Gem and Mineral Vacations for Rock Lovers and their Families
Most mines are seasonal. Be sure to check their websites for dates and times mines are open.
| COUNTRY | STATE | CITY | WEBSITE | WHAT to DO | Notes of Interest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | AR | Murfreesboro | Crater of Diamonds State Park | One of the few places the public can dig for diamonds. | Dress to get dirty, bring your own equipment or you can rent tools. Good luck! | |
| USA | CA | Coalinga | Benitoite Mine | Search for one of the worlds rarest gems. | Let me know if you have been! | |
| USA | CA | Big Sur | Jade Cove Trail | Public hiking trail. No tools allowed and you can only take what you can carry. | ||
| USA | MT | Butte | The World Museum of Mining | Exhibits and underground mine tour | Let me know if you have been! | |
| USA | MT | Philipsburg | Gem Moutain Sapphire Mine. | Shift through sapphire ore looking for gems. Will also mail you a bag if you can't come to them. | Let me know if you have been! | |
| USA | NC | Franklin | Mason's Ruby and Sapphire Mine | Native dig for sapphires and rubies, or get an enriched bucket. | ||
| USA | NC | Little Switzerland | Emerald Village | Mine tour, gold and enriched bucket panning, dump pile to dig in and gift shop | ||
| USA | NC | Marion | Linville Caverns | Privately owned active limestone caverns open to the public | ||
| USA | NC | Midland | Reed Gold Mine | Exhibits and you can pan for gold. Kid friendly! | ||
| USA | NC | Spruce Pine | NC Gem Fest | Hunt for opals in big dump pile. Plan to camp out and do some hiking while you are there. | ||
| USA | NV | Virgin Valley | Bonanza Opal Mine | Ususally held the first weekend in August. | Bring water and sunscreen. The fresh lemonade is awesome. Right off the Great Smoky Mountains Parkway with trails and waterfalls. Museum of NC Minerals is also close by and worth a visit. | |
| USA | NY | Herkimer | Herkimer Diamond Mines | Mine for double terminated quartz that are bright and sparkle like diamonds. | ||
| USA | TN | Chattanooga | Ruby Falls | Deepest underground waterfall open to the public | No rubies, it was named for the wife of the man who discovered the cave. Wear a sweater, it gets chilly down there! | |
| USA | VA | Amelia | Morefield Gem Mine | Mine for amazonite and other minerals by dump pile digging and sluice. |