In our last post, we visited Georgia’s Dahlonega Gold Museum and learned about one of the earliest gold rushes in the United States.
In that elusive search for the precious yellow metal, gold seekers eventually began to look underground to find the source of all the placer gold they had been recovering for years in the streams and rivers around Dahlonega.
One of the more successful and largest underground gold mines to come out of the Georgia gold rush was the Consolidated Gold Mine. The mine was formed in 1895 when a group of northern investors bought up 7,000 acres of land around the area, along with all the smaller mines in the process, forming the Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mining Co.
Today you can relive the glory years of the area’s gold mining era via an underground tour in the Consolidated Gold Mine.
Heading into the mine – Photos via author, Dave Helgeson
Visitors are invited to travel 200 feet underground and 100 years back in time to explore the same tunnels used by the miners in the early 1900s when the mine was operating and earned the title as the largest gold mining operation east of the Mississippi River.
While most of the original surface mine and mill buildings are long gone, visitors will enjoy an informative video presentation about the mine followed by a 40-minute underground tour.
Highlights include the glory hole where a record 57 pounds (not ounces) of gold was mined in a 24-hour period, experience complete darkness, and observe a working pneumatic drill. At the end of the tour, you will have a chance to pan for and find your own gold (instructions included).
Visitors can enjoy an informative video presentation about the mine followed by a 40-minute underground tour.
Visiting the Consolidated Gold Mine
The mine is open daily seven days a week from 10AM to 5PM rain or shine with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The mine remains a comfortable 60 degrees year round. The tour involves walking three flights of stairs and two ramps. The tour operators require closed-toe shoes to be worn, with tennis shoes recommended, those wearing flip flops are not permitted on the tour.
My wife and I opted to wear hiking boots and we were glad we did as the mine was wet and there were areas of mud on the tour when we visited.
There is plenty of level parking for RVs at the mine. If you bring your RV with you when you visit, you might even ask to leave your RV in the parking lot while you explore the nearby Dahlonega Gold Museum. Visit the mine’s website for more information.
See our last post here on where to camp nearby.
Heading underground and back in time, just another golden adventure in RVing!
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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