Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine
Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine
Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine
3.5
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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3.5
54 reviews
Excellent
23
Very good
13
Average
4
Poor
8
Terrible
6
Tom M
Dayton, VA112 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
Wow, it doesn't look like their brochure, but it was a lot of fun and the people there were VERY FRIENDLY. The food here was very good and freshly made. The gem buckets were a lot of fun, and there really is GOLD to be found. It's worth you time to stop in and try your hand panning for GOLD or GEMS.
Written 22 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cat B
28 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
This attraction goes by two different names, which is a bit confusing, as was most of the experience. We originally knew it as “Carolina Emerald Mine & Vein Mt. Gold Camp” (http://veinmountaingoldcamp.com/), but apparently they also go by “Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine” (http://www.luckystrikegoldandgem.com/index.htm). This review is for both the gemstone dig and gold panning. Overall these two attractions, the Carolina Emerald Mine and the Lucky Strike Gold Camp, were worth it because of the people we encountered and the uniqueness of it all. You’re not going to strike it rich, but you’ll most likely find something. If you have youngsters, it’s a nice place for finding non-salted gemstones and learning hands-on how to pan for gold. If it weren’t for the misleading advertising for the Emerald Mine I’d give a better rating, or rate Lucky Strike higher separately, but after it all we might just visit again if we’re in the area. Continue reading for a better “scoop”…
My husband and I are rockhound hobbyists, and we like getting dirty to find cool stuff on our own. We were turned on to the Carolina Mine by a couple at the Hiddenite Family Campground, about an hour and a half east of Marion. On their website (the first one I listed) they make it seem like you will be digging at the mine. Stoked, we called to make a reservation and were granted one that same day, which was awesome. Traveling there, turning in at a dilapidated sign for the Emerald Mine, we ended up on a driveway that led to a small campground. We thought this odd, since we were expecting a road to a quarry of sorts, but that twilight zone feeling was temporarily squelched when we were greeted by the nicest family you could ever hope to meet. Honestly, the people alone made me want to move in. However, as they led us to the dig site, that “something’s off” feeling reestablished itself. They had a nice roofed sluicing run that fed straight off the nearby stream, and next to it, the dig site. The dig site was nothing more than a 20 sq. ft. pile of dirt and rocks, presumably refuse from the actual mine, wherever that was. Now the website made a bit more sense…. “Each winter we will expect to excavate from 150 to 600 tons of gem bearing material & have it available for your prospecting pleasure.” We just weren’t expecting it to be in a pile in the middle of a campground, and judging by the weeds growing through it, they certainly hadn’t replenished the pile in the winter.
However, delighted by the hospitality of the site manager and his family, and encouraged by the sampling of stones they themselves had found by prospecting in this pile (garnets, emeralds, clear quartz, topaz, etc.), for $25 each, we decided to give it a try. At least the pile was right up against the sluicing trough. We dug and sluiced for about 4 hours, and did actually find a few keepers, including a couple tiny emeralds, a nice sized garnet, and a cloudy ruby. Nothing to write home about, and probably not worth the $50 admission fee, but it was nice to find something.
We took a break for lunch at Lucky Strike’s Miner’s Diner, which was just up the road. The offerings were similar to what you’d find at a food truck, but everything was well made and very satisfying. After lunch we decided to hang out at the Lucky Strike complex. I got the feeling (from the handful of locals hanging around at the diner and working at the riverbank) that this is still a place where people come to make a living chasing gold, but you’d have to do it every day to make it worthwhile. One local came over to show off his pan, and he had at least a vial full from using the high banker at the river. But as the complex lacked any real signage for guest prospecting, we had to ask about the options available. You can pan the river for gold for $5 or rent equipment (about $65), or pan through a prepared bag of gold-enriched dirt. You can also sift through the river bank for gemstones, but we just ended up buying a $25 bag of dirt to sit and pan with at the water troughs. The bags of dirt are salted with at least one tiny gold nugget, but the staff said you never really know what you’re going to get. We panned for a couple hours and found a handful of observable gold flakes and one small clear quartz crystal, but didn’t even get halfway through the huge bag, so we decided to take it with us to continue at home (I’d budget at least four hours for two people to get through a bag).
One staff member (I believe his name was Rick) was extremely nice and helpful. He thoroughly demonstrated to us how to sift and use the pans, and stuck around to make sure we got the hang of it. He also showed us some gemstones he had found on the bank, and with an attitude of “oh they’re a dime a dozen”, gave us a few. He even ran to a local wood pile and loaded his truck with firewood for us after hearing our complaints about the price of firewood back at our camp!
My husband and I are rockhound hobbyists, and we like getting dirty to find cool stuff on our own. We were turned on to the Carolina Mine by a couple at the Hiddenite Family Campground, about an hour and a half east of Marion. On their website (the first one I listed) they make it seem like you will be digging at the mine. Stoked, we called to make a reservation and were granted one that same day, which was awesome. Traveling there, turning in at a dilapidated sign for the Emerald Mine, we ended up on a driveway that led to a small campground. We thought this odd, since we were expecting a road to a quarry of sorts, but that twilight zone feeling was temporarily squelched when we were greeted by the nicest family you could ever hope to meet. Honestly, the people alone made me want to move in. However, as they led us to the dig site, that “something’s off” feeling reestablished itself. They had a nice roofed sluicing run that fed straight off the nearby stream, and next to it, the dig site. The dig site was nothing more than a 20 sq. ft. pile of dirt and rocks, presumably refuse from the actual mine, wherever that was. Now the website made a bit more sense…. “Each winter we will expect to excavate from 150 to 600 tons of gem bearing material & have it available for your prospecting pleasure.” We just weren’t expecting it to be in a pile in the middle of a campground, and judging by the weeds growing through it, they certainly hadn’t replenished the pile in the winter.
However, delighted by the hospitality of the site manager and his family, and encouraged by the sampling of stones they themselves had found by prospecting in this pile (garnets, emeralds, clear quartz, topaz, etc.), for $25 each, we decided to give it a try. At least the pile was right up against the sluicing trough. We dug and sluiced for about 4 hours, and did actually find a few keepers, including a couple tiny emeralds, a nice sized garnet, and a cloudy ruby. Nothing to write home about, and probably not worth the $50 admission fee, but it was nice to find something.
We took a break for lunch at Lucky Strike’s Miner’s Diner, which was just up the road. The offerings were similar to what you’d find at a food truck, but everything was well made and very satisfying. After lunch we decided to hang out at the Lucky Strike complex. I got the feeling (from the handful of locals hanging around at the diner and working at the riverbank) that this is still a place where people come to make a living chasing gold, but you’d have to do it every day to make it worthwhile. One local came over to show off his pan, and he had at least a vial full from using the high banker at the river. But as the complex lacked any real signage for guest prospecting, we had to ask about the options available. You can pan the river for gold for $5 or rent equipment (about $65), or pan through a prepared bag of gold-enriched dirt. You can also sift through the river bank for gemstones, but we just ended up buying a $25 bag of dirt to sit and pan with at the water troughs. The bags of dirt are salted with at least one tiny gold nugget, but the staff said you never really know what you’re going to get. We panned for a couple hours and found a handful of observable gold flakes and one small clear quartz crystal, but didn’t even get halfway through the huge bag, so we decided to take it with us to continue at home (I’d budget at least four hours for two people to get through a bag).
One staff member (I believe his name was Rick) was extremely nice and helpful. He thoroughly demonstrated to us how to sift and use the pans, and stuck around to make sure we got the hang of it. He also showed us some gemstones he had found on the bank, and with an attitude of “oh they’re a dime a dozen”, gave us a few. He even ran to a local wood pile and loaded his truck with firewood for us after hearing our complaints about the price of firewood back at our camp!
Written 24 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lclark4816
Aiken, SC4 contributions
Sept 2018 • Couples
We ate lunch here yesterday and the the food was wonderful. Homemade burgers to order. This place is I'm a very tranquil place. You hear the creek and river and can just relax or you can participate in a dig for gold. We choose to relax and look around. We are considering becoming members and enjoy the area several times a year! Worth the trip.
Written 2 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patricia B
1 contribution
June 2023 • Family
We had an awesome time! My daughter rented a cabin and RV. We got the cabin and it was so much fun! The free to order breakfast was excellent! I can’t believe what a great deal this place was! And the gem shop! You can afford to buy a bag full of goodies if you want. I loved the history of the place. The gem shop was built around a giant slab of rock from Vein Mountain. There’s a streak of quartz running through it that has the gold seam running along with it. We had the best time with our family panning for gold, rock hunting and cooking out. We bought a bag of sand to pan for my husband’s birthday. He’s savoring the moment to pan on his birthday. They even recommended we use a tote to pan in so we don’t lose any gold. We’re going to go back hopefully again this summer! We can’t wait! Thank you Lucky Strike Campground and gold and gem mine! You guys rock!!!
Written 7 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Olausthenick
1 contribution
May 2015 • Friends
My father, grown brother and I went for some much needed vacation time. We came to the general area to expierence the culture and energy of this beautiful part of our great country, and maybe even see some yellow metal in our pans, n pretty stones in our boxes. As a longtime member of the GPAA, I have heard great things, and seen many articles about Lucky Strike... Mostly why we drove halfway across the country. Upon arriving, we were left clueless upon where we can camp. Finally we were greeted by a nice young lady that showed us to our campsite. We asked about the advertised panning, and she told us where we were allowed.. Very excited, we set up our little sloose box, and let the fun begin.. About 45 mins later, a kind employee yelled to us that we were trespassing where we were told we could prospect. Turns out the down-stream neighbor damned the creek. If u want to pan and sloose, the stream is slack, n filled with many feet of sediment. We then decided to get a couple buckets of dirt and run it through the High-banker. We found a little bit of gold. We were there for 3 days, and we never met anyone else. We felt like no one wanted us there unless we were buying food or buckets of salted gem dirt. We went to a couple other places in the area, and had a lot of fun. I don't like giving reviews such as this, but I read a few similar reviews before we went, and discounted them as lazy jerky people that didn't want to put work in. Turns out, many of them were truthful, and I could never recommend Lucky Strike to anyone, and especially a fellow GPAA member. The campsite was filled with bits of trash and lots of broken glass.
Written 7 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
InnAtHome
Topsail Island, NC89 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
All the reviews and their website say they rent equipment, but they have/had no equipment to rent. It is definitely a cheap experience for the family at only $5.00 per person to pan for the day, but if you are new to the experience or just out for some fun you probably need to go somewhere else. They do sell salted buckets if that's your preference, but I prefer to look for it myself. Would probably not try here again. If you're up for camping and trying your luck for a few days, they do have a great clean bath house and camp sites set up all along the river.
Written 12 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David G
Marion, NC2 contributions
Oct 2013 • Family
The price is low, but summer is the best time to go. You can find good example of gem stones of all kinds, rubies, saphares, and emerals.
Written 2 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Edithl644
Morristown53 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
I look at reviews and wonder "what happened ". We stopped in on the day before we were going to look for gold, to get the details. We were told they would be open by 8:00. We told them we would be back at 8:00 . We arrived the next day at 8:00, paid for use of the trommel and we're told they would be bringing dirt. Ralph set up the trommel which took about an hour because of bad fittings on a hose for the water. He finally had to move us to another spot. Still no dirt. Ralph came back two or three times to apologize because the owners son wouldn't get out of bed to bring it down. Finally at 10:25 we were able to start. Ralph checked on us several times and came to help us with the cleanout. We decided to come back the next day, and had to wait an hour for the dirt. Rick was our helper that day. He was very rude and did not check on us one time. We did our cleanout and waved at him as we left. We almost got our money back and left because of him. Everyone else we met was nice. The cafe was good and the cabin looked like a nice place for the night. The two days we were there the bathroom was out of hand towels. If you advertise that you open at 8:00 then you should be ready to start at 8:00. Sheds over the equipment areas would be nice especially since it is so hot by the time you get the dirt.
Written 18 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt C
5 contributions
June 2018 • Friends
I Bought 10 raffle tickets for $1 apiece on Saturday at this gold show. I was called Monday the following business day and told I won third place raffle drawing and a woman took down my address to mail the winning prize But she said she would mail it on Wednesday well I’ve been wondering for weeks why hasn’t arrived in the mail.... I just figured that one out it’s a total scam cheating people because I had also at another booth set an appointment for gutter helmet that was there to get an estimate on that Tuesday well I had to call and cancel that so I reckon that canceled the raffle winning cause it was going to be mailed out Wednesday so pretty much very shady vendors selling tickets that only become winners After you buy them and if you set an appointment at another booth for gutter helmet estimate. And this particular thing is legally against the law so who knows I may end up owning gutter helmet out of Candler one day over this ... be forewarned scamming booth venders.
Written 18 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dojoeye4
Arden, NC26 contributions
Apr 2016 • Family
There is nothing more rewarding to a parent than the joy on a child's face. " Look Daddy I found a ruby!" Indeed, my son found a small, perfect red ruby while mining. The lucky Strike Gem mine is unlike any other gem mine I have been to. You can buy buckets of gems for $10.00-$100.00 or simply pan for gold. You are indeed to find many hidden treasures. I went with buying my son and daughter a $20.00 bucket each. They spent a good 2 hours sifting through the sand and revealing their hidden treasures. What is nice about this mine is definitely the staff and the individuals who come here. Many are frequent miners or travelers to the mine who have a lot of stories and knowledge of the many fine gems mined. One lucky individual found a 1/2 oz nugget of gold which was in the shape of a F. The Lucky stripe is not hard to find. Coming from the Asheville area I took I40E and looked for signs to I 221, Took I 221S to the Lucky Strike some 6 miles down the road. Beware! The entrance is down a dirt road which is only one lane! Drive slow!. Check in at the diner and get yourself a hamburger or drink and then enjoy your day. My number one gem mine ever!
Written 3 May 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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