hiddenite gems emerald hollow mine

Three interesting ways to look for gem stones. We did all three as first timers. Buying the bucket to pan makes for a good time but searching the stream was even better. Creek panning was fun and we plan to bring our kids next time during the warmer months since they would absolutely love it. Digging your own dirt is hard work and the long walk back with a heavy bucket of dirt is no easy task. I recommend bringing a little wagon or cart to make it easier as well as rubber gloves and some old towels. Old clothes are a must since you will get dirty and wet. It was rather cold and our fingers were frozen but it did not take away from the enjoyment of trying to find gems. Be sure to pack your lunch and snacks to make a day of it and bring clothes to change for the ride home. The staff will help you identify stones=super friendly! We left with a nice variety of stones even if they are not worth a fortune the memory of the day was priceless. We had a great ourdoor experience. Will certainly do it again.

My boyfriend and I went here for two days and it was the best experience. The first day we went to the creek and dug and panned for whatever, we had no idea what we were looking for. But it made us both feel so exuberant and excited like kids again. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly never imagined that my boyfriend was going to take to digging like he did. The second day we went it was even colder than the first day but when we were digging the time flew by. We elected to just throw everything that felt like a mineral while we were digging into the bucket to take to the sluicing place. I found so many quartz crystals! The girl beside me found a pink sapphire, and my boyfriend found a blue sapphire. The staff member, Drew, answered all of our questions and was really fun and knowledgeable. After that we went to the creek and filled a gallon freezer bag with gems we found in the water. We got lost in what we were doing and we had so much fun!! We got so much out of this experience that on the 4 hour drive back we talked all about what we could find! Because if you talk to the owner in the gift shop he will show you a picture of the massive emerald he found! And we found that he found that right outside of where we were digging! We found a ton of quartz in that area. We had no idea what we were looking for~ but the prospect of finding that treasure is real! To win that lottery would take both luck and hard work.The best part was how friendly and knowledgeable the staff were. You could tell that their passion for what they do is very authentic. We came to just have fun but we far surpassed that and learned a lot in the process. We came back with bags full of beautiful stones that we could somewhat name and an enthusiasm for digging in the future. How cool is it that you can even dig here? I know there are treasures everywhere here. I don't know how anyone could complain about this place, it's awesome and well worth what we paid for the experience.

What better way to spend an afternoon than mining for precious gems. You can dig in the mountain side, pan for gems in the stream or buy a pail of dirt. You always end up with treasures to take home.....if only wonderful memories made.

I have been here several times over the last few years taking visiting friends and relatives. It could take an hour and a half from Charlotte but a good day out as long as you are curious about gems and stones and don"t mind getting your hands wet and getting a bit dirty from Carolina clay. It can be very affordable,5$ buckets to expensive 250.00$ tubs, and everything in between. you sit at a slue and sort through the dirt to find gems (emeralds), semi precious gems(topaz) and stones of all sorts (including tigers eye, turquoise, quartz crystal etc) in their raw forms. Amazing to learn how they all look like rocks we all have probably just kicked down the road. The buckets are salted, stones are added to them to make sure you discover something fun and interesting. Everyone is nice and helpful. There is always someone there to answer questions and identify stones and teach you how to identify for yourself the stones you would like to keep. There is a lapidary store where for a reasonable charge you can have your stones cut faceted and made into jewelry. Worth the trip if you are in the area

After a fantastic experience at Sheffield Mine 4 years ago, my daughter and I looked forward to our next chance to mine again. We went in Oct. 2014 and decided on digging, sluicing, and creeking. The sluicing had some interesting small quartz crystals, and that's about it. When I asked one of the workers for assistance on what to look for, she replied "anything that looks pretty to you." I learned at the Sheffield Mine that Sapphires, Garnets, and Rubies are dull looking and unimpressive in the raw state, and their assistants helped me find them in the rocks I thought I should dump out. I didn't get warm fuzzies from the answer and was concerned that I was tossing out potential bragging rights. Next we opted to dig. There was no one to assist in the area and we didn't know what to do, where to start, or what to look for. Nothing was found in the buckets of dirt that took forever to haul a distance, since the mine does not offer transportation such as a ATV to help get the buckets up to the sluice - not family friendly for single moms or kids. Next we tried the creek, which was clearly "salted" with amethysts, blue stones (which don't seem to be native) etc. I even found one on the trail (on top of leaves) that was dropped - probably while salting. We were first out on the creek so the first to find the trail of breadcrumb stones plopped every few feet of each other in a pattern. At least that part of the experience was fun, even if it was artificial.

My girlfriend, her 10-year-old grandson, and I went to this place in August. What a fun experience!! We are all lovers of rocks, gems, crystals, and nature.....so it was a dream come true!! We did the sluicing and the creeking and the element of surprise in both areas was magical. The staff was very friendly and very knowledgeable. Even walking around the grounds was cool because the area is replete with mica and it just sparkled in the sun like diamonds. We highly recommend this place!!

My husband and I recently visited the mine and had a great time, we found beautiful gem stones that we now have as keepsakes. The staff was the GREATEST especially Joanne. Don't forget to visit the lapidary as they have beautiful gems and jewlery for sale.Kathy S

We traveled with 4 adults and 4 children. Ages 54-37 and 7-14. We arrived early, which I do suggest especialy if you will be doing the creek mining. We didn't find anything to write home about but we made so many memories that we will take home with us and always cherish. After reading the reviews before we went I wasn't sure what everyone had meant by that, now I do. The people who work there are all so friendly and helpful. I would recommend this to everyone.

You really have a chance of finding your treasure! This place is an all day event. You can try digging, search the creek, and buy buckets that are predug. Some suggestions: bring water shoes, and a picnic. Mike, the owner in the lapidary shop is awesome! He took the time to help us identify our stones, even stones from a different mining place and we chose to have them cut. They are 12-14 weeks behind in bCutting but that's because you are getting your actual stone. You will not be getting a cheap knock off claiming it's your stone. Prices are extremely reasonable compared to other places, and here it is More authentic. We did not have any luck digging, but you might? It's really hard work, be forewarned!!

Just a couple kids at heart having a great time at Hiddenite. This place is neat, an enjoyable experience for anyone into treasure hunting and/or stones.Our advise, buy the all-access passes and be the first customers of the day. Head straight to the creek and explore all the way down to where it meets up with another stream. Once you're all good and wet, have a number of stones in your baggie, take a break - have a snack (bring your own) and then head for the digging lot. Sure, you're digging in tailings but who cares - the opportunity to find your own stone and get good and dirty while doing it is great.Finish off the day under the canopy of the sluiceway and grab yourself some buckets! Remember folks, this is a vacation like any other - where some money should be planned to expend. Don't be afraid to grab one of those salted buckets of various values - they have great finds in them. My wife loves to tumble stones and I wrap them into jewelry. And, this will be the spot the real kids like the most. They can play in both dirt and water at the same time and not be hollered at - and you'll hear them say "COOOL" again and again.Rock hunting in NC is on our "repeat" list again even though we've been before. It's just a great "off the grid" time together. Enjoy!!!

It was our first time to go to a mine and we did not know what to expect. It was fun and exciting to find some small gems. The kids love it and did not mind getting dirty and wet. We went creeking and slushing and it was an experience we will likely never forget. The associate who was there to assist us was very knowledgeable and helpful.

My kids loved this they went while visiting grandparents. My kids loved this and are still looking at their rocks 2 weeks later.

We stopped in Hiddenite on our way down to Florida for a cruise. I had tried another gem mine in NC a few years ago and had fun. Hiddenite held appeal just in case we had an emerald find (we did not!), but it was also closest to our travel route without being too much of a detour. It was going to be a hot day so we applied sunscreen and bugspray before we began.After being greeted, we explained that we wanted to do sluicing, creeking and digging and advice was given to start with the buckets (sluicing) first so that later when we went digging, we would have a better idea of the native soil and what we should be looking for. This was a good suggestion. Also, we were advised to do creeking last so that we could cool off. Another great suggestion.We are a family of 4 and decided to do two buckets each of native and enriched. It took us a while to sluice our way through and although we had a few fun finds, there really wasn't that much to be found. Lots of fools gold. We went to try our luck with digging. We came with our own garden gloves, small garden tools and also a shovel and pickax from home. We were basically advised not to use any- the small garden tools may have been helpful creeking, but they want no metal there. They were useless for the real digging. Then the shovel and pickax would have required an additional permit. We were just in it for fun, not knowing what we were doing and not expecting to come away with a great find, so I just opted to rent their tools.Well, after sluicing we decided to try digging. Though the staff was friendly and helpful, there was no real guidance. You were really left on your own. The signage to the digging area was not the best and although I knew I was headed in the right direction, I wasn't exactly sure where it was okay to dig or not. There was a taped off area and it was confusing which side was safe to stay on. We just kept wandering further out hoping to run into others who may have been successful. Finally we gave up and found a shaded spot amongst the many other gopher holes that another reviewer described. We dug away and loaded up our bucket. That bucket was super heavy and we realized we needed to schelp it all the way back to the sluicing area. We used the shovel to try to balance the bucket between the four of us but was very concerned that either the shovel or bucket handle would break. As it is, we slipped once and my son cut up the back of his ankle when it banged up on him. We took many breaks and made it back to find... nothing! It looked like our native buckets but there were no gems to be found. We were hot and exhausted at this point and a bit worried about our long drive to Miami so we decided to cut our losses and go to the creek.The creek was nice and shaded and there were lots of other people about which was unlike the digging area. Everyone seemed to strip of shoes and socks and camp out in various areas along the creek bed. We found a place to leave our things and sat on some rocks. The water was crisp and cool. And in no time, just using our fingers and prying under rocks, we had lots of nice small finds. Nothing of value I'm sure, but colorful and pretty. The tools were easy enough to use but since we had two sets for four of us, we were equally successful without the tools. There was a cute butterfly that seemed to stay with us. It was so nice and relaxing, I could have easily spent a few additional hours if we had packed a picnic, but soon it was time to go.I don't regret my choices based on the reviews I had read up to our visit, but in hindsight, could have saved myself half the money if I just did the sluicing and creeking! Digging really is a wasted effort unless you have the time to spend, have the strength to carry the bucket the distance back and have the persistance- you either have to feel lucky or have an idea of what you are doing and looking for and we didn't have any of these characteristics! So I hope I savesd someone else some money or at least gave a better realistic outcome of how you will spend your day and your money. It wasn't a total waste because although we didn't strike it rich, we did have a really nice family day and memories to last. For that, each dollar was worth the entertainment value.I think during peak season (we went early July) someone could make a killing offering picnic lunches or pulling up with a food truck. Just my two cents and the only thing lacking that day, but again I knew this from my reviews and research on the surrounding area. Bring some extra ziploc bags to hold your treasures- they do supply a few with the bucket. All in all a really fun day.

Had a great time at Hiddenite. Did sluicing first with a combo of native and salted buckets. Mostly happy with our finds there. After some debate decided to do the creeking as well. Best decision ever. Found some really nice gems in the creek. Water was cool but not bitter cold. Wasn't eaten alive by bugs. Wasn't too crowded. Spent half the day in the creek and didn't even realize how much time had passed. Great experience. Staff was very helpful is identifying which gems were which.

For $25 you can take your free 2 gallon bucket of tailings and mine for gems in Emerald Hollow's sluice using their sieve (you can purchase additional buckets of tailings), or you can grab one of their shovels and head off to the mining area where you can dig for gems, or you can wonder off to the properties creek and pan for gems in the cool mountain creek water.The first thing you'll notice is the shinning dirt underneath your feet at the mine. Quartz and mica is EVERYWHERE. The second thing you'll notice are the employees moving around, answering questions and generally helping the inexperienced miners out. I went solo and wished I had my daughter with me as it would have been more fun. I didn't find any gems of note but I wasn't really motivated as I buy gems and minerals and have quite a collection. I know my 12 year old daughter would have had a blast! I would have secretly bought her a bucket of tailings that was salted with some nice gems. They have those there, from several tens of dollars up to a thousand dollars. Lots of people prospect in the creek. It is nice and shady there with cool water to soak yer feet in. The digging area is not as shady, the ground is tough, and I didn't stay there long.All in all I give this attraction an excellent rating because it is maintained with a fairly large staff, really nice sluice area, and a rare attraction. I hate the mining where all you have is salted gems. Here, there is no slating unless you ask for the salted buckets. Most people buy the cheaper, natural tailings buckets. Yes, I plan on going back with my family.