Pisgah Forest Gem Mine & Gifts — Attraction in Hendersonville

So my daughter loved this, but a couple things i did not love. Highlights: the people helping us were knowledgeable, Karis and Johnson. They help with the dirt and saying things about the rocks. Brought us some bags and went through with a flashlight to make sure we didnt miss any rocks. They cracked some geode but im not sure what happened to that. Did not love: We got a $70 bucket pretty pricy for some rocks, but not sure i have enough rock knowledge to know thats good or bad. Number 1 thing my daughter is excited by is the megladon tooth. Ok cool. Got some itty bitty fossils and regular shark teeth, got some cooler shark teeth at Folley Beach so not sure why that was a sell point. Supposedly there are rubies and sapphires in this mix but i have no clue and not sure how to make these rocks pretty. I guess we need to get a rock tumbler or something…. I would have appreciated a sink with soap. You get done sifting a bunch or dirt in dirt water and after you are all done its like there are paper towels but thats it. The ability to wash my hands would have been appreciated.

All in all my daughter loved it.So i guess thats what matters but i would have loved a more reasonable price and a wash-up station. Not sure what to do with these rocks. Just tossed them in...

This place is so much fun. I think I may even love it more than the kids — and that’s saying a lot! Our favorites are the geodes. They have a machine that you can crack them open with.

They have two locations. Both are great. The one in Pisgah Forest is mostly outdoor mining. Its my favorite one just because of the nature element and you can get the LARGEST BUCKETS THERE.

It’s covered so rain shouldn’t stop you. They also have picnic tables so bring some food! It’s right on the water so the kids can play. There is also a really cool little turtle pond that you can buy food for and feed them. I’ll let you have fun guessing if the alligator is real ;)

The one on Main Street in Downtown Hendersonville is inside only. There is plenty of space at both to really spread out with your group. It’s super clean. You wouldn’t think an indoor gem mining place would be but it is.

Both locations have a cool gift shop but the one in Hendo has a much larger selection. Lots of really cool science kits and puzzles. My kids like this one best. Cool and unique candy. There is so much to do in Downtown Hendo that this location is great for a day of street strolling and shopping. Yummy restaurants, too! Oh! And super cute pajama...

My 5 year old daughter and I made the trip to Hendersonville from Greenville, SC based on reviews and I am so glad we did! Walking into the store, Nancy immediately welcomed us and gave us some information about mining while we waited a few minutes for a field trip to clear out. I told her what my daughter was hoping to find and she suggested the super bucket for $70. This bucket took about an hour for me and my daughter to sift through. Every few minutes, Karis would stop by and ask if we had any questions and helped to identify our finds. We ended up with a big amethyst, a big quartz, and an assortment of jaspers, agates, quartz, labradorite, amazonite, some small rubies, topaz, and an emerald. We also found several fossilized clams (can't remember the proper name), petrified wood, shark teeth, an arrowhead and more! Oh, and a geode. No fake gems here. I feel we absolutely got our money's worth just out of the bucket, not counting the fun, hands on learning time!

Karis and Nancy both were both so helpful and so good with my daughter asking so many questions. We will absolutely be back...