Cornelius, NC We drove up to Emerald Hollow Mine in Hiddenite last weekend for some sluicing. We were on the hunt for big gems. They have quite the set-up and can handle a bunch of amateur hunters. If you are serious you can go dig your own dirt or dig in the creek, but we decided to purchase one of the pre-filled buckets of dirt and possible treasure.
It is a 45 minute drive from Cornelius up I77 then over on I40. You’ll pass a cool looking restaurant called Yellow Deli which looks good and was packed if you want food.
We washed a bunch of gems from our bucket; amazonite, sodalite, quartz, emerald, sapphire….
I really recommend a trip there with the kids. We bought our mining permits and a “super” bucket for $30. Pick a nice day and go.
About Cornelius 