Rose Creek Mine — Attraction in Franklin

This was the last of the mines we visited during our stay in Western NC and was by far THE BEST! My grandson, 4yrs old, went with my mom/dad, my husband/myself and had a blast. They offered him snacks while there and didnt complain as he ran and acted as little boys do. Their buckets are by far THE BEST! Wish I would have went here first and wont go anywhere else next time we are down. Was going to go back today but have to leave tomorrow and have to haul all these "rocks" home so are planning on coming back in July instead. Have ordered from them online over the winter months as well and have excellent customer service. Thanks for helping make my grandson feel at home on your mine property, will be back for sure! Edit: After leaving The Rose Creek mine on June 3rd, and arriving home from vacation on June 5th, I enrolled my husband in classes he started on June 19th and spent 2 weeks taking different classes at the William Holland School of Lapidary! Thank You so so much to the gentleman that helped us that day, he helped me to convince my husband to go to the school by just handing him a brochure, wished it was that easy for me the 6 months prior to the NC trip I'd tried talking him into it, but hey he went, spent 2 weeks and can't wait to go back to take some more classes as he learns a new trade!! They say everything happens for a reason! Can't say enough about this Gem Mine! Very wonderful experience all the way around, even...

This is the easiest 5 star review I’ve ever given. Sean, Tommy and Kim are excellent hosts and extremely knowledgeable about both the mine finds and the area. My family and I spent the first day digging native buckets and were honestly surprised at the amount and variety of gems that we found. We spent the next day at a different mine but decided to extend our trip one more day just to go back to Rose Creek. The second day my daughter got a kids bucket (enriched with gems) and I promise you I was barely able to sift through 1/4 of a screen before she screamed “Dad! Look at THIS one!!”. She walked away with so many gems and minerals from the kids bucket that it was WELL worth the price. After we completed our digs and sifting, we took our finds to Sean and Tommy and THEY IDENTIFIED AND BAGGED EACH GROUP OF GEMS! Most other mines will tell you “oh yeah, that’s garnet, that’s kyanite” and all of your finds get tossed into a bottle. NOT HERE! In fact they came around so often providing knowledge and entertaining conversation that my wife was identifying her own finds and getting confirmation. Add on top of it all that we were able to bring our dogs (the mine had dog treats!). There is absolutely no doubt that this mine is going to be a frequent visit for us. THANK YOU SEAN,...

Second time I've been here. First time was a decade or so ago and it was just as awesome this time. This is the only place I know where you can sift buckets of dirt that are natural and not enhanced in any way. Last time I went they told me they have a creek bed where tons of crystals wash down from the mountain and that's the dirt they dig up with their machine and pile up. You get to go to the pile and fill your own buckets with dirt to sift through. They do offer the enhanced buckets and everything too if you're into that but I'm a sucker for the mystery. My wife and I found tons of garnets, quartz, moonstone and other odds and ends. Also got to crack a geode there and it ended up being flourescent inside which was really cool. The people who run the place are extremely nice and helpful and make you feel right at home, and they're all super passionate about the gems and minerals. This isn't a tourist trap like some of the other gem mine places in the area. It's a little off the beaten path but well worth traveling a few extra minutes for a much better experience. Highly recommend! At the time of this review it was $20/person for 2 dig your own buckets which was a really good deal for the amount...