While celebrating a friend's 50th birthday, we decided to try our hand at panning for gems. It was a cold and dreary day, but the sheltered panning area kept us dry. Keegan was very knowledgeable about all of the crystals we found and made us all feel like rockstars! (Pun intended). The store had a very diverse selection of crystals and gems, jewelry, and other souvenirs--and all at surprisingly good prices! Would definitely recommend coming to pan or even just to shop. I'll definitely be back! read more

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We had a fantastic day at Pisgah Forest. Gemini would recommend this to anyone super service. Great guy there stayed about 45 minutes after he needed to just spend a lot of quality time with us and didn't mind it at all. Thanks for all the good information and being so nice to us we will be back. read more

What an absolutely wonderful day! Our boys are 2,5 and 6 and have gotten to the "crystals" stage of their lives. Absolutely loves them. This area has a lot of gem mining and while I did this when I was younger I don't remember the actual location. Being our first mining experience up here I can't imagine how a place could be any better. Grab a picnic lunch and sit at the tables near the cute little creek running behind the shop. A turtle pond had my boys taking a bite and running back to see the little things. A large bucket was bought and as the shoveled, washed and marveled at their finds I kept a side eye on my 2 year old as he dragged toys from the sandbox to our area. I'm grateful for the partially shaded wash bin to keep me from burning. The gems the boys collected were very different from when I was a kid. They are very large and easy to find. We were gifted a rock tumbler so are awaiting the results from our find. A great day and not crazy expensive! read more

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Keenan and Ezra were super lovely and helpful! We had a blast and got some awesome stones and gems to take home! read more

Pisgah Forest Gem Mine - Massive rose quartz we found! - Kids Activities Near Me - Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

While in town celebrating a girlfriend's 50th birthday, we had a rainy afternoon when our plans had to change. I took a look at Groupon to see what fun activities were still happening and found the Pisgah Gem Mine! I quickly bought the Groupon and surprised my whole friend group with a fantastic experience! This is an outside experience so not really for a cold day, but the entire set up for mining is under a large tent so you'll stay dry if it's raining. We were greeted by Keegan who is the sweetest young man ever! He took such excellent care of us, making sure my group and the other family also mining that day had everything we needed and more. He helped us with the entire process and his energetic and pleasant personality made the experience just fantastic. Every time we found a new stone he had a flashlight ready to show us the details and explain the different stones to us. He was very helpful in the store too while we all got distracted by all the shiny things to buy. Absolutely a great time- I cannot wait to return the next time I'm in Asheville! read more

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What a great little spot! My kids had so much fun with the gem mining and the shop has some great items for sale too. There are turtles in an excellent habitat out back and a beautiful stream running behind it. Last year we went to a gem mining place in downtown Brevard that was fun, but this one was far superior. The setting was better (outdoors), the rock finds were better, and the workers were incredibly knowledgeable. They could actually answer my curious 8-year-old's rock and gem questions, and with enthusiasm! Definitely stop by for some fun or for a cool rock/gem souvenir. read more

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Nice spot to gem mine. We brought the most popular size bucket for $65 and had a coupon for a free gallon bucket. The three of us shared these buckets in their outside mining area which was covered. Had a great time and found all kinds of gems, like Ruby's, an arrowhead, large quartz, geodes, opals, etc. The guy working there was very knowledgeable and friendly and came out to share his knowledge with us. Definitely worth it if you have a budding gemologist like our 9 year old. We would definitely do this again. Fun for all ages. read more

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This is our second visit here. My first gem mining experience was here in 2017. I was hooked. It was so much fun diffing through the bucket and washing everything down to find cool treasure! Lauren and Lola helped set us up and answered all of our questions about stones and fossils. They were awesome. We found huge quartz, amethyst, beat fossils, sapphires, and a big handful of rubies! read more

Fun activity for the kids (and even the adults). My 8 year old son's favorite activity of the day and my teenager had almost as much fun! I mean, who doesn't love searching for buried treasure knowing they are guaranteed to find something? It's outdoors, but in the shade/covered so can be done rain or shine. There are benches by the "stream", so you can sit or stand, whatever you are comfortable with. I think the location and being outdoors added to the charm. Range of price points to accommodate any budget. The employees, Gerit, Coner and Joenuh, were top notch. Very friendly, personable and knowledgeable about the gems, rocks and fossils found in the mining buckets. We will definitely be back if ever in the area again and would recommend to anyone wanting a few hours of fun! read more

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Oh my GOSH! This place is absolutely phenomenal. We came on Saturday morning and were the only ones there for a while. Rachel is fantastic and so good at what she does. We actually had such a great time that we came back to see her and mine some more on Sunday morning. Thank you for such an amazing time Rachel! Oh, by the way, we found SO MANY gems!! Tons of Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and topaz. Amazing amethysts, geodes, jasper and quartz. read more

Pisgah Forest Gem Mine - Kids Activities Near Me - Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

One of my favorite memories as a kid was when my grandparents would bring me to a mining shop in Wisconsin every summer. Saw this shop today driving back to the highway from an impromptu hike and couldn't resist a stop. You pick out a bucket (there are sizes and $ to match all budgets), pour it out bit by bit into a sifting pan, and wash away the silty dirt to uncover any number of unknown gems. There's a gift shop with a variety of different crystals and minerals. I got a really cool stone bowl for $17. We didn't have time to sift thru a bucket this trip, but it brought back all my favorite memories from doing this as a kid. This would be an amazing place to bring kids or adults alike - a birthday party, a family trip, a chance to learn some geology, a way to chill out w some pretty rocks. Def recommend read more

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Amazing!! I forgot to write this review and have since deleted the photos or moved them. All 4kids had an amazing time digging and syphoning through the dirt finding different gems and minerals. It was a fun family activity. Cracking open the large geode we found was an extra Bonus for the little ones. Highly recommend for an hour of fun! The gift shop is nice for the kids to look around. read more

where do i start?! I loved everything about this place. It definitely brought out the kid in me. The wife and I enjoyed finding all the various types of stones, fossils, and arrow heads. This place is geared mainly towards children but as i stated before, it'll bring out the child in anyone. The staff was awesome and very personable. They really go out of their way to make you feel at home and have a good time. They were very knowledgeable of the different types of stones we found. I hope to start a tradition of visiting this place whenever I'm in this area. I think you'll love it too. read more

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I was skeptical at first...after watching the kids sift through their buckets and finding rubies, iron and even a sharks tooth, I left very pleasantly surprised. Keenan was extremely polite and most informative. He took his time with us and knew every rock/gem we uncovered. Very impressed by Keenan. Any business would love to have his enthusiasm/demeanor on staff. Highly recommend this activity for youngsters. read more

So I live right up the mountain from their Pisgah forest location and I was like "why not give it a try " and it was pretty fun. The staff were very nice and helpful. I did this with my son and my in-laws and they all had a great time. If you have a kid or just want to do something fun try them out and support a local business. read more

Went today it was great. Didn't buy anything but they had good prices. Wish they had more rings though in bigger sizes, other than that people are sweet and the place smells like candles it's great. read more

I received the Gem Mine at Home Extreme Mail Out(4 gallon) for Christmas this year. Could not have asked for a better gift as a rock and gem lover! It was fun to dig up the pieces and discover things as we go. They offer assistance in identifying rocks, which is great since I'm not on site. If you have a rock lover at home any of their mail out gifts would be perfect! read more

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I will start off by saying, if you are considering doing this.... please do!!! My kids (and myself and hubby) had a blast! This is an outdoor activity, mining for gems, but they do have an indoor area setup for when it's freezing outside. The water in the sluice that your hands are in is very cold since it's from the mountains. We purchased the $60 bucket and all shared and it was the perfect size for a family of 4. It was so exciting to see what gems you would find in each scoop. We even found a geode that we had to have cracked open. There is also a little store inside with lots of gems, geodes, jewelry and more. The owner (how did we not get his name!) was extremely nice, helpful, and came through frequently to shine a light on each gem we found and tell us what it was and explain more about it. read more

It was really fun and we got a lot of cool gems.We got a megalodon tooth and some emeralds. Also some amethyst.It was really fun and I liked it. read more

This place just opened up and we had a group function there this weekend! The staff is wonderful and we all had an amazing time! We will certainly be back with the whole family this summer. read more

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We went to this place based on TripAdvisor reviews, and they were spot on. We were very lucky to show up during a slow time, and had an amazing time. Al (who was gearing up to go help people in Florida with hurricane clean up. Super nice guy!) was extremely helpful and kind. Our middle daughter is very shy and he took the time to talk to her and help her. We got the $60 bucket, and it was worth every penny. Honestly, even if you don't have kids, this is a fun and unique activity. We will definitely be back! read more

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Exceeded our expectations. Our kids had a blast mining. The family who owns this had great hospitality, explained the gems to our kids, allowed us to feed the fish and then provided us with games to play. We will return! read more

Pisgah Forest Gem Mine - Kids Activities Near Me - Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

We decided to stop here as a detour on our trip from Pitt to SC based on all the excellent Yelp reviews and not only does my family think I'm a hero but I can't help but hop on to chime in with the sentiments before me. My whole family LOVED this place. Fun! Educational! It's not big and crazy but it's perfect for families who want to have some serious fun. They had a pond, a little sandbox which my preschooler thoroughly enjoyed, and even picnic tables if you're also taking a road trip and packed a lunch. Prices were reasonable but plan to spend at least $60 if you want to find any of the cool size geodes or minerals. I didn't really know how much I was going to spend and I think overall we picked the $80 bucket and we also found some fun things in the gift shop - so it was about $100 ... but for a unique and fun experience for a family of 4 that took about 60 minutes - totally worth it. We weren't even out of the parking lot and my 6 year old asked, "can we come back here again?" There were less expensive bucket options but I'll admit I knew I'd be sad if we didn't get a big piece (I saw some pics on here) and I'm certain you have to get the $60 or more for the cool finds your kids will treasure forever and ever (I might even bring the geode to the beach with me and hide it for my kids to find in the sand). read more

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Pisgah Forest Gem Mine was a great experience for our family. Best value and best mining experience. All of our kids (17, 14 and 9 y.o.) loved our time here and I loved the affordable cost for all our fun. This is a must do, and worth stopping off the highway for a 1hr break that will provide a lifelong memory and beutiful keepsakes for all. read more

Great place and very friendly employee! My 9 and 5 year old daughters absolutely loved doing this. We went to another the next day in Maggie Valley and was not near as good and was much more expensive! Best deal for us 3 was a super bucket for $60! Loved it read more

This was so fun and the staff was amazing- super friendly and made the experience even better. We came from Chicago and have never done gen mining and they were so helpful with us guiding us. We made necklaces for our kids which they will cherish. Great activity for the whole family's. read more

Pisgah Forest Gem Mine - Kids Activities Near Me - Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

This was a fun place for our little guy! The owner is super nice and friendly! It was a great stop! Highly recommended! We found many gems and he explained it all to us! read more

Stopped in here with the kids today and had a wonderful time. The kids are in love with gem mining now and have all kinds of stones to keep as a reminder. Well worth the price!!! read more

nice people. the kids had a blast Price very reasonable kids were very pleased The Staff were really nice my 3 kids are feeling like they found treasure! They did! read more

Spent the afternoon here with my wife and 3 sons. We had an awesome time. I can't speak highly enough of how friendly and helpful the gentleman named Al was that works there. So helpful my kids had an amazing time. Will return for sure. read more

Jorge and the whole staff were just awesome, perfect way to spend a morning with the kids!!

Great time, keep going back because they are constantly the most fun. I have been to the other ones nearby and for a family experience in any weather, this place is tops. The staff is great, the real creek water running in the flumes is awesome. This is a mining experience without having to dig your own dirt. It is way better than washing rocks I have experienced at other places. read more

We stopped by the Pisgah Gem Mine today (a rainy morning) and we really enjoyed our time. Our kids (4 and 2) had a lot of fun putting dirt into the sluice box and cleaning the rocks they discovered. Al was extremely friendly and helpful, explaining to us all the gems and fossils that we found. read more

Just like the rest of the reviewers, we had an awesome time sluicing for gems and rocks! I think our niece and nephew walked away with a new hobby and a bunch of cools gems and stones along with a fun family memory. Amazing, helpful, and friendly staff made the experience even better! Highly recommend for kids of any age. read more

Pisgah Forest Gem Mine - View down the sluice trough. - Kids Activities Near Me - Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

Great first time experience panning for gems!!! Welcomed by knowledgable employees who made it a memorable experience. read more

Pisgah Forest Gem Mine - Kids Activities Near Me - Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

I cannot say enough how amazing this place was. Definitely get the $60. My daughter got some HUGE gems and crystals. Staff was friendly and helped us the entire time identify the findings! read more

Our three boys (6, 5, and 2) had a great time mining for gems. The proprietor was really great. He spent a lot of time with us talking about the "gems" our kids found. Good stuff too! We got the $60 bucket which kept our three boys busy for about 45 minutes. We highly recommend this for kids. read more

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We spent quite a few hours here - what an incredible experience! My parents bought a bucket for my stepdaughter's birthday and she said it was the best birthday present ever and she would give it 10 stars if she could. She wanted to write her own review: IT WAS AWESOME! It was so much fun! The guy was SO nice! We found beautiful stuff! read more

As a person who has a minor in geology I have to say it was an awesome first time experience. It was my daughters and fiancées first time here in this area and we thought we would give it a try. The staff was very knowledgeable and extremely courteous. You get your money's worth and expect to leave with A LOT of gems/fossils/minerals. I highly recommend the black light fluorescent mineral mining deal. My daughters had a blast and we look forward to making it a tradition to come here every summer. Thank you to the AMAZING staff for making this an unforgettable visit. read more

What a great place! Came here with 4 little ones who were tired of "hiking and long car rides" - this will be their favorite lasting memory! Daryl and Al go above and beyond to make the experience special for everybody...you won't want to leave. My kids found all sorts of treasures in their bucket, including fossils & geodes. If you're anywhere near Brevard, this is well worth the time spent. read more