Only Emerald Mine Open to Public

Hiddenite, North Carolina

The Hiddenite region of Alexander County produces the world's purest examples of, well, hiddenite -- "the poor man's emerald" -- but most people come to the only public mine in the area, the Emerald Hollow Mine, hoping to find real emeralds, which are more valuable than diamonds.

Prospecting at the Emerald Hollow Mine is not done in dark tunnels beneath the earth, but in the fresh air -- by surface slucing, creeking, and digging in the dirt. It gets visitors wet and muddy, but they gladly pay for the privilege.

The largest emerald ever found in North America was found here, and eventually sold for $1.65 million. The man who found it, Terry Lee Ledford, didn't enjoy it for long -- he died when he dug an emerald-hunting trench too deep and it collapsed on him.