Reed Gold Mine

Great time, I was surprised just how large the park is. Well maintained and awesome experience, free to enter and explore as it’s a state park, there is the option to do a guided tour for like $2.00 which is a steal! The mine is super cool, it was 97* out and inside the mine was 60* if you come on a cool day bring a jacket if you’re sensitive, also due to humidity and the level of the water table the mine does have water that drips from the ceiling so plan accordingly bring a hat at minimum. Lots of areas for picnics and just to relax with the fam. The museum is awesome as well with many display pieces and cool information.

My sister came up for a visit from out of town and her kids wanted to see Americas first Gold Mine. We got there mid afternoon and went into to Welcome Center. The staff in the front were very friendly and helpful. We first went and watched the video explaining the history of the mine. Once that ended we did a self guided tour through the goldmine. It was a short walk there and very hot outside. As soon as we got near the mine you could feel a nice cool blast of air coming out of the mine. It was quite interesting to walk through and see all the old shafts and mining equipment. After exploring the goldmine we walked a little around the trail which was interesting but really hot outside so we went back to the Exhibit Area. Unfortunately we wanted to try panning for gold but it was closed due to the extreme heat. Hopefully next time we visit it will be open and we can experience all the park has to offer.

Very interesting. Neat museum with artifacts and information on gold mining in the US. Spent some time walking through the trails just before the museum opened and was able to see plenty of nature including turtles, squirrels and birds. It was beautiful. The coolest part was being able to see explore the underground mine.

I've brought my kids here a couple times to try and do something outside of the normal weekends while going through the daily grind of work and Summer days. For a little state park, it it very interesting and packs a lot of value for the limited cost. There's a mine you can walk through, which is amazing when its 100° outside. The entrance starts blowing crisp cool air as you walk through the entrance. It's wet, damp, and smells of fresh earth. It's surprising. There are a lot of informative displays in the museum with geology information. There are also a bunch of displays about gold, gold products, and history of the gold mine itself. Outside, there is a place to pan for gold. Don't expect a large nugget, but its not impossible to find one. Nuggets are very small when found, though. They sell gold nuggets in the help center if you really need one and don't find one while panning. You can also purchase pans and dirt in the visitor center. There are walking trails where you can follow around the estate and find a recreation of a mill, the mansion hill, and the reed graveyard. The staff are all helpful, kind, and willing to answer any question you might have. Take the time and visit this place to learn something new, experience something different, and spend time with your family to make a memory.

Fun time. Enjoyed the tour & the museum. To hot to pan because of heat index (112°F to 115°F) the day we were there. So we bought home a panning kit and some extra pay dirt, worked it at home in the A/C and we found some small pieces of gold.

Incredible trail throughout the property, informative museum/gift shop, and really fun opportunities for educational activities. Self guided tours of the grounds are very easy to navigate, especially with the free maps and guides provided. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. The facility provides all-terrain handicap options that will reach most areas of trails, but not all areas. The gold panning area is -not- free, however you can purchase tickets at the information desk in order to participate and maybe even find gold! Plenty of places to picnic around the grounds. Plenty of trails to hike, or leisurely walk about. Plenty of history to educate yourself. Today was our second-ever visit, and I know there will be more!!

This was a great place to stop! Very interesting history and it was cool to be able to walk through the mine! Just a heads up, if you don’t like bats, don’t go in the mine. We went in and saw 2 within a minute of being in the mine! We asked one of the workers and he said they estimate the mine to have anywhere around 30 of them! The trail was an easy walk, but make sure to grab a map first! They also had panning which was a neat little activity.

An absolute treasure. Ive been coming here since I was a child and my father would bring me and we would do the flume mine and get tiny bits of gold! Now I get to bring my son and show him the beauty of this place and the history and enjoy everything with him :) I highly recommend coming here if you ever have the time or the chance. It’s FREE!! And they have an amazing museum in the front shop that tells you all about how gold was discovered there and how gold has played an important role in society over the centuries!

Absolutely gorgeous mine! You're free to explore on your own or get some tours set up and you're able to go and pan for some goal. Once done with the mine there's also some nearby nature trails that I suggest you check out!

Experience this wonderful place where you learn about North Carolina history the methods used for mining gold the simple drive from Charlotte is the perfect date night activity relax come walk a little bit walk back in time and learn about where all of the elements come from.

I had researched places to see that are fairly close to Charlotte and this was one of the places I found. I figured my grandpa would appreciate it. He is a treasure hunter and prospector with an appreciation for mining shared by me. But I was hesitant to bring he and my grandma here due to the amount of walking and the stairs in the mine. We came anyhow and had a really good visit. We started in the museum. Just a gentle stroll learing about the history of the mine and gold mining in the region in general. Towards the end of the museum you learn about the modern uses of gold (i.e. space applications). There is also a 9 minute video which goes more into depth on the history of the mine as told by the reenactment. I didn't initially plan on sitting through that but it really was informative. After the video we made our way outside and down to the mine. I kept checking with my grandparents to see if they were ok to keep going. They insisted they were. So we entered the mine and into the cold damp darkness. It was AWESOME. As you trek deeper in, you find off shoots from the main tunnel. Each with its own stuff to see. There is one with a vertical shaft going all the way up to the surface. That is a cool perspective. Finally you reach the end and the those darned stairs. There are many of them and they are not all level. Do your best to hold on and climb your way out. Then you'll find yourself outside about half way up the hill. But wait. There's more. After you exit the mine you can still climb higher up the side of the hill. Up to the top of the shaft you saw from below and beyond. At the very top there is a big smoke stack. A chimney left over from the steam engine used during mining operations. It was an impressive site to behold. Now back down the hill side and back to the visitor center. Our visit was complete but there was more to see. There are more trails to explore. The park also offers gold panning for a small fee. We came across one small lad who was so excited that he found gold. He ran up to my grandpa to show off his treasure. None of us could actually see anything but if this kid found anything, it was the thrill of a life time. This park has that magical way about it.

All around just great! -Plenty of shaded hiking trails -Free access to the historical gold mine where it boasts cool temperatures and unforgettable feels. - Shaded picnicking area -bathrooms - free museum - affordable gold panning with experts (4 people found gold in our group....3!)

Reeds Gold Mine was a lot of fun. The tour guides were helpful and knowledgeable. The kids enjoyed gold panning, and two of the three kids found gold. The mine was a nice 55 degrees. The parking lot and road in are in bad shape...really need repair and repaving

A fun place for the whole family. It's about 45 mins drive from Charlotte Airport. The drive was still smooth during morning rush hours. They offer a free 9 mins presentation onsite that talks about the history of NC gold mining. There is an onsite exhibition showcasing many tools and equipment used by the miners. There is a self guided underground tour of the actual miner, pretty interesting. The highlight for my kiddos was the panning. It's $3 per person and runs on a schedule. My daughter found two piece of gold from her pan. It looks like about 1 in 10 pans would find gold. You really have to patiently wash off all the dirt and filter out the rocks to get to the bottom to find the gold. Pretty unique experience. They will put your gold in a small bottle for you to take home.

Spent the morning with a class trip to Reed Gold Mine and the kids had a blast and learned a lot about North Carolina gold history during the 1800s. The day begins with the most exciting part: panning for gold! Out of 61 people today, 4 found gold in their pans - lots of excitement! Next up was an informative tour of the underground mine which is well lit and safe, however, some parts might be difficult if you are uncomfortable with enclosed spaces or claustrophobic (or exceptionally tall). Next, you can watch a short video inside the museum about the history of Reed's mine. Lastly, finish up with a trip through the extensive museum and teeny gift shop. Restrooms on site are good and over all, this was a wonderful field trip experience! I was especially impressed by the museum - so much to see including old mining equipment and artifacts.

Great for educational and rainy day fun with the kids. Spend the dollar or two for a guided tour. Worth it. Gold panning starts back April 1st.

I'm so glad I visited and took the tour! This place is so well run and organized! It's a short 40 minute drive from Charlotte. There is a 9 minute film you can watch in the visitor center if you choose. The tour is self guided and FREE! If you want to pan for gold it's $3/pan. The underground portion of the tour is pretty short. It's cool and damp but in the summer you don't need a jacket. A lot of the tour is walking outside on a gravel path so wear comfortable walking shoes. Panning for gold was a cool experience but took longer than I thought it would. There are people there who tell/show you how to do it. You stand at a trough of water so only your hands get wet. I found a fleck of gold in my pan and they put it in a test tube for me to take as a souvenir! There are lots of picnic tables if you want to pack a lunch (but there are no food vendors there). I would also suggest sunscreen and maybe bug spray. Also a flashlight or the light on your phone to help see in the underground mine.

Friendly staff. Free admission. Clean facilities. Reasonable gift shop prices. Interesting part of history 30 minutes from our home!!

Great experience, free self tour of the mine shafts and a small fee to pan for gold. We found a few flakes of gold.

Great family afternoon/day trip. Family friendly. On a hot summer day, creek in back is fabulous for a picnic .

Haven't been there in years, but was a staple in my childhood visiting a few times and learning about the family and history of the area.

Unfortunately we came on a day where they don't have gold panning so that was a little bit of a bummer. But, we did get to go inside the building with a short self guided tour, small gift shop if you wanted to take home a guaranteed bag of sand/gold to pan on your own and a short video explaining the heritage and history behind Reed's mine. There's also the self guided mine tour underground! We really enjoyed this option as a Charlotte historical site.

Tuesday afternoon and MLB just found out that NC was doing gold before anyone else in the USA. not that no one did gold ever, just not in a big way and not after that ruckus in the late 18th century... Currently a North Carolina Historic Site and National Landmark since 1966 the property is attended by The State and everything on the site is property of The State, thus removal of any items is considered theft and constitutes a persecutable offense. First off, this place is kind of out of the way even for locals but when you get here it's kind of a fun thing. The visitor center is nicely equipped with many period artifacts and a great many displays and dioramas and some video to enhance the whole learning thing... Tours of the actual mine are free for either DIY or guided, went with a guide because it seemed the right thing to do, next spring when we have guests from out of town we may go for a selfie. Lotsa tidbits of information on tour including fun geology facts and mining terms. You get a good perspective on the nature of primitive mining since many of the tunnels are preserved 'as was' Deepest part of the accessible mine is 50-feet below the surface, but you son't really notice the decent until it's time to walk up the stairs to get out ;-) There's stuff do and things to see and places to go outside the mine but it was late when we got there and closing time when we got topside so we'll see about seeing when we get out again.

i'd like to start by saying the staff was amazing and the museum was very interesting/ interactive but overall my partner and I had a very bad experience here. Two teenage boys thought it was be a funny idea to call my partner and I "fatass n***as" then run off giggling. Even their 11 year old little cousin(I believe?) felt bad about what they did after the two older boys ran away and left him alone. He told us they frequent the park and their names are brothers Stan and Michael(with fluffy blonde hair). I do not believe the park is a welcoming place(or super family friendly) as they seem like kids who come and do this all the time. I hope this somehow can get back to their parents. It is never okay to comment on others body's like that or name/ slur call others, especially strangers. I hope their parents can teach them that going forward. The staff agreed it was unacceptable and said they'd check the cameras and ask them to leave. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else, it's a wonderful park but those boys really ruined our trip in North Carolina.

What a fantastic hidden gem! And it being free is a real gift to the community! Makes you want to support it with purchases all the more! What a great way to teach my children a little geology and economics at the same time!

This place is really cool. I recommend this place to everyone! Free and only 25 minutes outside of Charlotte Great experience and one of the coolest places I've been in a while!

This maybe one of my favorite places in the area. My husband and I ventured out one evening to a winery nearby that makes wine slushies and decided to check out other things to do. I would definitely suggest going when mosquitoes are at a low or wear some protector. The underground mine was incredible. The difference in temps alone were pretty unreal let alone walking down into the mine and really understanding what those men went through on a daily basis. Anything with history catches my attention and this was definitely fascinating. You can explore, learn, read about the history of, walk through the museum and see cool artifacts and stay for a lunch on a nice day. Great place for all ages! Staff was friendly and gave us a little lesson on what we were about to see. Definitely stop in and see for yourself :) Admission to park is free! Panning for gold is $3.00 Little trails Museum Tiny souvenir shop Short video on the Gold Mine I believe there is a picnic area for a nice lunch Very clean and well maintained

What a treasure! This is a total free tour and it's so worth the visit. They have a very nice exhibit for you to explore indoors bEfore or after the tour. You are also free to explore on your own once the tour guide is finished.

Reed Gold Mine is an absolutely great place for a fun, informative and incredibly inexpensive trip. I lived in this area for about 10 years and never managed to check the mine out until a recent trip to see my family, and I had no idea what I was missing. Admission to the park is FREE, and for a measly $3 per person you can also try your hand at panning for gold! There's also a gift shop with quite affordable goodies. We walked through the cool indoor museum and learned about John Reed and the history and technology of gold mining in North Carolina during its brief boom in the 1800s. We then took the self-guided Underground Tour through some of the mining tunnels, which were cool and well-ventilated (even my somewhat claustrophobic mother had no trouble). It was pretty fascinating to be down there and think about what working conditions would have been like. Finally we tried panning for gold. We each got a pan of dirt, sand and rocks and stood at a water-filled trough while a friendly staffer explained what to do...about 15 minutes later we were down to just sand and low and behold, I had a couple of little flakes of gold in mine! They said about 1 in 6 pans ends up with some gold, not enough to retire on or anything but still a totally cool experience. They also do occasional programs for all ages. I definitely will come back when I'm back in NC.

Great place to take your kids. Going into the mine, panning for gold and the movie about the mine are all great for kids.

Great history lesson for children. Gold panning available and a small museum. Small walk through a mine underground

Amazing historical site that is on the national register. Very nice museum and gift shop. You get to go inside the historic mine and see where gold was first discovered in the United States. Kids can pan for gold.

Took my Grandchildren here when they were visiting from Colorado. What a wonderful place! They enjoyed the tour and loved the gold panning at the end. Even found a bit of gold, so it does happen.Had a wonderful time and all the staff was amazing and answered all of our questions. Will def go again!!

http://www.nchistoricsites.org/Reed/ I brought the family to Reed Gold Mine today, and had a very enjoyable day. This is the site of the first documented gold find in the US (in 1799), and the first US gold mine. You begin your visit in the visitor's center. One very friendly woman explained all about the property, tour, gold panning, etc. There is no charge for anything except souvenirs, and gold panning, which is only $2 per pan (you need to pay in the visitor's center, but the panning area is a little bit down the way). More on that later. As we got there, the movie was beginning. It was informative, but not very loud, quite dated, and the audio/video were out of sync. I think it was still worth viewing, however, as it explained a lot about the history of the property. We did not view the museum exhibits, as my children were anxious to get underground, in the mine. We picked up one of the self-guided tour sheets, and were off. There are about 8 stops underground, where you can view shafts, some mining equipment, etc. It's quite cool underground, and although very refreshing in the summer, I can imagine that it wouldn't be very nice in winter. Exiting the top of the mine, you come upon a recreation of the foundation of the engine house, and then the stamp mill, which houses huge machinery used for crushing rock to find the gold ore. Somehow, we ended up taking the "Lower Hill Trail", which does include some inclines and also a few steps. There are a few things to see along this part of the trail, but mainly it is just a beautiful walk. There weren't many people on the trail (maybe a mile for that section), and there were lots of benches in the shade. Our final step was to visit the gold panning area. We traded the tickets purchased in the visitor's center for pans of dirt and rock. The troughs are built high enough that you don't have to bend over (huge plus) AND are shaded (even bigger plus). There were 2 guys helping in this area, to show you how to rinse out your bowl, showing you each step, and looking to see if you have any gold. During the time that we were there, I would say about half had at least a little fleck (which they then placed in a small tube of water for you to take home) although some pieces were a little larger. You're not in this to get rich, of course, it is for fun, and the kids LOVED it. NOTES: Several areas of the mine tour are wheelchair accessible, but there is a lot of gravel, and are steep steps leading out of the mine. This might be avoided by exiting back through the entrance. I would call in advance, though. P.S. If you are a teacher, or homeschooler type, there is a large .pdf teacher's guide which can be downloaded from the website, and has a LOT of information on it, as well as suggested tie-in activities.

Fun family time. Not a bad drive from Charlotte. Very inexpensive. The mines must be amazing on a hot summer day. The history is interesting but a little vague. Alot of the things that you see in the mine and the museum has nothing to do with this actual mine.

This place was fun and very educational. The kids loved it as well as my wife and I. The mine was awesome. The panning was tough work. If you're lucky, you may pull out a fleck.

Great quick ace to go with kids or adults. You actually go underground in the mine....if you want to go. Lots of trails...all gravel.....shaded. The mine is 59 degrees!! Very cool. Lots of history there. There's a small museum and gift shop. That's all free!! Then you can pan for gold. That's $3.00. Nice little visit!

First off, it's free! Very educational and a great place to explore with kids. Includes a historical informational video, then you can either go with a tour guide (free) or on your own through the mines! There is also nature trails to explore and learn more about the area. All provided by the wonderful state of North Carolina! Tour guide was kind and patient with children and very funny! So much fun!

The self guided mine tour was great and very educational. It was also cool to see where they did the stamping of the Quartz to get more gold. However, the panning for gold is exceptionally DECEPTIVE! Over 30 people panning for gold and not a single person found so much as a speck. Which would be fine except that the person working the panning area was quite rude! My children were there with their grandparents and when my mother (a southern lady if there ever was one)asked a few polite questions about some of the rocks they had found (trying to point interesting stuff like Quartz out to the grandkids) the employee was quite dismissive, snarky and then through all the rocks back in the panning water. The panning was a disappointing experience! I would not recommend at all!!! If you want a cool panning experience go to Hiddenite mine - they are first class - kind, informative and fun!!!

Attended as a parent-chaperone with a well behaved middle school group. The staff member in charge of the stamp mill was unprofessional and rude. He gave essentially no instruction or information and did not allow the kids to ask any questions. The man in charge of the panning experience was not as rude as the stamp mill employee. However, he was dismissive and impatient. There is very little interaction required on the part of the mine staff in general and this would have been a big part of it. For an experience that should have been very interesting an informative, it turned out to be a big disappointment. I would not recommend this for any school group or field trip.

Excellent for an afternoon outing. Kids had a great time. Even the teens liked it. A few kids found flecks of gold and got to keep it. Will be going back.

Had a good time here. Price is right as it's free. The mine has some water issues and was a bit mildewy in spots. It was too hot so they closed the gold panning. This was the main reason we came. Call ahead if it's hot out. Nice trip though.

Great place to visit. Really enjoyed the movie, historical displays and the mine tour. And it was all free! Well worth the trip and very interesting.

Beautiful place, friendly staff, close to Charlotte, and virtually free ($6 for 2 pans). From the small museum, we walked down a short path to the mine which was chilly but refreshing on a warm summer day. When we exited the mine, we took a hike/tour of the property. To end our visit, we did some panning for gold. Overall, it was a very neat experience for us (two adults and kids ages 2 and 4).

Great mine to see in a lucious wooded area! The tour is self guided and free and goes into the actual underground mine. The indoor exhibit is very informative and interesting as well. We enjoyed the quaint reel to reel projector movie depicting the history of the Reed Mine. My kids panned for gold and actually founda little!! Much better than the Emerald mine in Blowing Rock!