Emerald Hollow Mine

Taylor King

2024-03

Came here with a group of 8th graders for an enrichment of our Earth Science curriculum. We had a great time. Staff was knowledgeable and helpful. Students loved the activities, especially getting into the creek and sluicing. Highly recommend for school groups. It would be good for any age. Debbie was incredible in helping plan the trip.

rex warnert

2024-04

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Addie Scudder

2024-03

I went to spend new years eve doing something new and fun and it was the greatest experience ever. I was lucky enough to meet Daniel, a former employee, who showed me some spots to dig and taught me a little about how to find crystals which was an extra special treat. I spent all day digging in the dirt and searching thru the stream. I found a little garnet, a bunch of mini quartz points, and some mini quartz clusters that are adorable. I will definitely be going back again!

Carrie Dewsnup

2024-02

Okay, I was skeptical at first, bringing the kids, I figured we wouldn’t find much. I was worried the kids would tire out. We got to the mine around 9am and left around 5pm! We started with digging, then sluicing and lastly creeking. We brought lunch which was nice since no one in our party wanted to leave! My spouse was the lucky prospector of our group and actually found an incredible emerald native to NC! Like what?! We were all shocked! So cool, this place is the real deal and all my skepticism was sluiced away! 😉 For the kids we bought a stocked bucket which the kids were absolutely stoked about. Pro tips: Wear clothes you don’t care about getting super dirty, good boots for the creek, gloves, little shovels for the little kids and a change of clothes or towel to sit on for the ride home.The staff was so kind and pumped about our find. They were so so nice! Coincidentally our van’s battery was dead at the end of the day and Tommy the operations manger swiftly brought us a jumper for our van and in minutes we were on our way home! Thank you so much Tommy! We will absolutely be back and could not recommend this place more! 10/10

Angelica Lester

2024-03

Great little place for the family to have fun, wasn't at all what I expected. Took our 2 year old and had a great experience, all the staff were very friendly and very helpful. One in particular staff was very informative and always kept coming out to check on everyone and tell us how to be successful at our dig. Lovely place. The only thing I wasn't pleased with, was the fact that we called ahead to make sure if we needed our own digging tools or not, we were told they would be provided. When we got there, we were told they were only providing a shovel and a bucket. We were 3 and a half hours away from home in an unfamiliar place so we didn't know where to go back to get the proper digging tools such as a rock pick, wagon, or rock chisel. And our geode we got in our $250 bucket when we had it cut, was very uneven and had lots of layover cuts, not a clean cut. Other than that and the bird stuck in the bathroom building area, we had the most amazing time. Not too bad, hope to be back later, but more prepared for the weather and digging. I do recommend this place, just go prepared to get wet/ muddy and take your own digging tools! ( and maybe a fanny pack or crossover the chest mini backpack for your stones?) AND ACTUALLY WATCH THEIR INFORMATIVE VIDEO...😊⭐️Edited to add possible misunderstanding on the digging tools! I did not specifically ask about the particular ones I listed in my original review. Please make sure to ask the staff questions and learn your sediments and how to dig them for the minerals and gemstones, as we lacked a lot of knowledge for this activity and weren't completely sure how it all worked! And once again, make sure to watch the video as it teaches a lot of what you need to know on how to find these minerals and stones, I watched it twice and didn't take in everything, very important. Hope to visit again in the future with a better understanding and knowledge of what I'm doing.Most of our beautiful finds were in the bucket we purchased based on our inexperience on the dig site. But hoping next time with more knowledge and experience we will find more on the dig site. Thanks again Emerald Hollow, and my sincerest apologies on the digging tools misunderstanding.

Pesky Brandy

2024-03

If you’re looking for price, authenticity, and finding actual gems… look no further than this place! Second time ever rock hounding. Pleasantly surprised to see we could dig, creek, and do pre-filled buckets. Sluicing was easy and under cover (it rained horribly), the employees were knowledgeable and helpful. Raeleigh was kind enough to help my husband and I identify quite a few of our pieces and help us gain much more knowledge than we came with. We will be back. Thank you!

Nyxx Smoke

2024-03

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Rachel Hardison

2023-05

Went for a birthday trip and had an awesome experience! Not necessarily a place I would take children, as the digging site is kind of intense. The creek and the buckets were so much fun, we bought a $100 bucket and it was absolutely worth it. Jordan was working the day we went and he is amazing! He provided a wonderful and knowledgeable experience. I would absolutely recommend coming here as an adult!

Wendy Jackson

2023-11

This place is great we went during the week on my birthday and had the place to ourselves. They do close at 6 pm off season so make sure you know that since it says 8pm on the website. We got so many crystals some from the creek and some from a bucket. It was fun and organized. I highly recommend this place see picture of our treasure.

J Phillip Holloman

2024-04

What really makes this place stand out is the staff. I told them I was going to leave a bad review so I could keep this place a secret. LOL. Truly a great spot very family oriented. Everyone was amazing and took time answering questions from the kids and the really big kids (adults) . Where else can you go and play in the dirt and water as an adult and leave with treasure. The enriched buckets are great and definitely worth the money. All around it was a great family day

Kristina Hernandez

2023-10

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Lauren Borchert

2024-04

Can’t say enough about this place!! The staff, (Especially Caleb and Drew), the experience and the adventure of finding amethyst, emerald, garnet and Smokey quartz are all awesome! Whether you’re an experienced rock hound, or beginner with small kids, they have something for you! Experienced and knowledgeable staff that go above and beyond to help, beautiful environment and not touristy what so ever! We went two days in a row, and can’t wait to come back!

Dugan Barton

2023-09

Was fun to do, found lots of emeralds ( I think ) and they have a snack house, and you can buy buckets with emeralds inside, and you have to rinse of clay and you’ll find emeralds! There’s this $1000 bucket with HUGE emeralds, and they have like $20 buckets with emeralds. Really fun to do with family’s, they can shape emeralds into oval and other shapes, it just costs more money.

Troy Blevins

2023-06

This place was very good for the mining experience. After digging in the river. We splurged on a mid size buck and was very impressed with the stones, gems, rubies and nice piece of amethyst. Rose quartz and petrified wood. Had a great day. Everyone was very nice. Will definitely plan another day here in the future.

Sherri Butler

2023-07

I want everyone to know. This is the best place to spend the day hunting for gems! The staff goes above an beyond. So informative helpful great crew. I am older and I don't have the physical ability to dig. They are fine with that. I buy a bucket of dirt. They bring it to you. They even supplied a pillow for me. I was able to go as fast or slow as I wanted to. It was a great day. Everyone should go it is a wonderful place!

Lisa Ray

2024-02

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Eira Taylor

2024-04

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B C Lit

2024-04

My family drove about 45 minutes out of the way to this mine because we love gemstone mining and we have been to most of the places in western NC. We always buy a bucket, sit with a sieve at a sluice and find all sorts of gems (and good memories as well)Not at emerald hollow.Nope. To buy their bucket, sit at their sluice, and go through it requires you to pay the cost of the bucket AND buy a $25 permit for each person EVEN SITTING IN THE SLUICE AREA. So, for my daughter and I to go through a medium bucket - $50 for the bucket (reasonable) and $50 MORE for a permit (ridiculous). For my wife to watch, would have been an ADDITIONAL $25.Keep in mind, we're not going out to their creek to dig, we're not "prospecting" their land or "chasing ore veins". No mining at all. I understand you would need a permit if you're going out to dig your own stuff, I understand if you're hiking and prospecting their land - that I would get a permit for.But just to run water over a bucket of rocks that is just sitting there and pay $25 PER PERSON!!! in addition to the cost of the bucket?!? Hard pass. And it is not obvious on their website that buying a pre-filled bucket requires a permit per person.Save yourself some time and money, and go somewhere else.

Augusta Grimes

2024-04

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Michael Tallarico

2023-11

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Rita Pittman

2023-11

Beautful place especially the creek area. Nice for kids but not for the serious rockhound. We and others there only found some very small quartz and a micro ruby in the creek but nothing digging the already dug through piles. There is a guy named Johns that has a permanent claim there with a tremendously large and deep pit. My guess those piles were extwnsively dug through by him and many before us, so not much to find. We asked 4 other people digging and same results. Great place for kids to dig in the creek and cool off in the warmer season, but sadly not much to write home about here.

S Gieseking

2021-05

So much fun for all ages!! There is an area you can dig your own rocks and another area you can buy already dug buckets of rocks and dirt. The slucing area is comfortable and shaded. A 3rd area is the creek, which is nice and cool water that feels great in the heat of the day. The people who work here seem knowledgeable and nice. The prices are good and it was a super fun time by all. Highly recommend for a great day spent.

Shelley Hicks

2023-05

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Joanie Davidson

2024-01

I really didn't understand the significance of this place when I visited there for a school trip in the early 1990s. But now, this place is very much My new favorite easy to afford place to visit. It is really true that crystal's stones minerals they all have healing powers of their own kind. Me and Briana, my daughter, must have came across a lot of rose quartz that day! I'm so grateful we made this trip!This is a very affordable place itsnot that far of a travel from home. You could have a first date or just spend time with your partner. Something about digging in the dirt finding precious stones is very comforting! It was definitely a 10 out of 10!

Isaiah Criminger

2024-03

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Alicia Kilburn

2023-05

We brought our buddy Bear with us and at the time we didn’t know that this would be his last trip. He passed away about a week from being home. While we were at the mine the Emerald Hallow team was welcoming, professional and loved a lot on Bear. We found a bunch of Smokey quartz which made the trip worth it. Before we left we also stopped in to go through a bucket and while we were rinsing Bear made friends. LolHe was the best buddy anyone could have asked for. Thank you guys!

Branlyn Roberson

2023-08

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Tim Heatley

2022-05

Looking for good family fun this is your place.The perfect place to find some great emeralds.We started with the digging and it was exhausting and we didn’t find a thing. In fairness we were told it was hard to find things.My recommendation would be to look for gems in the creek. We were told it was was easier to do that. Be prepared as the water is cold, but it does feel great.We also purchased some pre made buckets and sifted through that and had a blast.I’d also recommend to bring a picnic. They have plenty of benches to use. There isn’t any places nearby to get food, but you can come and go on the property for the day as you wish.Parking is no issue at all. There is plenty of it.The restrooms were clean, but that is about the only clean place. Everything else is muddy, but it makes the place. So, be prepared to get dirty.Go have some fun whether with friends or family!Pre made buckets range in price from $5 to $1000.

Shelly Suttles

2020-05

I did the sluicing and creek permit, digging seemed good until it was explained its a half mile walk there and back, another time maybe. The walking has some steep points, especially down to the creek, which is a bit of a hazard but remember that there are a lot of people digging holes so its definitely not even footing. The buckets were fun I did the Surprise and Super and got some neat pieces.The people were always pleasant, asking if we had any questions or showing kids neat things, and explaining gem types. They are not by the creek but you can always run over to ask.I spent about 5 hours there, had a good time, pleasant drive, and cool water in the creek (bring shoes or be painted walking on stones).

Lydia Freemon

2024-04

It was a blast. We have to put in some sweat in the dig site to find anything but well worth it… after the dig we went mining in the creek and had a great time cooling off while looking for emeralds… we didn’t find any but we did find other treasures!!!!