Both of my sons were obsessed with collecting rocks. Actually, I can honestly say that my almost nine year-old is still obsessed with them. The key giveaway? He wants to be a geologist when he grows up.
When my boys were little, any time we went for a walk or a hike, which as you remember was super often due to the timing of our move to North Carolina during the Covid shutdown, we came home with a handful of treasures. These treasures included walking sticks, cicada shells, acorn tops, feathers and always at least one rock or stone.
So when a friend of mine mentioned that the Emerald Hollow Mine in Hiddenite was only an hour away and allowed you to actually mine for emerald and other gems, we just knew it was our next family outing. And boy did it not disappoint!
Hiddenite is a small town in North Carolina that is recognized as one of the most unique and interesting geological locations in North America. It is even named after the fourth rarest gemstone in the world, hiddenite! It hosts more than sixty different types of naturally occurring gems and minerals including emerald, aquamarine, sapphire, garnet, topaz, amethyst, citrine, rutile and tourmaline.
There are three different ways to gem mine at the Emerald Hollow Mine. Sluicing is the most popular and easiest method. Plus the kids seem to like this one the best as there is the littlest amount of work for the highest volume of cool gems!
When you choose sluicing you get to pick a bucket of pre-filled dirt with authentic gemstones and minerals from around the world. Then use a covered sluice way to wash and sift out the gems. Buckets cost between five dollars and a thousand dollars depending on how many gems you want to uncover, and the size of them.
The boys still love sluicing and finding huge gemstones to cover the shelves and dressers in their rooms.
Another method of mining at the Emerald Hollow Mine is exploring the creek. In order to mine in the creek you need to purchase a permit, but it’s only ten dollars for kids.
I’m not going to lie to you. We have never found a gem bigger than the size of a dime in the creek. The staff says that it’s a great place for a big find. But unfortunately that hasn’t been the case for the Hopkins Household.
But my boys to a creek are like moths to a flame. They love jumping and playing around in the water. Moving around the rocks to uncover potential gems. Poking different parts of the riverbank with sticks. They could spend hours in the Emerald Hollow Mine creek exploring.
And the final way to gem mine is digging. With little ones I wouldn’t recommend. Although the story behind why you can dig there is pretty cool.
The Emerald Hollow Mine is where five different events of tectonic plates collided and ripped apart simultaneously to create voids and cracks. This allowed for liquid magma to fill and form mineral rich veins as it cooled over a long period of time.
Due to this geological anomaly, finding the best spot to dig is a shot in the dark. You may have to hike a bit to find real gems, and dig pretty far into the earth.
I’ve only tried digging once with the littles and it wasn’t my favorite experience. Trying to carry the buckets, shovels and children once they got tired was just too much for me!
We’ve been back to Hiddenite for gem mining many times. And have even gotten the opportunity to gem mine in other locations.
The boys absolutely have a ball uncovering rare and beautifully colored stones. We have even made necklaces and key chains from the gems, so you get another fun crafting activity after mining.
I highly recommend this family outing. Especially if your house is currently filled with mundane treasures that could use a little color.
