Smoky Mountain Gold & Ruby Mine

This was such a fun stop. We had never ever panned at a “gem mine” before and it was exciting to discover amethysts, garnets, topaz and more. They say there’s also a chance to find rubies, emeralds and sapphires in the mining process as well.  We also took our finds to the Assay office for identification and loved that part of the process as well – don’t skip that!

Their gift shop is full of beautiful jewelry and gifts, plus you can actually have your gemstones cut and mounted into jewelry of your choice as well. That makes a fun souvenir! 

Fun fact: All of the gems are originally mined there in Franklin North Carolina.