reed gold mine state historic site

This is one of the best historic sites in the country. There is an excellent museum on site and you can actually walk through the original mine shaft. You see the actually see some of the original mine shaft. It is unbelievable they people in those days would go in to such small shafts on their stomachs.

We had to do a bit of web surfing to find this place (looking for where gold was first discovered in USA) but were pleased to find that it is not only a short drive out of Charlotte, but has no entry charge (we donated after the tour though because it was so good!). You can either tour through yourself (you will need a torch underground) or take a tour - no cost and run often. Our tour guide (Trevor) had a good knowledge of the history of the mine and the local area and provided information that you would not learn if you self guided through. After the underground tour we toured (self guided) the rest of the site. Our kids would have liked to go gold panning but it is closed during winter. The Museum area is also a trove of information. It is hard to believe that there is no admission charge and the volunteers and staff do a wonderful job.

Gold was first discovered here in the country. The visitor's center is worth checking out. The museum is very interesting. I took a tour. Very edifying. I chose to pass on panning for gold, which was available for a small fee.

The Reed Gold Mine is a true nugget! This place needs to be promoted more because it surely is one of the best attractions we visited while in Charlotte. We had no idea that this was the first place in the U.S. where gold was discovered, nor that so much gold was mined here, nor that The Mint in Charlotte was established because of the gold discovered in the area. The area is well kept and the walking tour is easy to follow. There is a short video at the Visitor's Center which is really informative (even though a little old) and helps to explain much of the history of the Mine and those who lived and worked in the area. The cost is free unless you want to pan for gold and that costs $3.00 . Plenty of parking and it is a very easy walk.

Always take our visitors (all ages) there and consistently they don't know that the Reed Gold Mine was the first gold strike in the US. Always fascinating to learn the details.Interesting displays, friendly staff and good self guided tour of the mine following a printed card with pertinent info. Have also been on guided tours, preferable when available, as you get so much more interesting info about the people and workings of the mine than can be given on a printed card. Nice, easy grounds to walk and photo opportunities. A free attraction. Always an enjoyable visit.

The Reed Gold Mine was a very pleasant surprise. Very interesting historical site, often overlooked by tourists. I never knew that North Carolina had been in the thick of gold mining fever in the early days of the U.S.They have well-prepared exhibits, friendly staff, and nice facilities. The highlight, of course, is the mine tour itself, which is a very well-organized self-guided affair. The mine shafts and tunnels are fascinating, with good explanations and interpretation. Old equipment adds to the displays. The mine itself is well lighted and easy to manage, and they even have special wheel chairs to allow access for all. Best of all, the entire visit is free (excepting panning for gold, which costs $3 per pan). A very good attraction for families!

Well worth the trip!! To go trough the mine was free and $3 a person to pan for gold. This is easily a fun for everyone trip. The mine was touring was great. I loved exploring through it and the panning was really fun. Both my wife and I struck gold! Lots of fun....cheap date!

We came here for a few hours and it was quite fun. You learn a lot about the history if gold mining and get to explore the mines up to 50 feet below. It was quite cool yet refreshing in the mines. The tours are free, but the panning is $3 per person. Totally worth it! Some people actually found some gold flakes, if not you can always find other gemstones in the pan. The only downside were the bathrooms were extremely dirty!

Ok, so the title's from a song about coal mining, not gold mining, I know, but it sounded appropriate.Anyway, my daughter and I took a trip here today to learn about a lesser known aspect of NC history; gold mining. Gold was discovered in NC decades before the Gold Rush to California started, and the Reed Gold Mine was a big part of that early industry. My only complaint is that coming from the east, along NC 49 (A much more scenic and less hectic drive than on I-85, IMHO), there did not seem to be any signs directing you to the site. Possibly there are on I-85, but we didn't come that way. The tour of the mine can either be self-guided, or guided. We started out self guided, and tagged along with a tour already in progress for a while. It's all free (except panning for gold), so if there is a guided tour running, you'll learn more by listening to the guide, There is an underground as well as an above ground segment of the tour.You should begin your visit, unsurprisingly, in the visitor's center, where you can watch about a 20 minute movie about how John Reed discovered gold nearby in 1799. Then there are a number of indoor exhibits further explaining the process. Leaving the center, with a very useful map that both tells you where to go and explains what you are looking at along the way, we headed out, crossing Little Meadow Creek (Where Reed first discovered the 17lb nugget that started it all) and wandering up a shaded path to the mine entrance.The temperature was near 90 the day we went, and as you near the mine entrance, a wonderfully cool current of air flows out to greet you. Underground, it's cool and a little damp, and light enough to see where you are going easily. There are various stopping points underground where your map explains different features of the mine. The shafts were named apparently for some of the mine bosses, and we were amused to find that one was named "Morgan Shaft", since our family descends from Welsh coal miners of that name. We saw no bats, just one small frog. The tunnels have been opened up considerably from when people actually worked in them, so you can move easily and the walking is on hard packed earth that is not hard to navigate. A wheel chair could go through most of the mine, I think, with little trouble; getting to the entrance of the mine might require traveling along some gravel paths up a slight grade, but the wooden boardwalk from the visitor center across the creek is easy to go along and takes you fairly close to the entrance. To exit, there is a flight of stairs, but you can also go out the way you came in, (Like we did...)On a brisk fall day, there are other trails outside the mine that take you to various part of the facility that we will probably go back and see; it was a little too hot today, although the paths are mostly shaded. We walked back down to the visitor's center, bought a few booklets on the mine, passed on the t-shirts and children's miner's helmets, and got a couple tickets to pan for gold outside.For $3, you get about a pound of dirt dug up out of the creek bed, which you can pan in a wooden trough near the visitor's center. Several young employees were assisting panners in learning the proper technique to hopefully find a tiny bit of gold among the sand and pebbles. Now, this is not a commercial gem mine; the dirt you get is not "salted" with gold, gems, or anything else, and most of the time you will come away empty-handed. But it's fun and the whole experience helps you to learn something about how it was done "back in the day"So take a ride down to Reed's Gold Mine, look around, and pan for gold. Maybe you'll be as lucky as Reed was, and, as always, Happy Motoring!

Our kid was dying to go panning for gold. So to reward him for great report card and passing end of grade tests we went 2 hour drive to Reed Gold Mine--the first place in US to discover gold. Displays telling history and showing movie are interesting for younger kids up to middle school. Walking down through mines was refreshing especially on 95 degree day.Finally, we bought 3 pans to "pan for gold." Young man wisely advised us not to pay for more than 3 because it takes about 30 minutes to shake and wash away all the dirt to try and see if there's any gold dust/flour or specks left in bottom. Each pan of dirt was like $3 or so.....Young people explain how to shake pan, work the water etc until 30 minutes later you have virtually nothing left in the bottom, but maybe....fleck of gold ...if you are lucky. Two people did find a fleck and the people put it in little bottle as souvenir and give it to you. So, it was fun one time experience. You can't do panning along creek or river at this place, so it's not that serious an outing, but worth the drive and interesting history of NC as first gold rush spot, pre-California.We'd go back....with another kid or out of towners. It's in the middle of no where, so combine it with trip to Great Wolf Lodge, hotel/water park or something, which is about 45 minutes away.

Loved everything about this place. Even thou I didn't find any gold still had a great time. We saw a little bit if everything the mine use great nature aspect was just as good.

This is the site of the first documented finding of gold in the US. The Charlotte area became a leader in minting coins after this. There is an underground tour, a stamp mill, and panning for gold during the warm season. Picnic area allows you to spend the day with the family.

My dad loves history and trying his luck to find gold. Whenever he is in town, he takes my oldest son who is four to the gold mine. They love the tour and learn something new each time. They also pan gold. It is a great experience for them both, and I have never heard any complaints.

Kids took me here for Father's Day (we're new to area so they didn't come here on the typical school trip as kids). We saw the info movie, walked the grounds, toured the mine and panned for gold in the sluices. Good to learn the local history of NC gold mining, fun relaxing day and good to support the upkeep of this local historic site.

We live within 20 miles of the mine and I had not visited since I was in elementary school (over 30 years ago). We drive by the sign often and my 14 year old son and I decided to have an afternoon visit. I'm pretty sure the film hasn't changed since my last visit but still informative. The self guided tour into the actual mine is still super cool! Of course we had to pan for gold and we each found a small flake. It was a great way to spend a couple hours on a summer afternoon. We actually were surprised at the number of people there - cars from many different states. I have a teenager engrossed in technology - this was a nice break to enjoy a bit of history together.