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)!

This shop is a hidden gem! I felt like I was in a museum. They have curated such beautiful and…read moreunique pieces. There is something here for the professional and for the novice crystal lover. I left with a lemurian, charoite pendant, and some beautiful selenite pieces to add to my collection. I highly recommend this magical shop!

Unbelieve!! Such a FABULOUS experience! Took my 4yo granddaughter to go mining and she was…read moreenthralled!! Wayne assisted us and was so incredibly knowledgeable and generous with his time explaining and showing and educating! So affordable! Came away with a big bag of GEMS Highly recommend!!

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!!!

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!

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.

I went into this shop this morning and took my twins and purchased the Lotus Tea's. They were such…read morenice people and took their times to explain to me about the Lotus and the different Tea's and how they work. I will definitely will be going back and I have told others in the office where I work all about them! Highly suggest you check them out!

Amazing store for art inspo and hygenic products great bakery and coffee SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM and…read morethrift store for amazing deals

This store in huge, right on Main St. It has an upstairs and a downstairs, lots of vendors, lots…read moreof choices, lots to look at. Great antique store.

First of all, I've been coming to Franklin since I was 5 years old and I'm 69. I've watched this…read moretown go through good times and bad. One of the things I love is the downtown area, so quaint. Not much has changed on the outside but what used to be department stores are now being repurposed and that's Bryant's Antique Mall has done. Three floors of, well, a little bit of everything. Nice antiques, nostalgia from all eras, lots of glassware, some cool furniture, old farm equipment, books, old cameras, just a nice blend. Pricing is set by the individuals who rent the booths so you might find the same thing in several booths at different prices so it pays to look around. All 3 floors are full and nicely arranged with plenty of room to walk around in so plan to be there for while if you want to see everything. The upstairs even has a discount area with all items marked down. It's a really cool building but no public restrooms so if go you might want to stop by the Public Restrooms which are only about a 2 minute walk from Bryant's. They have a sign when you walk in the door with directions. There were 2 gentlemen there on my last visit that were helpful and will answer your questions and help you load larger items you purpose. It's a very cool store so check it out!

What a Treasure! This place has been here forever but it changed hands a while ago and this was my…read morefirst visit since the new owner took over. What a nice lady she is! Very helpful and kind. They have lots of different dealers so the variety of antiques is really cool. Let's just say a little bit of everything. Everything is nicely displayed and the prices are very reasonable. I could spend hours through everything. If you enjoy old things, nice antiques, or finding stuff that makes you say 'What is that?', this is the place for you. I will definitely be a regular here. You never know what you might find.

The actual store itself is amazing- lots of treasures. We are professional antiquers- all our trips…read moreinvolve finding every antique store possible haha. The prices are fair as well especially for the area. But the cherry on the cake was the owner. Absolutely the sweetest lady, extremely kind and not only helped us out (we forgot our uv light and collect uranium) but also gave us some good recommendations. If you come to this area definitely stop in!