Fun time! We lived in Cherokee for a while and all we did was go here to mine! It is seasonal, so if you are going to be in Cherokee in the winter months you will not be able to go. It is something that we enjoyed doing and we found some pretty amazing gems. They also offer to make... More

We spent the afternoon mining for gems and we had a great time, despite the cold. Maria was super helpful in showing us what to look for and even went through our discards to make sure we didn't miss anything. I almost threw out a 37 carat pink star sapphire because it was broken and did not have a hexagonal... More

Everyone was very nice and helpful. We LOVED it ! The staff was more than happy to be of service since this was our first time to the mine and to show us what we needed to look for in our panning troughs.

We spent several hours mining for gems at Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire Mine and loved it. We actually left to go eat lunch, and then came back. The people running the place are as friendly and helpful as can be, and they will show you what to look for. We did find some small, worthwhile gems that day...including the Cherokee... More

My mother, daughter and I recently visited Cherokee Ruby & Sapphire Mine on our way to Georgia. I'll admit I was a little skeptical when we pulled up, but after spending time at the sluice-way and talking to the staff I'll be returning on my next mining trip. I wouldn't recommend this mine for small children, because this native mine... More

We went here along with several other mines in the area. This one is more realistic and you can pan through the dirt they have in buckets to find your gems. It's much more challenging than the other salted places which load gems into buckets for you. But if you have little kids, they may not have the patience for... More

Cherokee ruby and sapphire mine is the only place in North America, open to the public, that allows you to search for rubies. The other gem mines in the area only contain sapphires. The stones found here are very pretty and usually whole, not broken. The owner, Maria, really cares for her customers and for her business. This fact is... More

We went to the Cherokee Ruby and Sapphire mine because it was within walking distance of our cabin. We had a great time gem mining, we thought it was very relaxing. Our 4 y/o nephew came along and he had a lot of fun. We were surprised at how helpful the staff was. They had us put all of our... More

This trip was our first to the gem mining region around Franklin. We sought a mine that did not "salt," or add, gems to the mix. Whatever we found was just as nature placed it. The price was, we thought, very reasonable. For the price we got two buckets of dirt and gravel. Additional buckets were $2.50 each (price, as... More