Crisson Gold Mine
Crisson Gold Mine
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Here at Crisson Gold Mine you can Pan for Real Dahlonega Gold, and look for Gemstones. We have instructors that are willing to help you and your family have a fun adventure. We also offer the use of Trommels, Highbankers, Gold cubes to the person that wants to do more than just pan. Please call us to find out more information. The Crisson Gold Mine has a lot of history. It is an actual open pit gold mine that was established in 1847 and was worked commercially until the early 1980s. We've been open to the public since 1969 and we are the oldest gold mining establishment in North Georgia. At Crisson Gold Mine, there is a 130-year-old stamp mill that is still used to crush quartz rock which contains gold. This crushed rock is called ore. In addition to the stamp mill, we have rod mills and jaw crushers that we occasionally use. All of these antique gold mining machines along with our open pit mine can be seen when you visit our gold mine.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
444 reviews
Excellent
338
Very good
68
Average
20
Poor
9
Terrible
9
jimbo
Atlanta, GA38 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
Dahlonega is lucky to have two interesting gold mines to tour, pan for gold and minerals.
Both a are very worthy of a visit; particularly if you visit the gold museum in the town center
Today we took family from out of state to Crisson mines, and had a great time.
Crisson is the only “active” mine and family owned and operated . It also is a surface mine so if really don’t want to experience an under ground mine, this is a wonderful alternative.
Super friendly, and fascinating for the whole family with expert help on both the panning and the minerals. Great gift shop and of course will assist in polishing and mounting your gems at a reasonable price
We loved it! Thank you Crisson
Both a are very worthy of a visit; particularly if you visit the gold museum in the town center
Today we took family from out of state to Crisson mines, and had a great time.
Crisson is the only “active” mine and family owned and operated . It also is a surface mine so if really don’t want to experience an under ground mine, this is a wonderful alternative.
Super friendly, and fascinating for the whole family with expert help on both the panning and the minerals. Great gift shop and of course will assist in polishing and mounting your gems at a reasonable price
We loved it! Thank you Crisson
Written November 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joshua D
4 contributions
Mar 2022 • Friends
They are as friendly and honest with you as you are with them. A great family experience all the way around, and you will absolutely get what you pay for. If you want gold you will get a chance to 101 basics of panning lesson and a chance to practice. If you want gems and minerals you can sift for very rough gemstones, many of which they will cut and enhance to make nice wearing pieces, (won't lie, these will not be investment pieces) great personal jewelry and memory items.
As an example of getting what you pay for, I bought a $395 nugget and concentrate bucket and found $300 worth of gold at 20kt value rating (~75% ROI). The gemstones are mainly nice keepsakes or can be tumbled and turned into saleable art pieces. I will agree it is very likely best to go in and buy their in store paydirts than to order online (according to video reviews from others).
Fair hint, pay close attention to the zip lock bags of concentrates near the counter, you can pick them up and look around the sides to spot gold and choose which one you like.
P.S. The "nuggets" in the Nugget Bucket I bought were not what I thought of as nuggets, but that does not matter when the value of gold with in nearly paid for the whole bucket.
Go to Crisson Gold Mine in Dahlonega Ga. and have a great experience both as a tourist and/or a seasoned prospector.
As an example of getting what you pay for, I bought a $395 nugget and concentrate bucket and found $300 worth of gold at 20kt value rating (~75% ROI). The gemstones are mainly nice keepsakes or can be tumbled and turned into saleable art pieces. I will agree it is very likely best to go in and buy their in store paydirts than to order online (according to video reviews from others).
Fair hint, pay close attention to the zip lock bags of concentrates near the counter, you can pick them up and look around the sides to spot gold and choose which one you like.
P.S. The "nuggets" in the Nugget Bucket I bought were not what I thought of as nuggets, but that does not matter when the value of gold with in nearly paid for the whole bucket.
Go to Crisson Gold Mine in Dahlonega Ga. and have a great experience both as a tourist and/or a seasoned prospector.
Written March 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
floweracres
Ellenwood, GA42 contributions
Aug 2022
I have been to Crisson many times - I stop in to buy the gold rich dirt so that we can pan in the creek near our cabin. Recently we went on the full tour which was very interesting, showcasing the old equiptment used to mine in the good ole days. They still have a working stamp mill and are the only working gold mine left in Georgia! After the self-guided walk through the equiptment you pan for gems and have a few treasures to take with you. They also have an indoor area where you can sit and pan your bags of gold dirt if you do not have a creek available! Nice little gift shop with unique offerings.
Written October 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dawgandvirginialover
Alpharetta, GA21 contributions
Jun 2022
Whether you are a beginner, or a professional, these folks are so friendly and helpful. Chris asked us about our “mining goals,” and what we are trying to accomplish. Being a retired aeronautical engineer, Chris knows how to build things, and he has built most of the equipment, from getting gold out of rocks or creeks. I have seen his equipment used on some of the gold TV shows too. He shares many adventurous stories, and is obviously passionate about gold. Amy is the owner. She and everyone in the store are so helpful. The whole complex is very clean which is important to me. I will definitely take the grandchildren back, and my husband and I will return once we get some experience under our belt. They carry gems, which are imported partially, as well as buckets of gold material. They can also take your “finds” and turn them into jewelry. Pretty cool, and they do a great job of that too. One thing I noticed is everyone had a smile on their face within the complex, and they were excited.
Written June 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
melwashere81
Cleveland, TX1,102 contributions
Sep 2020 • Friends
If you want to experience both gold and gem panning and not pay a lot of money to do either then this is the place for you! You start off your self guided tour by walking through an outdoor museum that features the history of the crisson family mining company. They have an old stamp mill that actually still works even though it's more than 100 years old!! The best part of the tour is the gold and gem panning that you get to do and it's included with the admission price of around $11. Not bad for everything you get to do! Plus you keep any gold and gems that you find. I found around 5 gold flakes but lots of beautiful gems including a huge chunk of amethyst! They do offer gem cutting for you and they will turn your gems into jewelry. I opted out of this since it was a little pricey but I did walk away with my bag of gems and some souvenirs! I will definitely be back if I'm in the area again!
Written September 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your kind review & taking your time to do so. We look forward to seeing you in the future!
Have a golden day!
Written September 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Pam K
1 contribution
Jun 2021 • Friends
Melissa did an amazing job of explaining the different options offered and the explanation of what our gems were. Everyone in my group decided to have a stone cut and made into jewelry. They were beautiful when the rings arrived. Save time and money if you are planning for gold or previous stones by going here first!
Written August 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Margot S
1 contribution
May 2022 • Couples
Crisson Gold Mine is a must see! For less than $20 a person, you get to pan for real gold (that you keep!!) and you get to search for gemstones (that you also keep!!). It's so fun, and you go at your own pace so it's also great for kids! The staff there are all helpful, knowledgeable, and kind. We loved working with Raven when my boyfriend and I decided to get some of the gems we found cut for jewelry. She was so patient with answering our questions about cuts and prices and the different gems that we could get cut. She helped us decide on a couple of options, one of which hopefully turns into an engagement ring 🤞 I can't recommend this place enough! So much fun, you get to learn about the Dahlonega gold rush, and take home some gemstones and gold all for an amazing price!!
Written May 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sbonfiglio
Jamestown, NY2 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
As a group of five ladies, we throughly enjoyed spending the afternoon panning for gems and gold. We found panning for gems to be the most rewarding. Raven was very helpful and patient in identifying all our newly found gems. We all left our favorite gems with Brianna to create lovely jewelry pieces she’ll mail back to us. Thank you
Written July 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer H
3 contributions
Jul 2022
I took my 7-year-old daughter here. We did not do the cave tour, but we did get a 3-gallon bucket for her to mine through for gems. It was $30 and the gift shop was amazing they have just about anything you could ask for gem wise. She had a blast, and they even had a geode bust for $10 where she could bust it right there. The cave tour was $22. I would recommend this for all ages. The staff were amazing as well.
Written August 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James N
1 contribution
Jan 2020
the gold pay outs per price is alot better than most places you will find . as always it will not be equal to the amount paid but is the highest per dollar. but what is fasinating is the pink sands found mixed with the iron sands . they seem to be magnetic which is very odd. .8 grams in the 45 dollar bag and average .25 grams in the 17 dollar bags. son loves the crystals and the gem stone chips you get for 1 dollar
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rocketgal321
7 contributions
How difficult is the walking? Our family has someone who can walk but has difficulty with stairs, ramps and steep inclines. Thank you
Paul S
4 contributions
There are some stairs, but overall the place is not too big.
The tour is self-guided...and not necessarily the best tour.
At the Crisson mine, I would recommend skipping the tour and just buying some pay-dirt. It has more gold than any other place I have ever been. You will have to walk down (if memory serves) a dozen or so stairs to get to the panning area. The buckets with "gems" are loaded pretty well also. You will have some memories for the family to bring home.
newberrypaco
newberry sc10 contributions
Is the dirt salted with gold so that everyone has a little something to take home
David Grimm
Staunton, VA204 contributions
Yes, my wife and I both panned and got small gold leaf in our samples, which we got to take home!
Greentea M
154 contributions
Do you get unlimited access to dig your own gold or is it just one bucket?
golden42
Dahlonega, GA38 contributions
We don’t sell it unlimited but if you would like we do sell it by the tractor scoop for $90.00 a scoop
What has recently been the largest nugget and gem stone found
golden42
Dahlonega, GA38 contributions
I am sorry I didn't answer sooner. Lately the largest nugget found by a customer was worth $525.00 on the Gold price for that day. The largest ruby
found lately was a 700 carat ruby. Then they had it cut into several different stones for pendants and ear rings. i hope to see you here soon!
Crisson Gold Mine (Dahlonega) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Crisson Gold Mine
- Crisson Gold Mine is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Hotels near Crisson Gold Mine:
- (3.32 mi) Mtn Laurel Creek Inn & Spa
- (2.43 mi) The Dahlonega Square Hotel & Villas
- (3.41 mi) Barefoot Hills
- (5.88 mi) Long Mountain Lodge
- (4.09 mi) Mountain Top Lodge at Dahlonega
- Restaurants near Crisson Gold Mine:
- (2.40 mi) The Fudge Factory
- (2.44 mi) Paul Thomas Chocolates
- (2.40 mi) Spirits Tavern
- (3.01 mi) Foothill Grill
- (2.44 mi) Picnic Cafe
Crisson Gold Mine Information
Excellent Reviews | 337 |
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Very Good Reviews | 68 |
Crisson Gold Mine Photos | 274 |