Nantahala River Gem Mine — Local services in Bryson City

We had an amazing experience here! The first time we had visited this place was a little over 15 years ago on our honeymoon. This time, we returned with our daughter and my mother. The little gift shop has items in there that have been in the shop for years, but it’s so much fun to look through. The little man that runs the place is very knowledgeable and I absolutely loved him! He told us what stones we had and even helped me when I wanted to send one of our gems off to get cut and polished. Definitely stop in a gem mine if you are in the area! I promise you won’t be disappointed. It’s worth the money and worth the time. Probably the best gem mine we have stoped at!

Just received our Garnet that we had cut and polished…. Absolutely beautiful!!! I tried to get a good picture, but this was the best I could do. I...

Nantahala River Gem Mine is one of several such attractions, not too far from Franklin, NC, "the gem capital of the world". At the Nantahala Gem Mine, a 5 gallon bucket of "seeded" soil goes for about $50. I was a little surprised at the cost, but the experience turned out very positive, with my wife and 3 grandkids having a grand time finding gems by using the typical running water trough, washing out scoops of the soil in sieve-bottom pans. When finished, the attendant was very good with the kids, patiently identifying each discovered gem, and answering questions. Of course there is a gift shop as well, if you wish to purchase various gems or related items. So, a pleasant hour spent in a scenic setting in the North...

After reading mixed reviews on this experience we decided to go for it anyways. My family loves rocks and I had a feeling it would be a hit. Initially the $45 cost of the bucket seemed like it was expensive. Really, the bucket is a 5 gallon bucket filled to the top with sand and gems. My family of 5 enjoyed slushing to find our treasures! There is an attached gift shop…which is very eclectic. The gentleman working was very kind and offered us suggestions for other things to do and see nearby. We are a “no plan” plan kind of family and tend to fly off the seat of our pants….we really enjoyed this experience and would definitely recommend it to families or rock...