Reed Gold Mine — Local services in Midland

Good, BUT... Don't let the employees at the panning sleuths help you!

My father and grandmother brought my 3 kids (age 2, 4, 5) to Reed's for a fun and educational day out to pan for gold. Obviously, we did not expect to find anything, but the hope is always there. The experience was what we were after.

Thunderstorms were off in the distance, but rolling in, so we were made aware the panning was closing and we needed to hurry, BUT we had just gotten there and we're ok to finish.

Everything was going well until an older man on crutches comes over (employee) and asks if we'd like assistance with our panning. He seemed pretty insistent. I don't know anything about it, so I said, "Sure, I guess." He literally took my pan and sloshed it out and dumped the entire thing in the water in less than 30 seconds, and then- literally - tossed the pan to the dirt behind him (NO exaggerating).

He then proceeds to do the same thing to my 82 year old Grandmother and 4 year old son (handing the pan to somwonw else this time). THEN he does the same to my Dad and 2 year old daughter! At this point I was extremely upset and told him although we aren't here for the gold we ARE here for the experience so I asked him for my empty pans back so I could dig the mud out of the basin that he just dumped and let my son try panning since his had been taken away.

He tries to hurry us up because of the thunder (which I DO understand, but again- our pans had literally been sloshed, dumped, and taken). A woman gave us my grandma's pan and I dig up the mud to let my oldest son try again, and the man proceeds to try and take it AGAIN. He slops out 3/4 of the pan and I tell him, please give it back. My son had it for less than 30 seconds before he took it again to continue trying to slosh & dump. We literally spotted gold in that pan 5 seconds later (he insisted on getting the nugget out of the pan instead of letting us do it).

He kept making cracks about how my daughter was crying and how she was 'ready to leave and over it' to which I replied, "no, she wanted to pan for gold and it got taken."

He actually told us that "even if he does see small specks of gold he never tells anyone because it's not worth the trouble getting it out of the dirt and dumps it."

TOTAL, we were at the panning area maybe 10-15 minutes before being asked to leave. We got to pan by ourselves maybe 4-5 minutes of that.

UNPLEASANT experience panning and would NOT recommend it if this man is there or if anyone tries to "help" you.

The museum, trails, mines and picnic area were all really nice! I would have absolutely rated 5 STARS if it weren't for a family experience being...

There's really 3 distinct parts to this property; FIRST, a superb updated small museum containing exhibits on the history of gold mining dating back to Bronze Age up to Modern Day, with focus on the 19th Century Carolina Gold Rush and the various means of reclaiming gold from the earth long after the placers (creek and river beds) were panned and exhausted. Artifacts on display include loads of examples of gold objects, gold coinage minted by the Confederacy, NASA astronaut helmet (gold visor), 18th-19th c. gold assayer's tools, and hard rock mining tools. There is A LOT packed into this museum ! SECOND, is the Reed Gold Mine itself - which a small portion of the underground workings is open for exploring. Really only takes about 15 minutes to get through it, is very safe and demonstrates how the tunnels are constructed to "follow" the body of ore. Children will be thrilled to be underground and in the dark ! Upon exiting the mine you can follow the trails and explore the rest of the above-ground workings, which is the THIRD part: arrastras & millstones, remains of an engine house that powered the mine's water pump, a huge stamp mill, miles of nature trails that wind through the Reed Mine property where literally hundreds of mine adits and tunnels were dug in the quest for gold. 100lb lumps of marble-white quartz are EVERYWHERE on the property. This is a National Historic Site and protected by a bevy of state and federal laws so think twice about hauling them back to your car or truck.. I admit I was tempted as I went early and hit the trails early in the morning before other visitors arrived. I also saw Whitetail deer multiple times while out in the woods.. they seem to be acclimated to human traffic as they didn't run off until I was within 20 feet. LOADS of tiny frogs (species "Little Grass Frog").. once I noticed them I couldn't stop seeing them and had to pay attention where I walked, they were seemingly everywhere and not just near the creek. The original Reed family cemetery is on the property, at the edge of "Bottom Hill". As someone interested in the history of mining I took my time and absorbed the information on display in the museum.. I reckon I spent a solid hour in the museum then another 3 hours exploring the mine property. Definitely will be returning with...

We visited Reed Gold Mine on a sunny and warm Friday afternoon. My wife had been wanting to explore this historic attraction for years and we finally took the 40 minute minute drive from Charlotte. We’re happy we did!

Upon entering the visitor’s center, we were immediately impressed by friendly employees who explained what we could expect and the best way to explore the grounds and property. We opted for the self-guided tour which worked out great for us because we like to take our time and ingest everything at a slow pace.

There is a very informative short film that explains the history of the mine and everything it entails, a large and well laid out museum, and gift shop all within the visitor’s center. Surprisingly, the entire experience is free! We did, however, pay a small fee of $4.50 per person so that we could pan for gold afterwards. You can also pay a small amount for a guided tour if you choose.

We walked a beautiful outdoor path, through blossoming trees and a creek to the mine itself. It was quite astonishing. Had I known what to expect, I would’ve come here sooner! Entering the mine proper was like taking steps backwards in time. We could barely imagine the hard labor that people endured almost 200 years to create this mine and dig for gold. Hint: Although it was in the high 70’s outdoors, it was easily 30 degrees cooler in the mine.

After exiting the mine, we walked the well marked paths to explore other parts of the property which included a mill house and a pump house (I think). We then went to gold panning site for our 2:00 p.m. appointment and were greeted by two kind young men who gave us thorough instructions on how to properly pan for gold. After I immediately forgot and disregarded their instructions, one of the young men came over to reiterate and show me what I was doing wrong. And then…I found gold! 🤗

My precious gold flake was placed into a small vial, filled with water, for safe keeping. We were informed that 1 out of 10 guests find gold. I found some and wasn’t even paying attention! Imagine what I could’ve found had I been a more attentive student! 😩

We highly recommend this experience. It was unique and like no other. The mine was incredible and offers some unique photo experiences, as well as an opportunity to cool off...