Camped at Mason's last weekend and had a lovely time camping, mining and listening to the mini waterfall at the creek. Very helpful staff that went above and beyond, and the other people that come to mine tend to be salt of the earth - nice conversations while doing an enjoyable activity. We stayed a few nights in the cabin, had a campfire. Think of the cabin as more like a hard sided tent with bunks and a porch, but you need your own camp mats, water and lighting. Bathrooms for all campers have nice hot showers and are very clean. Friendly pets roam the campground and loved my daughter, which she enjoyed - truly a memorable weekend. Great value for money, and we brought home some rubies, too. Note the mining is only available Thursday through Saturday. read more

Great mine with great staff! Everyone is super helpful in getting you up and running and figuring out how to find those elusive sapphires. Once you know what you're looking for, it's pretty easy but still a lot of hard work! What I like most is that it's not salted (though that option is available and good for kids who just want to find anything). It's worth getting there early and spending the whole day there since it costs the same whether you mine for 1 hour or 6. Make sure to pack a lunch/snack, some cold drinks, and enjoy a dirty day here finding treasures! read more

Mason Ruby & Sapphire Mine - There is it!!! Time to mine! - Active Life Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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Had a great day, fantastic staff, really helpful, we found some rubies etc, one was huge, I think we'd do better next time after todays practice :) Clean toilets, really nice gift shop, they sell cold drinks. Bring something to sit on if you plan on being there a while, you might get muddy, it's a great day out! read more

What a fun time! We had a blast and found some really cool sapphires! The staff there was exceptional! So helpful and friendly! We would love to go back again sometime! read more

We drove there from Georgia; it's WAY out of the way and it's one way in and one way out, right at the end of the road, about 10 miles down a curvy road off the highway. THEY WERE CLOSED!! It would have been really nice of them to put out a single fricking sign saying they were closed for the season (on September 29th). Sorry, but you suck at running a business; we will never be back. read more

My husband and I brought our daughter here 24 years ago. That day we took home a little over 6 carats of sapphires. Today we took my 15 year old grandson and he found a little over 3 carrots of sapphires. This place is family run and kid friendly. If you have a little rockhound it's a great place to go. There are two kinds of mining. Native (load your own bucket from the hillside) and prepared that have different gemstones added for children to sluice and find. Bring clean clothes. Try to get a shady place. Bring lunch. Once you pay you can come in and all day but the nearest food other than snacks are 12 miles away. You can also camp. Highly recommend. My grandson had a blast and there were guys there that come out on the weekends (locals) that are happy to share tips and show off their own collections. We will be back again soon. read more

What a wonderful day! The people that run this operation are so sweet and accommodating. The fact that you can dig and sluice on your own makes it so much fun. Steve and Rhonda were more than helpful with identifying different gems and stones. Steve gave insight to the "Hotspot" dig sites. The facilities were very clean, there is a water spout to clean up at. Also, there is a changing room. Bring some extra clothes as you do get very dirty. Make sure to bring some gloves as well. . Well worth the money!!!!!!! read more

Drove in from Raleigh, with some of the family that flew in from Idaho. It was such a great experience and the staff was real nice! Be prepare to spend couple of hours shoveling dirt and washing the rocks. Not every bucket will be a winner but it's still so much fun! The drive up to the mining was real treat as well! We will be back! Thank you Judie and Ardell for all your help! read more

Mason Ruby & Sapphire Mine - Spent the day mining and got a few good stones! - Active Life Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

My family had a fun experience here last weekend. The mine is in a very remote area which only made it feel more authentic. The staff there were very friendly. We purchased buckets and went up the hill to dig our own first, and then their team showed us how to wash and sift. They helped us identify the stone and found some we missed. The gems from the mountain are generally tiny. Nothing valuable, but it is all about the experience and fun and treat it like that. The facility did get very nice new bathrooms recently, with shower facilities. That was a nice plus as we figured it would be rustic. Overall I would recommend this mine as it didn't feel like a roadside tourist trap, and you really do your own digging. read more

If you're looking to go mining, then look no further! Mason's Mine is amazing! It's true mining! You get to go up and dig up your own dirt and then bring it down to the sluices. You get to pan your very own sapphires (and rubies if you're lucky!) If it's your first time or even if you're not sure what you're doing, the staff is extremely knowledgeable and are able to help you every step of the way. They were all very personable and all around good people to spend the day with. I drove down from Cleveland, Ohio just to come here to Mason's Sapphire Mine. You always hear about "southern hospitality" and this place is no exception. From the moment we walked in I felt like I had known them for years and we were best friends seeing each other again. They even have set up a special VIP dig site for special needs and wheelchair restricted individuals. If I could give them 10 stars, I would. Al, Judy, DJ, Charlie aka Master Yoda, and Ardell, you all were wonderful! Thank you so much for an amazing and unforgettable vacation! I will be back every chance I can get! read more

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Very friendly and helpful staff. Dig your own native dirt from a large pile, or do salted buckets (we did native). Shade for the flumes. Port-a-potties. We had 3 people and 3 hours, and only found a total of about 18 carats of sapphires, with one being cuttable size. I'm sure it varies, but the amount of useful gems found was a bit disappointing. Fun experience though. read more

We were vacationing in Sevierville, TN and decided to make the drive to Mason's Sapphire Mine in Franklin. I'm so glad we did! The whole experience was very laid-back and authentic feeling. We chose to dig our own dirt from the freshly dug piles outside the mine. Charlie was working on the flume, helping with any and all questions that people had about the mine or finding gems. He very obviously knows his stuff and is happy to share his wealth of knowledge with you. Some people asked a LOT of questions and he never seemed annoyed or bothered... just happy to help. My husband found two small sapphires (with Charlie's help) and even though I didn't get as lucky, I loved the experience! It was a great way to spend several hours out of the day and we would definitely go back to Mason's if we ever get to that area again. Thank you for the great memories! :) read more

Worst gem mine I've ever been too. A member of our group had to pay $30 just to walk the kids into the mine because of their policy, he didn't mine himself. We were then seated at the handicapped area so we had to stand up, when there was clearly other areas for us to sit down and mine. An employee knocked down both of my kids' sapphires, never found another one. And the fee having an adult accompany the kids into the "working mine" was ridiculous. The working mine was two piles of dirt with shovels. Do NOT go here. read more

Had a lot of fun with the kids. Bring food, drinks, gloves and boots. Plan on getting dirty. You dig your own dirt at the top of the hill, carry it down to the sluce, dump handfulls onto the screen and sift to reveal the gravel. You look through the gravel for your sapphires. Then do it all over again. Plan on spending the whole day. My family of 4 processed 30 buckets and recovered over 40 carats of pink sapphires. The largest was 5ct. No rubies at this mine. The staff was really helpful. This was fun. Go there for the experience. Dont go there expecting to get rich. Would rate higher except for a few things. Bathrooms are porta potties. More shade is needed over sluice. Dirt on mountain isn't Virgin dirt. It's turned. And only certain areas were open for digging. I would have loved to find some of my own spots to dig. read more

We had a great time! Been sapphire mining 3 times and this by far was the most sapphire we found a whoping 56 carats!! The staff were friendly and loved to tell you about the area. We even quizzed them about the sappires we had previously found. We had a great time read more