someplace special gem mine

The only gem mine in West Virginia is located in the beautiful Appalachian mountains, in the Southern part of the state. Convenient to get to, just off I-64.Gems found include Sodalite, Jasper, Adventurine, and garnets, just to name a few.Very friendly staff helpful with identification and will polish your best found stone for you.A good place for a day of fun with the family.

This place is definitely off the beaten path. Follow the signs and open the farm gate. The farm dogs are friendly, approach with confidence.The woman running the shop was very friendly and had her young daughter there "helping" as well. We found several large gems, including two large emeralds! Our 5 and 8 year olds had a blast.There are also two horses that run the property.They have plans to add a play ground by Spring 2015, as well as putt putt golf and possibly paintball in the future.Definitely worth the stop!

We took our kids today for a day trip. It was a wonderfully fun time. We did find some good and interesting gems. This is definitely a place we are going to visit again.

We were driving and needed a distraction along our trip. Found this attraction on trip advisor. Driving there we thought we were lost. Went on gravely drive, by old buildings, through farm gate. We got 2 buckets, one for each child (age 7 and 9) and that was plenty. Wear clothes that can get dirty. Dirt is in large pile, then you get to sift it in the water. Pretty country site and friendly operators. Fun stop!

Our 5 & 7 year old boys enjoyed the experience of shoveling and sifting for gems. The size of the gems are large compared to gem mining at zoos and amusement parks. The staff was engaging and knowledgeable. One note, you must open the a farm gate to enter the property.

This place is a must see. It IS Someplace Special!! Our daughter found their ad in a West Virginia travel guide and I'm glad she did!! I'm also glad we had a GPS to get us there, I don't think we would have found it otherwise. This place is like no other, the folks that run it make you feel like family. We had a great visit and found some gems. Wish we were closer we would go often. Give yourself plenty of time... Enjoy :)

We've been to other gem mines, but this was incomparably superior to the others. This is the place that distributes gem/rich soil TO all the other gem mines. You don't find tiny little chunks, but big, finger-sized beauties. The six of us went through 13 tubs (buy ten, get three free) and everyone (two adults and kids 15,13,8, and 6) had a blast! Even my husband had a great time, talking with farmer joe and learning about West Virginia history. The meadow is also just a beautiful place, with their miniature horses and other animals running around. I would travel far to come here again!

We had a great time finding stones and learning all about them. Joe and is family are very knowledgeable and devoted to helping you get the most out of your visit. We went home with a bag of stones, even some rubies! This is a great activity for every age group, we were there as a couple with no children, there was a small group of retirees and children, everyone had a blast. Highly recommended!

The guy who owns the property is a super cutie. The stones were beautiful, and the history told by Mr. Joe was inspiring. Don't listen to people who tell you the place was run down. Why would you want the place you look for raw earth gems to be perfectly painted anyway? Have a little imagination! The place was built in 1860, Where's your sense of adventure?

Took a children's church class there and they really enjoyed it, but the place was slightly run down. The children's parents even enjoyed it, and it was pretty reasonably priced. The owner seemed negative about the business though when I asked if he would still be there the next year.

Nice place to take kids to get their first taste of gem mining. The man there is great with the kids.

We visited Someplace Special in July 2011 and were very satisfied with our experience.. Nestled in beautiful part West Virginia, someplace special was just what my 5 and 8 year old were looking for entertainment. The actual gem mining was too cool.. we recovered bag fulls of gemstones including aventurine, sodalite, emerald pieces, citrine, quartz crystals and other varieties. Farmer Joe was very engaging and friendly.. well travelled and very very knowledgeable about the stones.. the kids enjoyed all the puppies and animals as well... Someplace special was way better than other gem mines that we had visited in the past in NC.... Overall it was a fantastic experience.. and a good value for the money..

I took my 11 yr old son here on our annual trip. We had fun and found some nice low grade stones. The cost to cut and polish on site is very good. the place is a little tough to find behind a repair shop or something. It is a little rough around the edges but the owner and his staff are very nice people. We talked with them for a while.

Visited "Someplace Special Gem Mine" with my daughters Pre-K class. Loved it. Found many gemstones. So enjoyed playing in the sand and water. The owners were friendly and knowledgeable. We took bag lunches and spent a few hours there. Plan on returning soon with family. I would highly recommend this to my friends and family. Thanks for a great time.