gem Mine - Tours Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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I was super concerned when I first turned into it because it wasn't what I expected at all. But this place is absolutely wonderful the family there is so incredibly sweet and it was nice and quiet for me and my family they were also so very patient and kind with answering my six year olds questions every 5 seconds lol on if something was other than a normal rock. We got a gem cut and shipped to my house with a lovely note and and how many carats the emerald was. I am definitely taking my family again the next chance I get. read more

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A fun experience, definitely would recommend!! Went through a bag of native soil and found a bunch of pretty pieces. Morgan and Isaiah kept us entertained and were super knowledgeable. At the end they went through our finds and even labeled them in baggies for us. Cute spot, good people, and the nicest porta-potty I have ever used. Check them out! read more

Absolutely have to give this five stars (six if possible). We were staying at NOC and since the weather was keeping us off the zip lines we decided to head to a gem mine. We shopped around and even though several were right down the road from us, we headed to Franklin to Old Cardinal Gem Mine. Don't be intimidated by the dirt road getting in, it was well worth the trip. Isaiah and Morgan were amazingly knowledgeable and extremely helpful, geologists in the making. Darcel was a wonderful host and we enjoyed the conversations and the company. We scored so well with our first bucket that we had to stick around for a second. The kitties were wandering around us and made it even more fun, cute little Leprechaun lazed in a tray above the water while we sorted. After we were done, Darcel and Morgan sorted everything we had found, bagged and tagged it as we wouldn't know ruby from rubble. Bought a nice ring on the way out and can easily recommend this for some fun and adventure and couldn't of been more pleased with the group that was here. So if you're in the area, come grab a bucket and get snag some gemstones. read more

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Great fun and Isaiah was super helpful with identifying the stones we found! We did both an enriched bucket and a native bucket, as it was too fun to stop after the first bucket! read more

This place isn't going to win any awards for modern facilities or fancy equipment but we had a great time doing exactly what we came to do. There are multiple bags of gems to choose from at varying price levels for different budgets. We chose the $40 local gem bag. It took 2 of us almost 45 minutes to go through the bag, finding some small sapphires, rubies, and other gems. The kids seemed knowledgeable that were helping us. I wish I would have taken pictures. There are chickens and one dog that was tied up in case anyone has any fears. My mom is afraid of chickens! Dress down as it can be muddy if it has been raining and just dusty if not. If I had it to do over, I would bring extra ziplocks to separate the different gems we found. We also got a bag sold by Aunt Donna bc she has lymphoma and was raising money with a raffle. It had some cute handmade items and some extra gems in it. I hope she is doing well. read more

The native dirt at this location is very rich in corundum. The facilities are rustic and the property has roosters walking around which adds to the experience. If you want native buckets I'd highly recommend the Old Cardinal. Darcel and her grandchildren were extremely welcoming and helpful during my visit. read more

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Just googled gem mines near me ( we're staying in Franklin) and this one popped up . After reading the reviews we decided to give it a try . Good decision!! It's not much of a place to look at, but it was great. This is a family run business and they are very patient and go into great detail about what you have found . Their bloodhound "Chief " kept us company, and our "host " Isaiah was very entertaining and helpful. Highly recommend. read more

A hidden gem! WOW, love the workers here, they make you feel at home. But the gem mine in particularly is well priced and such an experience. I'd definitely recommend read more

We enjoyed mining and we were the only ones there. We got the large local gem bag. There were lots of stones in it. There is a religious push, for example they asked us to play bible trivia. If that is not appealing to you, I would skip this place. Otherwise great experience. read more

What a neat little gem tucked away! Sweetest folks ever and the young folks working there were the most helpful! Morgan even let my mother name a rock that was just a rock,Herman...and she named the other plain old rock, Tim. What a great way to spend a few hours getting dirty and washing rocks! It's not about finding a bell ringer but for me, was spending time with my mother doing something she normally wouldn't do on her own....we found bunches of rubies, sapphires, emeralds and two gorgeous almost perfectly round topaz....of course, not perfect stones but it's fun to sift and discover what your bag may hold!!! Thank you Old Cardinal for a fun morning!!! read more

A lot of fun! Nice folks that paid attention to us and helped us identify the gemstones we had found. Great fun and I totally recommend - particularly with kids. My 9 year old daughter is still raving about the hound dog, the chickens, guinea fowl and all the gems she found! read more

We found the Old Cardinal Gem Mine quite by accident but it was one of the best gem mining experiences we've ever had. We bought a large bucket and some giant burlap sack of dirt and my boys had the best time sifting through it all. We recovered a ton of great gems to put in our tumbler, some really nice ruby and sapphire (which will require extra attention) and a couple of neat fossils. Morgan was a gem herself. She was charming and funny and extremely knowledgeable. For such a young person I can see a very bright future for her. (Thank you Morgan). We'll be going back when we're up in Hayesville/Franklin next year. My kids are already asking about it. I would suggest some larger signs. You guys are to good to hide down an unmarked road. read more

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE! Approaching the business, the houses around it were very messy & one had a truck spinning tires in the front yard right in front of the business. His trailer looked like he cooked meth out of it. The business was very very messy and looked like a trailer park run down disaster. But still we decided to give it a try because of the great reviews. The "covered flume" was tin with holes in it. So, the benches were soaked. They gave me a cut up piece of rug to sit on. The "shovel" was a old can of cat food. The dirt smelled like shit. We sifted through a 5 gallon bucket in 5 minutes so we could leave. I don't know what in the methamphetamines is going on here but 12/10 do not recommend. -200000 read more

This place is wonderful for adults and little kids. The family working there knows their stuff and are very friendly. The mountains do have gems and this local place makes it easy to feel like a miner and get beautiful gems. Isaiah was particularly funny (even though he wasn't trying). He has a very dead pan humor, pun intended. I recommend the enriched $50 gem bucket. My boyfriend and I shared it and got tons of gems out of it. It's also very shareable if you have a couple tiny kids. read more

Awesome little place with some really sweet people! They're reasonably priced, and they've got a nice little setup. Their gift shop has some cool finds as well. The family that owns it is really sweet, and will help you out and answer any of your questions. There's also a cat :) I'd definitely recommend checking this place out if you're in the mood to find some cool stones! read more

at first i thought i made the wrong turn but i definitely did not, it's such a fun experience and the guy isaiah is so kind

What a little gem, pun intended. This place was awesome. It is tucked back in the woods and is definitely rustic and left us looking at each other when we first pulled in, but as soon as we got out of the car a wonderful experience was upon us. We were greeted by Isaiah who was a very nice young man who got right to work letting us know our bucket options. I would recommend the $50 bucket of gems and local goodies. It was plenty for our 3 sons. They found huge "treasures" of all different kinds ( sodalite, amethyst, red agents, quartz crystals etc.). The bucket was so great we went all in for a fossil bucket and the kids lost their minds over that one too. Morgan was awesome. She hung around and told the kids what each fossil was and what the different stones were good for. This family was very sweet, fun to talk with and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this place. We will definitely come back if we are ever in this neck of the woods again. read more

Authentic gem mine, they have a very nice setup, if you prefer local dirt with native gems, this is the place! If you like the salted dirt with larger gems or fossils (Kids love it) they also have it. The mine is family owned and are all very friendly and will assist you in identifying your gems that you find, and you will find them!!! read more

This place is so unassuming but the family that runs it are the kindest people. We got the $50 bucket and it was huge. Usually we go gem mining and just leave with a bag of pretty rocks. This time was so pleasantly different and just above and beyond what we had hoped for. They helped us identify the gems while we were working and then sorted and labeled them all with us in the office. My boys have loved showing off all of their emeralds, sapphires and rubies. Thank you for an amazing experience! read more

Old Cardinal Gem Mine - Isaiah helping us identify our gems - Tours Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

Lots of gems to find and great service! They sort the gems out for you and bad them up when you're done so you know exactly what you got. I will be going again next time I visit:-) read more

FANTASTICALLY GOOD TIME!!!!! My wife and I took our kids here the other day. Everyone had a blast. The children found a ton of Gems (you won't be disappointed). We had been to other gem mines in the area but they were all closed, we were about to give up when we found Old Cardinal Gem Mine. After meeting the owner and her grand children Isaiah and Morgan I'm glad all the others were closed or we would have never met these great people. My suggestion is go straight to Old Cardinal Gem Mine. You will have a great time, find lots of gems, and they will sort and label your finds so you're not left wondering what you found. We can't wait to go back. read more

Wonderful and family run. Great finds! Isaiah and Morgan are very helpful and knowledgeable. Best part of our trip!

What a wonderful place to spend a rainy day....or any other day! My husband nor I had ever gem mined before and we looked through the various mining opportunities near Franklin and selected this one because it seemed the most "down to earth". We were not disappointed! We got a $10 and $20 native bucket each....we had such a great time with our first buckets we wanted to sluce some more! By the time we left we had a passel of garnets, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, smoky Quartz, moonstones, amythests and a few other gems! Two very knowledgable and friendly guides, Isaiah and Morgan, helped us identify what we had. This family owned gem mine is truly a jewel and we WILL return! read more

Went there today with my family and we had the best time! Everyone was so informative and helpful! Will defiantly come back on our next visit to the mountains!! read more

Oh boy this place is absolutely wonderful my husband,daughter and i had the best time Darcel and Morgan are so sweet and nice. And really know their gems. The jewelry there is beautiful. Great conversation, great atmosphere. JUST AN ABSOLUTELY GREAT PLACE TO GO. If you get the chance to visit it's well worth it. read more

Old Cardinal Gem Mine - My daughter and i found the same amount of gems. Thats alot - Tours Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

Family-owned business that welcomed a friend and me with open arms. Very military friendly and THEY HAVE CATS AND CHICKENS!

My husband and I had an amazing afternoon her and it was SO fun! We thoroughly enjoyed mining and learning about all the gems and other stones from the kind assistance of Morgan and Isaiah. We will highly recommend an hope to be back again soon! read more

Had a lot of fun here; Darcel was very friendly and helpful. We chose to go through a couple of native soil buckets and found a lot of interesting stuff. Mostly quartz, but also amethyst, sapphire, ruby, emerald and a little bit of pyrite. We went during the morning while it was still cool and it was very pleasant. They have a good setup with comfortable benches and shade. If you're interested in gem mining in the Franklin area, this is where to go. read more

This is the best mine in Franklin, very nice family, great gem finds, and peaceful environment.