We woke up at the crack of dawn with anticipation and had such a wonderful time at the Benitoite Mining Company - already planning the next trip. From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed. Dave and the team were knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely passionate about the history of the mine and the stones. They took time to explain what to look for, how to sift properly, and shared stories about benitoite that made the experience feel special. Our daughter loved meeting the friendly dogs almost as much as she loved digging for gems. The digging itself was exciting for both adults and kids there's something really magical about searching for your own gemstones together. We had so much fun working as a team, comparing finds, and celebrating every little sparkle we uncovered. It's a perfect blend of education, adventure, and hands-on fun. We left with great memories, a few beautiful specimens, and a real appreciation for this unique California gem. Highly recommend for families looking for a memorable, one-of-a-kind outing. read more

See all

I came here for my birthday to mine some benitoite with my boyfriend and friend. We had such a fun time. I highly suggest bringing a chair and water. It can get really hot and sweaty. You don't want to be dehydrated. They hand you a ziplock bag and glasses to protect you from the UV light. A ziplock bag is more than enough room for you to store your finds. read more

See all

What If . . rather than lottery tickets, you took a chance of finding honest-to- goodness gems? You can do just that near Coalinga, CA at the Benitoite Mining Company! Me and the offspring hit this place up one hot Saturday recently and we had ourselves a time. For me, it was more about quality family time rather than getting wealthy, but doing both is fun. Pro-tip: take food and water, and sunscreen. Look for glassy bits. And always remember to enjoy! read more

Benitoite Mining Company - Neptunite - Tours Near Me - Coalinga, California

Out family had a fantastic time here. The staff was friendly and helped us identify any potential gems at the end of the day. Highly recommend! We didn't do as much research as we should have though and I advise anyone who plans to come to bring some lunch and maybe a foldable chair if you would like to sit down and take some breaks. Although we weren't very well prepared, we still had a lot of fun! read more

See all

Had an amazing day yesterday. The staff was fantastic and very helpful. This was my first time mining for any type of gem or stone. This is my wife's newest hobby and she wanted my company because I have a good eye for spotting things. It was a lot of work but was really a lot of fun too. We came across a few little treasures. Definitely will be back. read more

See all

Awsome operation, the people are so kind and helpful. We found some awesome pieces. A lot of work but so worth it. Bring change of clothes as you will get muddy. Can't wait to go back. read more

See all

Safe fun day outside in fresh air and sunshine, digging in the dirt and looking for gemstones. Staff are wonderful introducing the facility and demonstrating the process. Other rock-hounds were also generous with advice. Friendly doggos slept in the sun keeping us company while we dug and washed the tailings. It is hard work and muddy, but very enjoyable! I highly recommend this unique experience. read more

See all

Great family outing. My 15 year old son wanting to go mining for his birthday. We found this place online. Was in the valley, figured we try it out. Staff was very friendly and helpful. So we're the other experienced miners there. Plan on getting your hands dirty. But definitely something we will do again. Tip: these stones are small, so always pluck out the small stuff that glows. You will be glad you did. read more

My husband and I came here for his early bday gift and it was worth the 7hr round trip drive!! All the staff here [and returning customer Daniel] were super friendly and helpful. Sierra explained the process very well and even helped look over my rocks to make sure I didn't miss anything. I also enjoyed playing with all the cute dogs there and talking with Sierra's kids. My husband enjoyed it thoroughly and we both want to come back! The road 20min in was pretty windy but the scenery is beautiful. I suggest not wearing any nice rings or shoes or shorts/pants because you get very muddy and you have to really sort through the rocks. We wore shorts and flip flops and it was easier to clean that off rather than tennis shoes and pants. We also brought our own chairs and lunch and there were plenty of places to eat and take a break. The black light room was definitely a super cool experience and your back will hurt after all of it but it is so worth it!! There is no other place you can mine for Benitoite but here and no better staff as well who are super knowledgeable and helpful!! :0] read more

See all

Fun for all ages. Just be ready to get wet and muddy, so don't go in your fanciest clothes/shoes. A suggestion would be to go as early as possible, because it really takes a lot of work just to get specks of gems, so you'll need all the time you can get. Time will really fly by. read more

This was my first time to the Benitoite Mining site and it won't be my last! Stars are for: The staff provided initial instructions on how to sift and sort the gravel and dirt, and how to use the low-frequency UV lights, and they continue to provide friendly and helpful advice and share their knowledge of the minerals and rocks throughout the day. There are plenty of rinsing basins and troughs and UV light stations so everybody gets their turn without waiting. Everybody on the site were friendly, excited about sharing some of their great finds and joking about their not-so-great ones. The final review of the finds by the staff was very encouraging and informative, and they provided more tips for exploring fluorescing rocks! We identified several nice stones and crystals - benitoite, naturalite, nepotunite - I later found several more using muriatic acid and under a 265 nm UV light at home. What was a light blue color under the low-frequency UV lights at the site, shines red under 265 nm .... Cool! Makes me want to get my own low-frequency lights! Tips & Notes: The dogs (hounds) are friendly too, especially when they think that they can get a bite of your lunch to eat (persistent but not aggressive). Keep any food in boxes or boxes out of their reach. Prepare for the weather! 90% of the time will be spent outside with only a little shade and standing as you sift the gravel and dirt (sunlight helps you spot those shiny blues!). This is California so rain is far less likely than hot sunshine. Lot's of drinking water, and then some, in the summer! Clothing and shoes are likely to get muddy and wet, so bring a change of clothes to help keep your cars' interior clean. Bathrooms are a porta-potty out by the parking lot ..... Thank you Benitoite Mining Company! I'll be baaack! read more

Fun! Easy to learn, and had a great time mining for this rare gem! Found a few keepers and can't wait to go back! read more

See all

Me and my son had a great time here highly recommended if you like to play in dirt. Found some awesome pieces. Everyone that worked there were very friendly helpful and informative. Thanks again for the gas Dave we made it to Coalinga read more

Benitoite Mining Company - Tours Near Me - Coalinga, California

Had a great time with my girlfriend. We found a 1.2 carat piece and a bunch of little stonies. The staff was great and even pointed me to a hotel (Harras Ranch) when I called for info. I would go back and recommend to anyone Update. Check out our finished piece. We also found more benitoite pieces in our zip lock once washed with water read more

See all

Amazing place! Four women aged 70 down to 15 all diggin in dirt, and pulled out great samples. Of your not afraid to get dirty, you will have a great time and find something every time. Love love the staff. read more

Very fun and exciting. For the only place in the world you can find benitoite and it's open to the public is pretty amazing. Although your going through scraps there are benitoite to be found. We were lucky enough to find ourselves some cool keepers and we will be back at some point to do it again. read more

What an absolute treasure. Dave is fantastic and he and all his staff are very knowledgeable miners. A great activity during a pandemic (outdoors, spread out, etc). There were very well-mannered children everywhere giving us pointers, and a troop of very adorable and friendly doggies which might have been my highlight. Strongly recommend, even if you don't find anything. It's still a lot of fun! read more

My friends and I had a blast. They teach you how to sift through the slil to find the Benitoite. They provide you with gloves and goggles as well. The people are extremely friendly and welcoming and have the nicest dogs roaming around while you search for your gemstone. I ended up getting a gemstone quality benitoite that I will be keeping for myself. I highly recommend! read more

Had a great time!!!! We picked a sat that was only about 80 degrees. Found some cool little pieces, friend found a really nice possibly big enough to cut piece of gemstone quality. I found a piece bigger than my fist, barley fitting into my bad that I need to etch but i can see some large pieces already. One guy found a piece bigger than his quart bag and had to buy it, but it was a super reasonable no Brainer kinda price. Everyone both staff and other people sifting dirt were friendly and helpful. Will definitely drive up again read more

I been here multiple times, always a blast. The staff are friendly and informative, I've found and seen quite a few spectacular pieces found each time. All tools necessary are provided but bring food, water, and possibly a change of clothes. Be prepared for mud. If its a hot day bring a canopy read more

A fun experience, the staff was very polite and helpful. I definitely want to go back. I found some great pieces, worth the price of admission. read more

We visited on October 2nd. We loved it! The staff was so friendly and helpful. There was plenty of dirt to sift through and tons of cleaning stations. There are several very friendly dogs to greet you when you arrive. the gal who trained us on what to look for was knowledgeable about benitoite and showed us some of her fInds. The owner will chitchat with you while giving great tips on finding treasure. For you treasure hunters, it was a great way to spend an afternoon. read more

It was a downpour when we were there! But we had soo much fun in the rain and mud! We definitely didn't get through the amount we could've on a clear day, but it was still totally worth it! I was having too much fun and turned down the raincoat when I should've taken it. I was soaked to the core! The people there were so incredibly nice and let us warm up in the dogs clubhouse, and even gave me a clean pair of their own socks so I wouldn't freeze on the way home! It was wet and dirty, the dogs were all over us when we were out of the rain, and we LOVED EVERY MINUTE!! It was a bonus that we got to take some cool specimens home, even a few beautiful gems. Looking forward to another visit! Thanks for everything! read more

It was our first time looking for gems. My husband and I took our two children. Everyone had a blast!! We received gloves and safety glasses. They taught us how to dig and sift through the dirt. They took us to a room to check our rocks to see if we found anything. My daughter ended up finding a few small pieces. It was a pretty cool experience. We bought a couple buckets of rocks from them to see what we get at homes We plan on going back. read more

My son and I had a fabulous time digging through the dirt together. The staff was wonderful and patient with us. We had a great time finding our benitoite treasures, and we can't wait to return with many friends and our whole family. Thank you!! read more

Excellent day with my daughter. Good people with great staff. Recommend for a family to head out and find treasure.

My wife and I brought our three boys (ages 11, 7 and 7) and they had a terrific day! The experience is very casual atmosphere and Dave (the owner) and his son were great with helping and teaching. While we didn't find the big one (we didn't plan to), we had a great day. If you are looking for a unique and different experience for your family, this is perfect. read more

Benitoite Mining Company - Tours Near Me - Coalinga, California

See all

The Travel Channel used to have a show called Cash and Treasures hosted by a lady named Kirsten Gum. Watching re-runs of this is how I found out about this "mine" where you can pay to find Benitoite, which is the CA state gem and which is found only in San Benito County. The closest landmark to this place is Pinnacles National Monument. It was a long drive to get to for sure - good thing we like road trips! So here's the deal, after driving for a long time to get to this place you pay $70 for the right to sift through the mine tailings and try to find some of the Benitoite. The mine tailings are the scraps/debris from the main mine where the owners try to find the really good stones. The less promising tailings are scooped up and dumped at the public site for treasure hunters to sift through using screens and buckets of water to wash off the dirt from the gems, if any. Benitoite is a semi-precious stone which, as I mentioned, is the state gemstone. It is fluorescent under blacklight and looks like a bluish emerald or aquamarine when cut. The mine has a blacklight lit darkroom for you to take any promising looking rocks and see if they fluoresce. After I and my sons searched for a few hours through piles of mud encrusted rocks we manage to find a few tiny gemstones which were too small to bother cutting and weren't worth very much. DO I sound disappointed???? It was worth a try, I am sure some people find valuable gems there, but clearly the ore which the owners let you sift through are the leftover scraps. If you are camping overnight at the Pinnacles it might be fun for you to check this place out. Otherwise, I'd give it a pass. read more

We had a great experience. The facility is organized and the staff is super helpful and friendly. The children spent the whole day enjoying mining. read more

Four of us went to the CA State Gem Mine on Monday, 8/11/14. No one else was there, awesome. So it was really hot, muddy, and a lot of work, we moved at least two-three wheelbarrows of material, but we found gems and stonies! Some pretty nice ones too. This is a RARE gem, you can't expect to toodle around and wash a couple trays and find anything good, ok? If your back doesn't hurt by the end of the day and you're not covered in dirt, you're not doing it right. Advice: get there on time, more time to sift. Bring lots of water, cold drinks, lunch in coolers. Bring chairs, sun hats, sun block, and a pop-up awning if you have it. Try not to visit in summer if you can't take the heat! Easy to find, straightforward procedure, the guy helping us was friendly and available, but didn't hover; we were mostly left to our own devices. We'll be coming back sometime soon. read more

I have done many mine digs, this place and the owner are very special, Dave would give you the shirt off his back...well close, I forgot a change of close, and Dave gave me one of his,,I'm a little bit bigger around the waist, but boy was it appreciated! As for the digs, it's like fishing, or mining, I have been on many overnight boats where the captain sees schools on the radar, but the fish won't bite, Dave runs an honest dig, and hopes for the guest to find a valuable gem or specimen, he walks you thru it, with offers of coffee, and good homemade biskets (well at least while I was there) if you work at it you will find something, maybe a specimen piece, and if lucky a nice gem. It is rare for a reason...read Waymes review. This was my second time to the digs, and I will be back, the customer service is incredible,mans fr a rock hound,, I do t know how you miss this place. Ralph read more

We were there a few weeks ago. It was a fun adventure, but hard work carrying the rocks to the dark room. We found a few small things, that were fun to find. Glowed in the UV light. Not really big enough to do anything with, but very cool. The owner(s) and guys that worked there were very friendly, funny, and knowledgeable. In the intro they tell you how to clean the rocks and what to look for. Basically, you put anything that glows or looks interesting into a bag and at the end they will go through it and tell you what you have. $70 is pretty steep, but some people found stuff that made up for it. Those of us who did not, got some nice "specimens." read more

Fun place, I keep coming back. Now have been there 3 times. The crew is really nice and helpful (and generous). And of course the digs are fun, with nice little treasures to be found. Hope to be back again soon! read more

Had a great experience with my two young kids mining for gems! Staff was very friendly. Be ready to get dirty and bring lawn chairs and snacks for the kiddos! read more

Wonderful company with wonderful employees. I attended in early March of 2021. With my family of 6. None of us had any experience mining before. We were immediately welcomed and shown the ropes personal by one of the many great employees. It is kinds of nerve wrecking at first but very easy to get the hang of it. We had such an amazing time, and met so many great people. Fun for all ages read more

The only bad experience I had was the HOT weather, not much anyone can do about that. We got there early to beat the heat and to get as much out of our time as possible. It was our first time there and they explained everything well and gave us all the equipment we needed. They recommend to bring your own lunch because everything is pretty far away. We of course forgot our lunch but the owner was so extremely nice he gave us some of their leftovers to eat and it was delicious. Also bring something for shade, there is no shade. We had a blast and most likely will return. read more

Haven't been yet. Checking out previous posts for possible future trip. It sounds good and any current feed back welcomed. I understand that the mine is now called The Kaylee Mae Gem Mine. read more

This was a great family friendly experience. My son and husband had a great time looking for gems. The staff was extremely helpful and very knowledgeable. Definitely will be returning! read more

We had a terrific time at the gem mine. Given that we'd spoken to a few rockhounds prior to making this trip, our expectations were well managed about how difficult it may be to find a large piece of benitoite (very envious of the piece Joey G was able to cut). Nevertheless, it was a great experience (after you get accustomed to using the black light, you can spot pieces of benitoite quickly) and all the previous reviews were correct, prepare a lot of water and be ready to get muddy! read more

The opportunity to sift tailings and find benitoite is a dream for any true rock hound enthusiast. I gifted this trip for my husbands birthday and he was thrilled. It was an opportunity to get a RARE mineral with a FINITE source with a value that only increases with time. To add to the mines charm were its very nice and laid back owners. They gave you space to explore and were readily available if you had questions. We stayed overnight at Harris Ranch and woke up early to get there by 9:00 am. Dogs okay, bring a lunch and drinks and safety glasses. We have good memories and blue souvenirs from the trip. read more