Super super cool activity to do with friends or family!! Went with three friends, we split the $100 family bucket between us and it was a really good deal for the insane amount of cool stuff we got from it. The whole experience is cool, especially at the end where the lady at the desk examines the gems you found. 100% recommend!! read more

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

to do. I've never participated in gem mining before. It was a new experience to me, but it was fun. The facility was clean. I wish that they had somebody walking around while you're going through your bucket helping you to decide whether something is truly a gem or just a rock. As I was discovering what gems I had in my bucket I was sorting them in the little trays they gave you. I had questions on some things I wanted to ask about. When I went in the store part, she just dumped everything into one pile. I was not really allowed the opportunity to ask questions I wanted to. She basically just wanted to what was cutable from what was not. It was like she just wanted to go home. I really wish I could've had the opportunity to have questions answered as I was very excited about being able to do this activity. I don't know that I would return to this facility in the future. I think I would try a different one where the staff would be more attentive. read more

What a fun experience! We got the $45 bucket and found all kinds of good stones. Very friendly, helpful staff. Definitely a must do. read more

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

My family had a wonderful time, my boys 8 and 10 years old had a blast!! I would highly recommend this place, especially for rainy days since the mining area is covered. read more

Staff was friendly, great set up with a pretty view! Would def return when in the area. read more

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

We went to five different gem mining stores in the immediate area. This was by far the best. They had similar prices to the other stores but the number and quality of found stones was superior. They're miscellaneous stones in with the trash rock was also more frequent with plenty of quarts and other miscellaneous Rock so you felt like you were constantly finding things. The benches were a good height and there was a good combination of natural light and protection so even on a slightly colder rainy day we were still very comfortable. The folks in the shop were knowledgeable and did a free starting of stones to show which were gem grade if you wanted to get them cut. The $75 off coupon certainly helped for Gem cutting. Of course that's by far the most expensive part if you're even thinking about doing that. Overall the best in the area and would recommend to anyone doing first time gem mining or repeat folks looking for a new spot. By the way they had plenty of emerald and sapphires in their mix. read more

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine - These are the gem quality stones that we found in one bucket. - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

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We planned a vacation with a 7 Hour drive around another mine (near hiddenite). But thank God we came across this place! We are somewhat experienced mining and did the 2 Private mine tours on separate days. Both days were awesome! Totally get your monies worth and a great experience along with it. We were about an hour stay away but would gladly do the drive again and again over other mine options. We will be back! PS- Tim our tour guide for both days was awesome & we appreciated it! read more

Josh was our guide to hunt for gems, and he was great. Assisted with all my questions and showed me what were good finds and bad finds. My husband isn't into these types of trips, but he had a great time too. I recommend this trip to anyone that really wants to find their own gems. I will be going back. Thank you Josh for a great experience. read more

Me and my husband came here for the mining experience (after several other crystals mines across the south) expecting to go out into a mine and dig for North Carolina emeralds. We paid $100 per person for four hours at this place and once we got there we were told we'd be looking for aquamarine, Smokey quartz, garnets and obsidian and it was pretty obvious that they just scattered different stones around. It felt like an Easter egg hunt for kids, it was way to easy, which would be fine if they TOLD us we'd be surface hunting, bc we never would have booked this. We asked our guide several times if it was supposed to be this easy, and he said yes, "because they blast every month and they just had a heavy rain." There was NO evidence of either. The day got better when we went to their second mine and and we actually found some emeralds in a dirt pile that's supposed to be have come from another of their mines an hour away. Only to be disappointed again when we took some of our stones to have cut into jewelry to another local place just to be told that they are Brazilian Emeralds, definitely not from NC. The woman showed us the difference between the two and I don't know how this place doesn't realize people will figure out that these emeralds are not from NC. We're super bummed bc we feel this description is VERY misleading. We were not looking for seeded buckets or mines, we were really hoping to do some real digging and come home with legitimate finds. Naïvely we thought that by paying more money to dig we would go somewhere a little more exclusive with a little better chance of finding something good as opposed to the $20 per person mines. We just wanted to leave an honest review for people who think that they are going out into a mine to go digging. Save yourself the $100 and just buy a bucket. The reasons for the 2 star review is because the experience we had is not as described. We understand this is a great place for people to buy a bucket and sluce, and we know there is no guarantee of finding anything when you dig. And while we did come home with a bucket of finds, we would not have paid $100 to do this. read more

Great for all ages ! Awesome customer service, and amazing stones !! I went back at least 3 times, a family of 14 and everyone loved it !! Fun and addictive a must go to!! Enjoy & start digging for Gems ! read more

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Awesome place to gem mine with knowledgeable workers inside the gift shop. Gift shop has some really cool stuff!

Loved the place! If you are looking for a fun family activity where you actually learn and find amazing stones, then this is your stop. You go through a beautiful scenery drive, all green with tons of trees, then you arrive to the place and you get friendly staff explaining everything for you. Prices are not bad at all, and you seriously get TONS of stones to look at which is a lot of fun and excitement, even my 3 year old enjoyed washing his rocks (and throwing them in the water lol). I got an amazing amethyst stone that they are gonna cut into a set, not expensive and they look very nice, and I loved the fact that they tell you which stones are the best and for what, so you get the best of all. If you are in the area this place is a must stop, and the shop has tons of more stuff if you wanna buy jewelry, it is worth it for sure. read more

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine - Gems and jewelry - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Saw this place on one of those travel shows years ago and had to check it out. It is a nice scenic ride through the mountains to arrive at this gem. You can't miss it as they have a huge sign. The staff are friendly knowledgeable of the different buckets you can purchase. You pick your bucket we chose the 4 gallon one with a cut stone. The attendant carries your bucket to your chosen sluicing spot. They have all the tools of the trade you get to work and several fun hours later you will have amassed a nice bounty of gems . Check out my pictures to see the good and bad gems we found. Not that a gen is bad but rather cannot be made into jewelry. After completing your gen search and the kids play time in the water you take your find inside to get sorted by gem experts. They will identify you stones and let you know which one can be cut into jewelry. The expert will bag up your find in separate bags as to not mix them. We chose to have a beautiful stone cut into 2 different gems to make a ring and pendant. Can't wait to get the finished product in a couple of weeks. read more

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Our first time gem mining so we were not sure what to expect but the staff explained everything to us and were very helpful. We walked away with lots of gems! We also checked out the shops and bought ice cream, toys, books, pickles, and souvenirs! Then we went back the next day for round two because we all had so much! read more

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine - Gems and books - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Enjoyed the mining experience. Also got the gem cut and made into a ring. Everyone was super nice. The gem expert was very knowledgeable on what gems we found. read more

Fun and a great setup for a family adventure while in Spruce Pine. The kids loved the setup, which allowed them to be hands on in the process. We loved having the staff review our gems when we were done to tell us what was valuable and what they all were. A great outing for family! Highly recommend! read more

Great for family's great place to send some time has little park on creek Behide the kids had a ball

Had a blast took my husband ' kicking and screaming' and he wants to go back people there very helpful and friendly.

We have a been to a few places to sift for Gems and this by far is one of the top two we have found to go. What this one has going for it, is its right off the road, there is a nice place to picnic lunch, and its very close to the Parkway. You can also visit the Mineral Museum while here its just down the road. The staff is friendly and the buckets are loaded. You can choose from a mixed bucket or a bucket full of certain gems. Once done make sure to go into the gift shop for them to tell you what you have and what would be worth cutting. You don't have to cut anything but its nice to know what you have. Great for kids of all ages. read more

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine - Road Sign - Gemstones & Minerals Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Fun for the kids. But im sure we tossed some gems out. Wasn't too sure what we were looking for. we got some pretty sweet gems. The staff was friendly. We got the $30 mixed bucket. My daughter loves the start of her new gem collection. read more

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Great place to come for family fun. We always buy the $55 mixed bucket and walk away with tons of gems. They have people inside who will look at everything and pull out the cuttable gems for free. read more

We understand Gem Mountain is a business however is not nice when the stuff don't mention the right pricing of their "promotions" and suddenly your budget needs to get bigger otherwise you won't be able to afford anything decent in that place. On top of that the owner seems to be very angry all the time and is even painful to talk to him. This place is highly promoted in town and you can think is your best option. But let me tell you is NOT... there are dozens of mines around where you can be better treated, where you can find better pricing and way better stones. My family and myself are very disappointed of this place. NOT RECOMMENDED read more

So much fun! I could spend all day here and be happy. Give me a bucket of rocks and a nice spot on the sluice and I'm good to go. The folks that work here are so nice and will help you with whatever you need. It's a great activity to do with kids or just as adults. Visiting this place was the highlight of my vacation. read more

Great place to visit with kids! We got a mixed bucket for $30. and a bucket kept us busy for at least an hour. Our gems were identified for free and could be cut there for a fee. It's location is ideal with its proximity to the Parkway. read more

The guys that sold the buckets were awesome, very friendly and we found a lot of gems. The reason for the one star was the lady in the gift shop was extremely rude and disrespectful to my daughter. We were going to spend some money there,but she was rude and we left in a bad mood. It ruined the whole experience for us. She needs to learn how to speak to people!!! read more

Went today for the first time, we will be back for sure!!! Got the 130 bucket with 2 free cut stones, got lots of nice gem stones. Handfuls of rubies and sapphires, several large emeralds, garnets, golden beryl, so much for the price. The people their where very nice and helpful. Can't wait till I get my topaz stones in the mail :) read more

Love this place. I've been coming here since I was a kid and my boyfriend and I recently took a trip to North Carolina and I had to go back. He'd never been gem mining before, and we got the bucket with a free cut gem. We had some great finds--amethysts, rubies, emeralds, and garnets were plentiful. We decided to get one of the emeralds cut, and also got a topaz cut and set into a ring. I had just as much fun at this place as an adult as I always did as a kid. It's an awesome family activity if you have kids, but it's also a lot of fun if you don't. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. One tip: spring for the larger buckets. You will find more gems and less filler (plus if you get the $85 bucket, you get a gem cut free up to $45). I will be getting my ring in a few weeks, and I can't wait to see what it looks like! read more

My husband and I took the mine trip to Brushy Creek mine yesterday. Although it was very labor intensive it was worth every penny! We had so much fun! Caleb was our guide, and did such a fantastic job. He gave us tips on where to search for the best gems, helped us identify stones, and was a super great driver. After cleaning up our finds in the flume Mr. Buchanan, the owner, identified the best gems for cutting, and we chose a golden beryl and an aquamarine. At the end of the day we were dirty and tired, but again--it was worth every penny spent! Since we now live in the area, we intend to make Gem Mountain a frequent stop! Some tips for those taking the mine trips: wear comfortable hiking shoes/boots--if you don't have hiking shoes, be sure to wear non-slip shoes you don't mind getting dirty or muddy; eat before you go and take a water bottle and snack; take either a hand towel to stick in your back pocket (for wiping your hands) or some gloves (you'll be digging); take a couple of towels to sit on in your vehicle at the end of the day (you'll be covered in dirt); go to the restroom before you leave--there are no restrooms at the mines. Whatever you do--go to Gem Mountain, because you'll be glad you did! read more

we were in spruce pine in june of last year and visited gem mountain. my boys still talk about it and can not wait to return for another visit! we are actually going to order a bucket to use for a 4h project! great staff, beautiful gems, and amazing setting!!! read more