Rock Hounds and Gems seekers like the Hiddenite and Franklin Mines for the family fun experience!

Hiddenite Gem Mine Inc.

Guests at Brown Mountain Lodge and Creekside Cabin enjoy Rock Hounding for Gemstones.  The applachains are some the oldest mountains in the world.  These creeks and streams have exposed veins of gemstones and if you are lucky enough and know how to find them they are here.  For vacationers we we reccommend the mines in Franklin NC and Hiddenite NC.  Chances of finding a family treasure are there and the experience is great.  Lifetime memories for kids and adults enjoy and treasure thier finds too.

                                               Franklin Gem Mines:

For the memorable Mountain Vacation fun for all ages come to the Wilson Creek Wild and Scenic Gorge and you never know you may stumble upon a tally whacker gem of your own.

         List of Gem Mines for your Rock Hounding Mountain Adventure:

Gem Mines 
BooneFoggy Mountain Gem Mine
About: Mostly imported gem ore from Brazil
Address: 4416 Highway 105 South, Boone NC 28607
Telephone: 828-963-4367
Travel Time From Asheville: 2-2^1/2 hours west.
River and Earth Adventures, Inc Gem Mine
About: 90% imported gem ore from Brazil, some from local mines
Address: 1655 Highway 105, Boone NC 28607
Telephone: 800-411-7238, 828-963-5491
Travel Time From Asheville: 2-2^1/2 hours west.

CantonOld Pressley Sapphire Mine
About: World's largest blue star sapphires were found at this mine. Only native gemstone ore.
Address: 240 Old Pressley Mine Road, Canton NC 28716
Telephone: 828-648-6320
Travel Time From Asheville: 45 minutes west.

FoscoeThe Greater Foscoe Mining Co.
About: Indoor and outdoor flume gem mining.  Native gem ore enriched with imported.
Address: 8998 Highway 105 South, Foscoe NC 28604
Telephone: 828-963-5928
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours east

Franklin
Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine
About: Only native gemstone ore from the Cowee Valley.
Address: 41 Cherokee Mine Road, Franklin NC 28734
Telephone: 828-349-2941
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours west

Cowee Mountain Ruby Mine
About: Native and imported gem ore .
Address: 6771 Sylva Road, Franklin NC 28734
Telephone: 828-369-5271
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours west

Gem Mine at Gem World
About: Imported gem ore only from five different countries.
Address: 1884 Georgia Road, Franklin NC 28734
Telephone: 828-349-5411
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours west

Gold City Gem Mine
About: Native and imported gem ore, gold panning.
Address: 9410 Sylva Road, Franklin NC 28734
Telephone: 800-713-7767, 828-369-3905
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours west

Mason's Ruby & Sapphire Mine
About: Native gem ore where you dig your dirt from their own mine. 
Address: 6961 Upper Burningtown Road, Franklin NC 28734
Telephone: 828-369-9742
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours west

Mason Mountain Mine & Cowee Gift Shop
About: Native gem ore where you dig your dirt from their own mine. Also enriched buckets with imported ore.
Address: 5315 Bryson City Road, Franklin NC 28734
Telephone: 828-524-4570
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours west

Rose Creek Mine
About: Native gem ore where you dig your own dirt from their own mine.
Address: 115 Terrace Ridge Drive, Franklin NC 28734
Telephone: 828-349-3774
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours west

Sheffield Mine
About: Native ruby and sapphire gem ore from their own mine.
Address: 385 Sheffield Farms Road, Franklin NC 28734
Telephone: 828-369-8383
Travel Time From Asheville: 2 hours west

HendersonvilleElijah Mountain Gem Mine
About: Imported gem ore only.
Address: 2120 Brevard Road, Hendersonville NC 28739
Telephone: 828-693-3123
Travel Time From Asheville: 30 minutes south
 HiddeniteEmerald Hollow Mine
About: Native gem ore, including emeralds, from their own mine.
Address: 484 Emerald Hollow Mine Drive, Hiddenite NC 28636
Telephone: 866-600-4367
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 -1^1/2 hours east

Jefferson
Gem Valley NCAbout: Native gem ore, some imported
Address: 2489 Little Peak Creek Road, Jefferson NC 28640
Telephone: 336-982-5177
Travel Time From Asheville: 3 hours east

MarionHeather Grove Gold & Gem Panning
About: Native and imported gem ores and local gold
Address: 43 Polly Spout Road, Marion NC 28752
Telephone: 828-738-3573
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 hour east

The Lucky Strike Gold and Gem MineAbout: Native and imported gem ores, gold panning in the Second Broad River. Campground.
Address: 251 Lucky Strike Lane, Marion NC 28752
Telephone: 828-738-4893
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 hour east
Little Switzerland:
The Emerald Mine of Little SwitzerlandAbout: Native and imported gem ore, two dig sites.
Address: 74 George Street off of McKinney Mine Road, Little Switzerland NC 28749
Telephone: 828-765-6832
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 -1^1/2 hours east
Spruce Pine:Emerald Village
About: Native gem ore from their mine and other area mines.
Address: 331 McKinney Mine Road, Spruce Pine NC 28777
Telephone: 828-765-6463, 828-765-0000
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 -1^1/2 hours east

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine
About: Covered flumes. Gem ore brought in daily from mines.
Address: Highway 226, Spruce Pine NC 28777
Telephone: 888-817-5829
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 -1^1/2 hours east

Rio Doce Gem Mine
About: Native and imported (Brazil) gem ore
Address: 14622 Highway 226 South, Spruce Pine NC 28777
Telephone: 828-765-2099
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 -1^1/2 hours east

Spruce Pine Gemstone Mine
About: Native gem ore from local gem mines.
Address: 15090 Highway 226 South, Spruce Pine NC 28777
Telephone: 828-765-7981
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 -1^1/2 hours east

Union MillsThermal City Gold Mine
About: Panning for gold from ore from their site. Gem ore from native and imported sources.
Address: 5240 US Highway 221 North, Union Mills NC 28167
Telephone: 828-286-3016
Travel Time From Asheville: 1 -1^1/2 hours southeast

Gem Shops

Asheville
The Silver Armadillo West Gate Shopping Center, Asheville NC; 828-253-3020
Franklin
Burglens Natural Gems 5868 Sylva Road, Franklin NC 28744; 828-524-9171
Cowee Gift Shop 5315 Bryson City Road, 828-524-4570
Cowee Mountain Ruby Mine & Gift Shop 6771 Sylva Road, Franklin NC 28734, 828-369-571
Franklin Gemstone & Jewelry Warehouse 3002 Georgia Road, Franklin NC 28734, 828-524-6132
Gold City Jewelry & Gem Shop 9410 Sylva Road, Franklin NC 28734, 828-369-3905
Ruby City Gems & Minerals 130 East Main Street, Franklin NC 28734; 828-524-3967
Tari's RokGem 1884 Georgia Road, Franklin NC 28734; 828-349-5411

            For Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals homes in the Wilson Creek Wild and Scenic River Gorge:

                                                 Brown Mountain Lodge Cabin Rentals click here

BML

CCC

CCC outdoor lounge

BML covered Grill area

White Water rafting adventure on Wilson Creek River

Ten Foot Falls into the "bath tub" at Wilson Creek

Wahoo Adventures funyak White Water experience is a Brown Mountain Lodge and Creekside Cozy Cabin guest favorite excursion! Book your mountain cabin in the Wilson Creek Wild and Scenic River Gorge!

BML

CCC

   Brown Mountain Lodge Cabin rentals link to home page

  Here is a video from Wahoo's Website on the Wilson Creek fun excursion down the river. 

Experience Wilson Creek Gorge  Class V Whitewater Rafting with Wahoo's Fun Adventures! Best Vacation Rental Homes in the Gorge can be seen at Brown Mountain Lodge Cabin Rentals: River Gorge Cabin Rentals click here Wilson Creek’s dramatic vertical drop provides thrills every inch of the way but this unique river can only be run during the spring and early summer when the water levels are up. It’s a guided trip with safety measures being taken all the way. We make this run in single and tandem inflatable funyacks. They give paddlers a feel for the kayaking experience while providing a more stable platform in negotiating the drops, holes and eddys. All of Wahoo’s guests receive a thirty minute safety instruction on how to negotiate the river, what to expect and how the guides will communicate with signals as the expedition heads downstream. The adventure begins at the “School House” rapid where experienced and first time paddlers are given a 30-minute safety course on negotiating the challenging run and paddling techniques. Then it’s on to “Final Exam” where folks can practice their new found skills and the fun begins! First up is “Ten Foot Falls”, an exhilarating drop over a waterfall. Hear the churning roar of the rapids as you lose sight of the horizon and plunge into a churning pool below. Best to run this rapid straight down the middle and you won’t get dumped. But if you do, don’t worry there are guides posted along the banks with throw ropes to help you out. This is also a spot where a lot of local residents like to come out and watch the intrepid plunges. After all the boats have cleared the waterfall it’s on to the “Maze” which challenges your agility weaving in and out of the rock obstacles that emerge from the riverbed. The “Little Edge of the World” is the next gateway for two six-foot drops: “Double-suck” and “Stonehenge”. Both are quick and seem fairly easy but take a look back and you’ll appreciate what you just accomplished. But you better turn-around quick because you starting to shoot through “Thunder Hole”, a narrow-Class IV that will make you feel like a log down a flume. It’s time to take a break and recharge all that spent energy with Wahoo’s signature riverbank buffet. It’s a specially prepared deli lunch featuring premium cold cuts, cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, raw veggies, fruits, chips and homemade desserts. Once the boats are back in the water, the expedition is off to little “Edge of the World”, shallow-water class IV featuring seven foot drops over boulders and bedrock. Next stop is playtime at the “7 boat surf” where guests can turn their funyacks upstream against the current and simultaneously ride the wave. This is where the most fun can be had on the river. But soon afterwards its time to focus again as more Class V water is ahead with “Triple Drop”, considered the best rapid on the river. It has an 18-foot stair step with very little room for mistakes. Make sure you paddle fast and hard keeping the nose of the boat down river. You’ll get dumped if you hit the third drop rapid sideways; it’s a real boat muncher. Don’t relax yet because you still have to make it through “Fat Lady Squeeze” a tight fit between a narrow rock jumble before a short portage over a bad hole known as “Maytag”. Congratulations! You’re now three-quarters of the way down the river and conquered difficult drops and holes but you’re still facing one of the biggest challenges of the day, “Five Falls”. Its three hundred yards of cascading drops, back to back class IV and V waterfalls, and gnarly hydraulics. First you hit “Screaming Left” which sends you careening into an eighteen foot sloping waterfall known as “Razorback”. Another hair-raising spot on the river is “George’s Hole”; a mean hydraulic that will wad up your funyack and spin you into a pool created by a natural rock formation and appropriately named “Bathtub”. The last major rapid before the take-out is a z-shaped run called “Log Flume” and more fun than an amusement park as you zigzag through boulders. You’re finally at the take-out and it’s just a short hike to the access road where your vehicle is parked. This also a good opportunity for a picnic or basking in the sun on the large rocks dotting the riverbank. Wahoo’s Adventures (Headquartered just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Boone/Blowing Rock, NC) is the proud founder of commercial trips on Wilson’s Creek and our imaginative guides are responsible for the exotic naming of the rapids. Safety is our top priority but our mission is to make sure all our guests have a fun and memorable experience. After a terrific day on the water Grill and do a little Chillaxing on under our covered decks or Cozy Cabins: Website link for vacation homes in the Wilson Creek Wild and Scenic River Gorge click here. CCC outdoor covered firepit CCC outdoor covered lounge area BML Fire pit and Gas Grill Newly added Charcoal Grill