Fun & Educational in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: Pan For Gems
We did something different this year during our annual visit to the Gatlinburg area. We found the Pigeon Forge Gem Mine in one of the many local coupon books, and decided to try it. We purchased one $15 bucket and allowed my daughter to do most of the “mining” – which was shoveling dirt into a mesh-bottomed box. She then dipped the box into the water sluice to wash the dirt away, and lo and behold, there were gems to be found!
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I am an affiliate of Amazon
Sure, it’s not actual mining, but still counted for an educational experience in my book! We talked about the sluice, wooden boxes, and different kinds of gems with the nice man behind the counter. My husband, daughter and I all had fun taking turns with the trowel. After mining our entire bucket (which took at least half an hour), we took our loot into the store where a clerk identified our gems for us. Part of the store was dedicated to the owner’s collection of gems and fossils
If you are looking for a relatively low-cost, relaxing activity while your in Pigeon Forge, I’d recommend this one! You can purchase buckets costing from $15, $25, $35 each, up to several hundred dollars. The higher the cost, the more pricier gems you will find in your bucket. For our purposes, the $15 bucket was just fine. If you are studying geology
For more information and a map, please visit the Pigeon Forge Gem Mine web site.
Copyright 2015 Kathryn Depew
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I am an affiliate of Amazon
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