Quick – what month is your birthday? That you know of course, but do you know what the official gemstone for your birth month is? For example, February is an amethyst, a purple variety of quartz. And technically, a gemstone is a mineral or rock that can be polished to make jewelry. Have you ever tried your luck panning for gold or other gemstones? Here are a few places to try near our campgrounds.
Emerald Hollow: Located in Hiddenite, North Carolina (book a stay at Thousand Trails Green Mountain), the Emerald Hollow is the only public emerald mine in the world! Visitors here can try their luck by either sluicing, digging or creeking – all of which are interesting ways to prospect for gemstones.
Crystal Grove Diamond Mine: Diamonds are everybody’s best friend at this mining location in upstate New York where a certain type of quartz crystal, known as Herkimer diamonds, can be found. Camp at any of our Lake George campgrounds to be about 75 miles from this mining adventure.
Pine Mountain Gold Museum: Just about 60 miles from Georgia’s Pine Mountain RV Resort, the Pine Mountain Gold Museum not only depicts the history of mining in the area that dates back to the 1800s but it is also located in a beautiful 27-acre park that offers a gold and gemstone panning area.
Ocala National Forest: This is a true do-it-yourself because you are doing all the work searching the streams and riverbeds for the quartz, calcite and other semi-precious stones that are the buried treasure in this Florida national forest. Plan to camp at Thousand Trails Three Flags in nearby Wildwood and don’t forget your shovels!
Ponderosa Campground: This is an easy one and you don’t even have to leave camp. If you stay at Thousand Trails Ponderosa, which is located at the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, where gold was discovered in 1848, you can pan for gold right on-site. Another plus when camping here, the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park is nearby and you can learn all about the Gold Rush here, as well as do more panning.
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- Find more campgrounds at ThousandTrails.com.
