Chimney Rock Gemstone Mine

My husband and I came to Chimney Rock for the BBQ and Gem mining but due to my breathing health I called ahead and asked if they could put together a gem bucket to go. They said yes and I told them I’d call the day before my arrival. The day of travel I forgot to call them. We arrived in Chimney Rock after dark, so the next day (Thursday Feb 8th) I went into the store asked them if I could get a bucket to go, the lady I spoke with sent me downstairs to the gem mine…OH MY WOW, impressed to say the least. The young guy I talked to was very helpful and very nice. I had $100 to spend so I got the emerald bucket and told him I’d be back in 2hrs since my husband wanted BBQ. After we had the most amazing BBQ, hubby went to the room and I went bag to the gem mine. I was able to look around the store and ended up also purchasing a book and a few personal crystals. He had my bucket ready and carried it to the car. I can’t stress enough how nice he was. I wish I was in better breathing health I would have loved to sit down in the mine with the sifters and chat with him because I had the place to myself. My suggestion is to go off season on a week day and you can probably walk out of there with so much gem information and knowledge. Anyway that’s how this guy made me feel, you could tell he likes where he works, Fast forward to earlier today (Saturday) I sifted through my bucket and all I can say is he put together a fantastic bucket and I feel this bucket was put together with such amazing intentions and not like I was bothering him for even asking for a bucket to go. I wish I could figure out how to post pictures with this review but I don’t have that option so you’ll have to take my word for it. The bucket had a bunch of nice size smaller ones and 3 larger stones that were the size of my fist. One of which was a very unique gem that looks like it has a face in it.
I’ve been to a handful of Gem mines from East Coast to Arizona and one of them I’ve visited twice with that being said I read the reviews after I got home from here and found out it’s pet friendly also. OH yes I’ll be back when the weather is better on my breathing with my dogs and my husband. I’ll be sitting at the table sifting through the mega bucket. I can’t wait to come back. Thank you so much for a great experience. Now for the upstairs and the ladies in the gift shop, I know I mentioned this in the beginning of the review but the lady I spoke with was so helpful and very nice. I have alot of nervous anxiety and she told me which crystals I should focus on and then I walked around and looked at everything, Every one in the town that we met were all nice to us. Again I repeat, can’t wait to come back. Edited: found out how to post pictures.

Had a really great experience here. You get a lot for the money and the staff was super helpful and knowledgeable. My favorite part about this place is that they are dog friendly! Definitely will be back when it’s a little warmer!

We usually go downstairs to the gem mine but today the sale on sterling silver jewelery was to good to pass up. Excellent customer service,

Bosts a retail showroom and the largest selection of sterling silver jewelry in Western North Carolina. You will also find fossils, minerals, rock décor, rings, earrings, bracelets, pendants, gold and silver gemstone jewelry and natural stone jewelery and childrens gifts.

Lots of fun! We got a ton of awesome pieces. The guy that helped us was kind and knowledgeable ☺

My boyfriend and I looked through the store, and were slightly interested in doing the gem mining. One of the ladies informed us of a coupon that they have, where it’s $5 off of a $30 bucket or more. So we got the Family bucket. We headed downstairs to the gem mining area, and the person that rung us up was super friendly. The experience itself was really interesting. We got some pretty neat stuff. They have signs all over the place with examples of rocks you could get, and they also give you a nice card with pictures as well. All in all, we had a really nice experience, and the people that were working were very nice and said we got some good stuff.

Wonderful little gem mining attraction for the kiddos. Very rustic and fun looking, and the people working here were very friendly and accommodating. Had a great time!

We just stopped in here today and did a little gem mining. They have some reasonable prices for all kinds of bucket sizes. The little kids and big kids alike all had fun stopping in and doing some gem mining. The upstairs houses the gift and souvenir shop and downstairs outside is where they have things set up for doing the gem mining with the water troughs. The lady downstairs was very friendly and helpful getting us set up and also helped crack open a geo stone for one of our kids. The lady upstairs in the gift shop was nice as well. They have a large selection of stoneware jewelry and other items. If you’re in Chimney Rock and looking for gem mining then this is your place.

Class A rock shop. They have such an astounding array of gems and minerals from around the world, natural form and crafted alike. You can tell that they really enjoy what they do, there's a lot of thought and care out into everything from the layout of the store, the displays, and the sheer volume and complexity of stones they have available. The staff is knowledgeable and very helpful. Also, there's a second store across the street!

PS: you can go swim in the river out back! Absolute perfect place for a rock nerd like me

We loved this place. My kid is a rock hound and we tried all the places, this was the best. The best value, the best staff, and the best location.
Totally recommend!!

I got this entire bowl for just 60 dollars! Honestly an amazing price for how much you get. There plenty of options and the people who work there seem to love their jobs. I had a great conversation with them and they were very kind.

Our second visit and once again this wonderful place didn't disappoint! We spent well over an hour digging through our buckets and enjoying our chat with the brilliant Steve of course! We drove all the way from Virginia Beach to visit, and will likely do so again! Great place and worth the money! 5 stars! I would give 100 stars if I could!!!!

This was a fun visit. The staff at the main location were awesome. At the second branch, no so much. The main branch, where the mining happens, which is downstairs from the upstairs gift shop, the staff are nice. The gentleman who was working is a geologist and he was enjoying himself with the stones seeing what people were finding and helping identify the stones. He had tons of knowledge to share if you were really interested. His knowledge and willing to share it, made this an even more enjoyable visit. Like with anyone who enjoys something and someone else does to, the conversation takes a turn to a more positive when you share a common interest. Always does.

The facility was clean and the chance of getting dirty was minimum. You might get splashed by the water from your own accord, but nothing bad. It was comfortable outside in the panning area. They had large charts mounted where you could see and help yourself ID some of the stones.

The mix bucket here did not have as much as I thought it would. It was guaranteed to have a geode in side, which it did. Only had 2 fossils and a bunch of stones, as you can see in the pics. Found a tiny piece of emerald. Might have to try that emerald, ruby, and sapphire bucket next time.

The buckets are possibly seeded. Which means, they set the buckets up with certain stone types and items. They do not know exactly how much of each stone type are in each bucket, but they have a rough idea of what is possibly in each. This is something that upsets some people. If you are one, then don't go. Don't ruin it with your negativity for others. Let people go and visit and enjoy it for what it is. Something fun and different to do that most won't ever do in their lives. Let it spark their curiosity about stones and geology. Let it get them thinking about back in history when people would go hunting for stones and what they had to do.

The town is small and a nice visit. Behind the shop is a path that leads to a creek that you can visit. Be careful on the rocks. Due to the sand in the area, most shoe types will slip on the rocks when you come off the bridge. Make sure you have a shoe type that has grip and tread. If you don't, take your time and slide down on your bottom to prevent having an injury. The creek is pretty to see and you can see chimney rock park on the other side of it.

Loved it again! Came back four months later and definitely not disappointed!! We absolutely love the staff and love their knowledge, we feel appreciated here as rockhounds!
Absolutely wonderful experience! We could of hung out with these guys all day!! Knowledgeable hilarious and extremely kind!! Highly recommend

Gem mining here is great. The buckets are filled with all sorts of stone. If you can swing it, would suggest the larger cans. Larger stones and more of them. Steve is very knowledgeable and is great with the customers. Here are some of the larger stones we have found.

Had a great experience. Kyle was very helpful and knowledgeable. Every time we have people from out of town we take them to Chimney Rock Gemstone Mine. This was our first time getting the Ultra Mega Bucket. It did not disappoint.

K and jellie love to go here and find some gems hidden in n the sand! We went and got a very large bucket that they split. K wanted a geode so bad and she hoped the whole time she would get one. Guess what she found one was beyond excited! She is ready to go back we went late Sunday and they take there last guest at 730 pm. We were late so we will catch them next time.

This is a great family activity! We were especially impressed that the gentleman gave us a step and shovel for our toddler to join in on the fun (with a promise of supervision). We will definitely stop here again when we visit Chimney Rock!

So glad we went to this place before we leave Asheville. There’s a coupon on the brochure from the hotel and we choose the family bucket. We had a lot of fun finding gem stones! There was a guy super friendly and gave my son a mega teeth and a sapphire to me. I just want to say thank you and it really made our day!!

My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit. We were treated like royalty. We bought the family sized bucket, which contained some beautiful gems. Ray was very informative and knowledgeable about geology. Ray rocks! We will definitely return if we are back in the area.

Great place, huge finds and lovely setting. Kids had a blast, was their first time. Will certainly return. Swing for the bigger buckets, you'll get more bang for buck