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Gem Mining in the Smokies – Turn Your Treasure into a Unique Work of Art

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So, while enjoying your vacation cabin rental near Bryson City,  you went on a gem mining adventure and found a beautiful native ruby or sapphire. Now what do you do with it? The stones themselves are interesting to look at but to the untrained eye, they just look like any other rock! When cut and mounted, however, […]

Gem Mining in the Smokies – How it Works

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While enjoying your vacation cabin rental in the heart of the North Carolina Smokies,  you may want to try your hand at gem mining. Our previous posts discuss what kind of gems you might find, where to go and what to bring with you. Now, let’s look at how it all works! Times of Year […]

Gem Mining in Western North Carolina – Planning Your Adventure

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The first thing you need to do before setting off on your gem mining adventure is to decide where to go. There are many mines in the area to choose from (a short list is provided below). Some have native gems only while others have native and enriched buckets. A few mines let you dig […]

The History of Gem Mining in Western North Carolina

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While visiting the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains, there are many great ways to enjoy nature while getting a little dose of local history. One fun and exciting way is to try your hand at gem mining! Western North Carolina has a complex geologic history, resulting in rich deposits of beautiful gems […]

World-Class Wave Shaper Is A Go For 2013 World Kayaking Championships

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This article came out 3 weeks ago and it’s a goodie that talks about the world-class whitewater feature that will be built for the upcoming 2013 World Freestyle Kayaking Championships. Who said elite kayakers aren’t geeky in their own right? Find out about the feature set on this wave-shaper! Here is the full story by […]

Hometown Throwndown Kayaking Event

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On Saturday, July 2nd, the Nantahala Wave was the site of the third event in the Hometown Throwdown series. This event series gives paddlers a chance to experience competing in a casual and fun freestyle event. There was a great turnout for the event which started late in the day to finish up in the […]

Nantahala River Impact Proposal to the US Army Corps of Engineers

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An official proposal from the Nantahala Outdoor Center to the US Army Corps of Engineers has been submitted for impact and development of the Nantahala River site for the 2013 World Freestyle Kayaking Championships. This proposal to create a whitewater training and event site includes construction and maintenance of existing rock jetties, an adjustable wave […]

Nantahala Gorge Community Meeting on the 2013 Worlds

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River Community Hears Ideas For Improving Freestyle Wave Into A Permanent Feature Wednesday evening, May 18th, paddlers and rafting outfitters had an opportunity to meet with John Anderson of the McLaughlin Whitewater Group and Lee Leibfarth of the Nantahala Outdoor Center to learn about the proposed development of the Nantahala River for the 2013 World […]