LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

North Carolina Mining Museum at Emerald Village

A visit to this area is as educational as it is fun. Students will learn the history of mining in the North Carolina mountains and enjoy exploring a real mine and panning for gems.

Preview your trip on the web: North Carolina Mining Museum

Learn more

  • Mineralogy 4 Kids Learn about mineral groups, the rock cycle, or Ask-a-Mineralogist your "rocky" question on the Mineralogical Society of America's site for kids.
  • North Carolina Geological Survey Explore the geological maps of North Carolina, learn about the minerals that can be found there, and check out the questions that students are asking geologists.
  • National Museum of Natural History Visit the museum online. Here you can take a virtual tour and explore exhibits full of gigantic dinosaurs, precious gems and minerals, and Hawaiian treasures...and a lot more! Find out about the research conducted by the museum and link to many of their in-depth natural history websites.
  • Lesson plan: Minerals and math Students will develop ways to create self-devised rules for classifying minerals and relate this information to scientific ways of classifying minerals according to their characteristics. They will then compile this information into a chart and convert parts of the chart into a line or bar graph.
  • Lesson plan: Rock around the rock cycle Students will study the rock cycle to understand the relationship between the three types of rocks, sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous, and the conditions needed to transform one type of rock into another. This hopefully will be accomplished through visual learning with computer activities and the demonstration and through auditory learning with the discussion. The student can then apply the knowledge they learned through a story.
  • Lesson plan: How sedimentary rocks are formed This Science NetLinks lesson briefly reviews the rock cycle in general and then focuses on sedimentary rocks. Students do a hands-on activity using mixed nuts to illustrate the layering of sedimentary rocks.

Related pages

  • Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum: Gems, minerals, fossils, Indian artifacts, and much more can be found at the Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum.
  • Blue Ridge Parkway and Museum of North Carolina Minerals: Students from a five county region actively attend this Museum for experiential learning and are introduced to the wealth of cultural and natural resources of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
  • Colburn Earth Science Museum: The best rock and mineral specimens from the Burnham Standish Colburn collection are housed in the Colburn Earth Science Museum. Students will enjoy the programs that are centered around this collection of fossils, gems, and North Carolina minerals.

Related topics

Legal

The text of this page is copyright ©2008. See terms of use. Images and other media may be licensed separately; see captions for more information and read the fine print.

Nestled high in the Blue Ridge Mountains, on a branch of Crabtree Creek, there is a community of Gem, Mineral, and Mining attractions known as Emerald Village. In this famous historical mining area 2 1/2 miles west of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Little Switzerland, North Carolina, 45 different rocks, minerals, and gems have been found including Aquamarine, Beryl, Emerald, Garnet, Smoky quartz as well as Uranium and Fluorescent minerals.

When visiting this museum, students will see a historic mine and authentic mining equipment and displays that show the heritage of the mines and mining companies. Students can also pan for gems and see artisans cutting stones for jewelry.

For more information or to arrange a visit, call 828-ROK-MINE (765-6463) or 828-765-0000, or send email to mine@wnclink.com. Teachers and students on a field trip can get group rates.

View Larger Map