Emerald Village - Gem Mines North Carolina

Here are the top activities and exhibits at Emerald Village. Click on them for more information and photos!

NC Mining Museum

The North Carolina Mining Museum is a part of Emerald Village and thousands of visitors come every year to go underground into a real mine. The NC Mining Museum consists of two parts, the Visitor Center and the historic Bon Ami Mine. The Visitor Center..

The Gemstone Mine

One of the most exciting aspects about Emerald Village is the opportunity to prospect for gems and keep what you find. The special thing that sets Emerald Village apart from all the other “gem mines” is that we do it in real mines that have produced a v...

Gold Panning

Did you know that the first place gold was discovered in the United States was in North Carolina? Did you know that North Carolina was the leading producer of gold in the United States until the California Gold Rush? Did you know gold has been...

Discovery Mill Building

One of the most picturesque aspects of Emerald Village is the Discovery Mill building, which climbs up the mountain overlooking The Gemstone Mine . This fanciful building was inspired by the historic mill building that stood right across the road in...

Mineral Collecting

Mineral Collecting at Emerald Village For decades rock hounds from all over the world visited the McKinney Mines to collect many different types of rocks and minerals. However, for the last 30+ years the dumps have been closed to collecting. Recently, t...

Crabtree Emerald Mine

Dig Your Own at the Crabtree Emerald Mine One of the unique experiences available to the visitor to Emerald Village is the opportunity to prospect and dig for emeralds in the dumps at the Crabtree Emerald Mine. This mine produced emeralds from 1895...

Black Light Mine Tour

Looking for an experience that’s “out of this world”? Emerald Village offers nighttime underground mine tours that unlock vibrant hidden colors available only under ultraviolet light, commonly called black light. The brilliant coatings in the Bon Ami M...
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<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-795" src="http://www.emeraldvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/nc-mining-featured-150x150.jpg" alt="nc-mining-featured" width="150" height="150" />NC Mining Museum

<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-794" src="http://www.emeraldvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/gemstone-mine-featued-150x150.jpg" alt="gemstone-mine-featued" width="150" height="150" />The Gemstone Mine

<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-792" src="http://www.emeraldvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/gold-pan-featured-150x150.jpg" alt="gold-pan-featured" width="150" height="150" />Gold Panning

<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-791" src="http://www.emeraldvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/discovery_mill_featured-150x150.jpg" alt="discovery_mill_featured" width="150" height="150" />Discovery Mill Building

<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-798" src="http://www.emeraldvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/mineral-collecting-featured-150x150.jpg" alt="mineral-collecting-featured" width="150" height="150" />Mineral Collecting

<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-241" src="http://www.emeraldvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/fader-crab-150x150.jpg" alt="fader-crab" width="150" height="150" />Crabtree Emerald Mine

<img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-796" src="http://www.emeraldvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/EV-Blacklight-featured-150x150.jpg" alt="EV-Blacklight-featured" width="150" height="150" />Black Light Mine Tour