Mining

Rose Creek Mine   ( 48 minutes from the cabin)

 Operating since 1952, this mine  is one of 3 state licensed gem mines in Macon County, North Carolina. Located   in the heart of the Smoky Mountains  you can mine for Ruby, Sapphire, Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine, Moonstone, Topaz, Smoky Quartz, Rose Quartz, Quartz Crystals and more!
They provide everything you need and they offer help for beginners.  You can dig your own dirt in the mining tunnel and wash the dirt away in our covered flume or buy the already filled buckets full of rocks.  
This happens to be our family's favorite mine. We used to go there every year for at least 10 years.
115 Terrace Ridge Drive
Franklin, NC 28734
828-349-3774


***For a list of all the mines in Franklin click here
They are all around 35 to 45 minutes from the cabin.



Consolidated Gold Mine   (1:17 minutes from cabin)

Click for video 

Underground Tours available 7 days a week.  

Travel 200 feet underground and 100 years back in time!

Looking for something fun to do in Dahlonega?  Want a unique vacation destination?  Well look no further than Consolidated Gold Mines, North Georgia’s only underground experience in a REAL GOLD MINE!
You and your family will enjoy a 40 minute Underground Adventure of a REAL Mine with one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff members. As you descend the stairs, you will hear tales of miner’s struggles to uncover gold deep within large quartz veins. Your tour guide welcomes interaction from the group as you experience life as a miner at the turn-of -the-century.
After your tour, you will receive gold panning instructions from some of the best panners in the world, having won numerous awards in the field. Then you will get a chance to try if for yourself and hopefully you’ll strike it rich!  All paid admissions get a FREE Gold Panning Sample.
The Mines remain at a comfortable 60 degrees year round. As a reminder, this is a walking tour. Guests enter the mine via three flights of stairs and two ramps. Strollers are not permitted in the Mine. Pets are not permitted. Tennis shoes are recommended and closed toed shoes are a must! Flip Flops are not permitted for the Underground Adventure.

Tour Pricing

40 minute Underground Gold Mine Tour includes

FREE Gold  Panning

Adults – $16.00 (tax included)

Children (4-14 years) – $11.00 (tax included)

Gold Panning is included with the Underground Adventure Tour! Children 3 and under are free, however, keep in mind the length of the tour and the comfort of our other guests.

 

Dahlonega Gold Rush (1:19 minutes from cabin) 

Click here for directions

"Gold was first discovered in the Dahlonega area in 1828, twenty years before the Gold Rush to California. When it was discovered it was completely by accident – when a deer hunter, Benjamin Parks, tripped over a rock 2 ½ miles south of what is now Dahlonega. He got to looking at it and it was full of gold. Within one year’s time some 15,000 miners heard about that and rushed to find some gold for themselves. At that time there was so much gold in and around Dahlonega that it laid on top of the ground, washing off the mountainsides for centuries."