We arrived at Mason's Mines on a cool October morning, not ever having mined for gems before. Wesley met us and explained the process to us and before we could get started, Pete, the owner joined us and set us set up. We trudged up the hill, dug our own dirt , and trudged back down the hill. This was... more

My family and I just returned from a fantastic Mining expedition. My wife and I had as much fun as our two sons, 5 years and 3 years, had a great time all day. We arrived at 10am and left at 3:30pm. Yes, that's 5 hours of entertainment for kids (and adults) outside, digging dirt, hauling buckets, and cleaning rocks.... more

This was my first trip to any gem mine. I drove for over ten hours from St. Louis Missouri to the mine. Since it was such a long drive I researched it as much as possible to make sure I had the best experience for my daughter (9) my son (7) my wife (not saying) and myself. I am a... more

This was not our first trip to digging in the dirt to fine gems, but it will be our last at Mason Mines. We went though several buckets and found very little teeny tiny stones that you needed a magnifying glass to see them, much less even think about having them cut. It was not only our experience in finding... more

For two summers now my family has went to Mason's Mine and dug in the dirt, gotten dirty and always came out with sapphires in our bags. My mom loves it there and its my dads favorite part of vacation. Our first time there only had a few people at the mines and Norman and Coleman talked with us all... more

The people there are amazing! Coleman, Keith, Pete, and Patsy are your new best friends as you play in dirt all day long!! Don't know what your doing? No worries.. The whole staff will help you at all times!! It is the greatest thing I have ever experienced and you do not want to miss out!!! It is not a... more

We went twice to this fun place. At first, I thought $30.00/per person was a lot of money, but we spent the whole day entertained on that small amount. The guys and one gal who work there were all so friendly and helpful. Thanks to Pete, Keith, Coleman, for all your help finding our sapphires. We ended up with enough... more

After much research, anticipation and windy roads, we finally got to go mining. We pulled in and were greated by blue grass music, outhouses and a little shack. We met Pete, the owner of the mine. He got us set up and explained what we were looking for. We really liked this mine because you can dig your own dirt.... more

We traveled to Franklin, NC after seeing it on the Travel Channel as a place to mine rubies and sapphires. We stopped at Ruby City Gems (WOW! what a selection) and asked about the local mines and picked up a map. We were interested in mining at an "unsalted" mine (which means they don't add other gems in - which... more