Which gem mines in and around Franklin, NC should we go to?
Long Long Followup: We ended up going to three mines while we were there and the Rose Creek Mine was hands-down the best of the lot. It was the first one we went to, and we stayed all day. Although we had the option of salted buckets, we chose to fill our buckets with native soil from the digging sheds as did the vast majority of folks there. It was fun strategizing where to dig (there were more amethysts in the dirt in the upper right corner of the shed on the right when we were there; this tip is probably only useful for the next few days) Prices were reasonable, the staff was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful without being intrusive, and the flume kept us in the shade all day. They offered us icy pops in the morning and afternoon, and were good with novices and experienced folks alike. There were five of us, and after buying the initial bucket each, we could share buckets if we wanted and treated us like responsible adults and
