North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains Outside Asheville Hides A Family-Friendly Gem Mine For Affordable Fun

Part of the Appalachian Mountains, the Blue Ridge range stretches more than 550 miles, from southern Pennsylvania to northeastern Georgia. In North Carolina, more than 250 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway pass through mountain towns with access to trails and scenic overlooks. Dig beneath the scenery, however, and some of the Blue Ridge Mountains' best hidden gems are quite literally... hidden gems.

California may be synonymous with the Gold Rush, a history still visible in former mining towns such as Jamestown, California. But, in fact, North Carolina's gold rush began around half a century earlier. In 1799, 12-year-old Conrad Reed discovered a 17-pound gold nugget around 30 miles from Charlotte, which sparked America's first gold rush. North Carolina went on to lead the country in gold production until California's 1848 discovery of gold ended its reign. Gold isn't the only treasure hiding beneath North Carolina's soil, however; the state recognizes the emerald as its official precious stone, while rubies, sapphires, and other gemstones are also found here.

Today, gem mining can make for a fun, affordable family activity during a Blue Ridge Mountains getaway. At Rockhound Ridge Gem Mine and Rock Shop in Sylva, about an hour west of Asheville, an Appalachian city with plenty of its own family-friendly attractions, families can pick out treasure buckets of emeralds, opals, rubies, and sapphires or even fossils such as shark teeth, brachiopods, ammonites, and trilobites. Prices range from $5 buckets all the way to $1,000 barrels. Then, it's off to the races — or rather, sluices – which are water-filled troughs used for gem mining. Here, kids and adults of all ages can sift through their buckets and watch colorful stones emerge as the sand and gravel wash away.

No geology expertise is required at Rockhound Ridge. After the buckets have been sifted, the friendly staff can help identify the finds. One Google reviewer said the staff "took such good care of [her] and [her] kiddos," who couldn't stop talking about their new treasures afterward. Another reviewer called Rockhound Ridge the "highlight of our trip" and singled out staff member Wayne for his "depth of knowledge of the stones and the chemistry behind their development," adding that he "made the experience extraordinary." A senior Tripadvisor reviewer had just as much fun, declaring, "this place rocks!" and describing feeling "like kids in a candy shop."

A favorite gemstone doesn't have to disappear into a drawer after the trip, either. Rockhound Ridge can cut and polish gemstones and turn them into jewelry. Finished pieces arrive by mail four to six weeks later. For something faster, staff can wire-wrap a raw gemstone into a pendant in under 15 minutes, with prices ranging from $15 to $35. Jewelry options aren't limited to bucket finds; the shop sells gemstones that can be set in a ring, pendant, or pair of earrings, alongside ready-made handmade, estate, and commercial jewelry.

Plan to spend around one to two hours at Rockhound Ridge before taking the family further into the Blue Ridge Mountains. From there, Burnsville, which is known as the "Hiking Capital of Western North Carolina," is another family-friendly stop around 80 miles north of Rockhound Ridge, with Asheville halfway along the route.