Emerald Hollow Mine — Attraction in Taylorsville

5 Star Plus and all day long!!! We were able to take our first trip to Emerald Hollow Mine on 4/10/18.

Headed out for Emerald Hollow MIne, Hiddenit, NC at 9:00A. Only 6.2 miles from Hiddenite RV park (where we had camped the night before). Angel welcomed us, showed us a lot of specimens, showed us videos of John, his dig area and more. I bought the $25 combo pkg for the both of us which included Sleucing, Creeking & Digging - all day!!! They also have tools to rent and give you ziplock baggies for your finds. Also bought one of their maps for a keepsake & identification of rocks. Then TAJ took over. Super personable & knowledgeable...a real sweetheart!!! Taj had come in 2 hrs early that day & ended up sharing his favorite dig sites with us, came to see how we were doing & how to spot Smoky Quartz and all before his shift. How sweet is that?!!! :)

Some tips that Angel and Taj gave us are: Look for lots if Mica, especially green because that's where veins will be!! Veins run East-West. Fill bucket with 1" dirt, bring back to sleuce. Next, remove another inch of dirt from site, bring back and sleuce.. .repeat. Look in people's tailings for treasures. I ended up find a lot of Smoky Quart in the tailings left from the bulldozer!! Beware and do NOT cross roped/taped boundary lines!!! There are only a couple , but extremely important rules: one is to not cross the above mentioned boundaries (this is for both YOUR safety and private rights of others!!!), the other in NO Tunnelling (this should be self-explanatory. But if you are not 100% positive as to what "Tunnelling" is, just ask one of the helpful people working here....they are happy to help). By following and adhering to their fair and simple rules, we can all have a great experience, always!!! Please, please don't dig under trees (that IS one form of tunnelling) as it damages the trees root systems which causes them harm and has the potential to kill them. Unfortunately, I noticed this a few times and it's not cool, not cool at all!!! them. Oh yeah, and I consider this "common sense," please don't dig on the pathways/trails.

About 4:00p, we switched it up and went Creeking. Once again, Taj gave us lots of tips & we found some really cool gems like my Jewish Twin Quartz Crystal, Emerald, Ruby, etc.. When we were about to leave, Taj said that he wanted us to find more, so he turned us on to another tailing area and yes, we found lots more!!!

We wrapped up our amazing day at Emerald Hollow Mine around 6:30p as we neede to get back on the road. It was a full and wonderfully awesome day, very hard to leave and one of which I will never forget!!!! Thank you again Taj and Angel for your kindness, help and expertise :) We had such a memorable time and cannot wait to share our finds with friends and Idaho Gem Club when we get home :) We are so looking forward to...

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...

Fun way to cool down in the creek on a 90° day. Dog was welcomed (on a leash). I highly recommend bringing a wagon or an old baby stroller or something. It’s a long walk back to the parking lot at the end of the day with a haul of pretty rocks your taking home. It also makes bringing your full dirt buckets to the sluice box easier. It was great to not be bothered or hassled at all by employees yet they were all available to answer questions or help if needed. They have a video to explain how to dig and how to go creekin’ and they trust that you’re old enough to follow instructions. Please remember to only use the plastic shovels at the creek. And don’t be the jerk that digs along the bank line or areas that aren’t allowed when you are clearly asked not to. The do not hold a permit to let the public dig just anywhere. There is a designated dig area and a designated creek area. Both are PLENTY large enough to spread out. Please don’t put the mine at risk by being greedy and ruin this for everyone else. There are picnic tables available along the creek to sit and have lunch. And the big question of how much the screens, buckets and shovels are to rent….they are included in the admission price, no extra charge. You pay one price that offers you the ability to dig AND creek. If you only do one, that’s on you, your admission allows both as well as buckets & shovels for digging and wood screens and plastic scoop shovels for the creek.

It is helpful to; Bring a wagon or dolly or stroller to carry all your junk. Bring something to put your goods in (I had a 2.5 gallon bucket). Wear shoes that can get wet. You can go barefoot but I wouldn’t recommend it. BRING WATER BOTTLE (or buy one there) Sunscreen?? I didn’t need bug spray but had it. You can leave and come back so come early, take a break for lunch and head back for the rest if the afternoon. It’s hard labor so taking a break...