The idea for Treasure Quest Mining sprung out of our passion for spending time with our son and embarking on a true treasure hunt together. When we're not working, you'll often find us metal detecting, searching for fossils along the coast, or digging for gems in the mountains. We cherish those times spent on family vacations gem-hunting in the North Carolina mountains or searching for shells and sharks teeth at the beach.
So much so, that we decided to bring that experience closer to home for kids and their families to enjoy. In 2016, we opened Treasure Quest Mining as a mobile gem mining experience. Shortly after launching the gem mining aspect of our business, we expanded to include a prehistoric gift shop. And in June of 2018, we opened a brick-and-mortar location in Apex, North Carolina.
So much so, that we decided to bring that experience closer to home for kids and their families to enjoy. In 2016, we opened Treasure Quest Mining as a mobile gem mining experience. Shortly after launching the gem mining aspect of our business, we expanded to include a prehistoric gift shop. And in June of 2018, we opened a brick-and-mortar location in Apex, North Carolina.
Services
Create an at-home gem mining experience with our to-go bags of mining rough and re-useable plastic sand sifters (which double as a party favor!). Watch our YouTube video to learn more about how to mine at home. Learn more about pricing and available mining rough options. We carry an incredible assortment of prehistoric gifts that would thrill your rockhound or aspiring paleontologist!.
Our gemstones and minerals traveled across the world to become a part of your collection! Our mining rough contains gems and minerals that were mined in countries across the globe including Brazil, Peru, Mexico, India, and Madagascar to name a few. We hope you enjoy learning about your new treasures.
The seashells and fossils you will find during your Treasure Quest are from Africa and Asia. Our shells are from the Indo-Pacific region of Asia which includes the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Our fossils are from the Sahara Desert in Morocco.
This portion of Northern Africa was once covered in water and is rich in marine-life fossils from the Cretaceous period (145.5 - 65.5 million years ago) through the Eocene periods (56 - 33.9 million years ago).We hope you enjoy learning more about your treasures!
This portion of Northern Africa was once covered in water and is rich in marine-life fossils from the Cretaceous period (145.5 - 65.5 million years ago) through the Eocene periods (56 - 33.9 million years ago).We hope you enjoy learning more about your treasures!
Treasure Quest Mining was launched out of a passion we discovered through our young son. His love of rocks, dinosaurs, and fossils sparked an interest in all of us. And soon, we found that we began spending our family vacations gem mining in the North Carolina mountains, beachcombing along the shore searching for sharks' teeth, or exploring prehistoric sites in hopes of finding fossils.
Reviews (21)
Jennifer Miller
Jan 12, 2022
Report
This place is AWESOME! Highly recommend.. The prices are great and the mining was so much fun. My 3yo was squealing every time she found a treasure. The buckets yield such a great amount of gems and other treasures. Angeline was so wonderful - she gave good, clear instructions on how to mine and my girl adored her. If you have a little one, it's definitely a good idea to bring an extra set of clothes if you decide to mine. Also there's a geode cracker - need I say more?
We can't wait to come back! Thank you Angeline!
We can't wait to come back! Thank you Angeline!
Crystal Andrews
Dec 11, 2021
Report
The owner of the place personally helped me pick out the most perfect crystal and stone pieces to place throughout my office. Her knowledge is of the highest caliber and I am so blessed to have visited her shop! I find when I buy online… it’s a waste of time... the products are never truly what they seem in the picture… waste of money! I will now always buy local with a distributor that will sell you exactly what you seek! It’s a fair price to boot!
William Werner
Nov 17, 2021
Report
Tracy Sigmon
Oct 19, 2021
Report
A. Meadows
Aug 31, 2021
Report
Invited my mom to come during her visit from Alabama! We had a great time with my 3 year old and 5 year old. The Jurassic bucket and Rockhound bucket were super fun to work through! The staff were very knowledgeable and polite, which was awesome! My 3 year old had a potty accident and I couldn't have been more happy with with way it was handled by the staff, no shaming, just reassuring that it was OK and it happens (which made my 3 y.o. feel better about the situation and not embarrassed). We will for sure be coming back again! Everything was very fairly priced, and the items for sale were cool
Robert Wilmot
Aug 16, 2021
Report
This place is great! I drove from Raleigh to go here today with my girlfriend and we got the cheapest bag to sift and it still filled a decent sized plastic bag. It was a good experience and the lady working was very informative and knowledgeable. Overall I would highly recommend going even if you're not into this sort of thing. The shop was full of great fossils and minerals/crystals! Thanks for the experience.
Valerie S.
Jun 26, 2021
Report
It was our first visit to Treasure Quest today. We arrived shortly after they opened on Saturday and were pleased that it was not crowded yet. I recently broke my ankle and am in a motorized medical scooter. The ladies were happy to accommodate me and my chair, and made sure I had ample space to be next to my kids. I really appreciated how kind they were. We ordered the large bucket of gems and split amongst 3 kids (ages 4, 6, and 7). We felt it was an appropriate size to split, and each kids enjoyed the treasures they mined! Great indoor activity to try!
Jennifer A.
Apr 25, 2021
Report
This place is amazing! I have a fourth grader and going here to enforce her learning by having fun with couple of her friends is wonderful. I called to know how they operate with a small number of guests for my party and they were so pleasant and very informative. They do not host their elaborate birthday parties yet due to Covid but you can book a time slot to mine. When I was ready to book a date and time, I called but missed them. They called me promptly the next day. Since we are still in the Covid season, they were very open to their protocols so we were not put out by it when we got there
Laura D.
Sep 14, 2019
Report
Kristen Tomberlin
Aug 15, 2019
Report
Josh E.
Jul 09, 2019
Report
We love this business! There is a large variety of rocks, gems, fossils and shells. The "mining" area is clean and enticing for the entire family, not just the kids. The owner is a fabulous teacher! Make sure you bring your gems and stones to her after you have mined them. Her knowledge is expansive and you feel as though you've had a wonderful geology lesson after you've left. The staff members are helpful, welcoming and interactive. It's been a 5 star experience each time we have gone.
Broc B.
Jun 16, 2019
Report
Awesome place that paid attention to store setup for those in wheelchairs. I was very impressed upon entering Treasure Quest because usually, if you or your party require a wheelchair, the majority of little fun shops are closed to you because they can't seem to make enough room in the aisles for a wheelchair. Not so here. There was plenty of room to maneuver and see every inch of the store. Rock samples, geology art, jewelry, sparkly things everywhere! There is an in-store "river" that you can use for "mining" and even that was wheelchair friendly! We broke a geode
Leigh C.
Feb 28, 2019
Report
We had an absolutely amazing experience here!! There were eight of us, 2 adults, 2 grandparents, 2 teenagers, and 2 little kids ages 4 and 2. And to quote the 4 year old "Nana this was the most awesome best water play ever!!"
The staff/owners were super friendly and helpful and didn't seem to mind the 2 year old screaming with excitement every time she would find a crystal or colored stone!!
It was a great way to spend a few hours with "all" our kids!! Not to mention finding 2 rubies and 1 emerald large enough to have cut and set wasn't too bad either!!
Come check
The staff/owners were super friendly and helpful and didn't seem to mind the 2 year old screaming with excitement every time she would find a crystal or colored stone!!
It was a great way to spend a few hours with "all" our kids!! Not to mention finding 2 rubies and 1 emerald large enough to have cut and set wasn't too bad either!!
Come check
Rebecca F.
Nov 11, 2018
Report
I'm a big fan of Treasure Quest, but this family-run place really is as good as it gets for what it is: 5 STARS! We've been sluicing over in Hiddenite and that can't really be topped, but for an indoor, kid-friendly, sluicing experience, this place ROCKS! There are both shell and gem/mineral buckets available - everything is guaranteed to have some treasure to find. Our latest Prospector bucket had even more "big gems" than previous buckets we've had in the same size.
My 5 year old is always thrilled to find the tiny shells, medium-sized gems, big crystals, and even
My 5 year old is always thrilled to find the tiny shells, medium-sized gems, big crystals, and even
Suzanne M.
Oct 09, 2018
Report
Rebecca F.
Sep 03, 2018
Report
We went to treasure quest based on suggestions from friends.
This place is great! The perfect place to go on those rainy days.
They offer both gem and shell buckets to mine. We purchased the large shell bucket which came with a megalodon tooth that my son was so excited about! The staff is super friendly and was extremely helpful.
It can get crowded and there is limited seating if you wanted to sit while your kid does their mining.
After mining, the staff offers to go over all the things you found in your bucket. It's nice to add that educational aspect to something fun for the kids!!
This place is great! The perfect place to go on those rainy days.
They offer both gem and shell buckets to mine. We purchased the large shell bucket which came with a megalodon tooth that my son was so excited about! The staff is super friendly and was extremely helpful.
It can get crowded and there is limited seating if you wanted to sit while your kid does their mining.
After mining, the staff offers to go over all the things you found in your bucket. It's nice to add that educational aspect to something fun for the kids!!
Pat C.
Aug 20, 2018
Report
Treasure Quest Mining is a treasure indeed. This unique store has by far
the most fabulous treasure trove of gems, geodes, fossils, ever!
The best yet, my family, plus two visiting grand kids, panned for an
amazing array of gems and fossils hidden in buckets of fine sandy gravel. We all found an amazing number of treasures in our $10 buckets
which we slushed in screened trays, which we washed in water until all
kinds of wonderful things appeared, both big and small: citrine, crystals
of every color and even sharks teeth and fossils. It is a fabulous place for all ages!
Plus, a wonderfully clean
the most fabulous treasure trove of gems, geodes, fossils, ever!
The best yet, my family, plus two visiting grand kids, panned for an
amazing array of gems and fossils hidden in buckets of fine sandy gravel. We all found an amazing number of treasures in our $10 buckets
which we slushed in screened trays, which we washed in water until all
kinds of wonderful things appeared, both big and small: citrine, crystals
of every color and even sharks teeth and fossils. It is a fabulous place for all ages!
Plus, a wonderfully clean
Kathy M.
Jul 16, 2018
Report
Laura Reichert
Jul 11, 2018
Report
OMG! I’m was in complete energetic heaven in this store! The owner is so knowledgeable. You can bring your children here and enjoy indoor gem mining. It’s clean and the prices are amazing. They have a geode cracker so you can safely open them. Obviously I am in love with this place. This is my opinion. You decide for yourself. :)
Mary T.
Jun 18, 2018
Report
Treasure comes in many forms. If you are hoping to strike it rich by finding the next Hope diamond in a bucket of soil, you will likely leave disappointed. If you find your riches in a child's squeal of delight...this adventure is for you. Firstly, for those adventures who detest heat, bugs, and the lack of indoor plumbing...you will be happy to find that all facilities are indoors. It's a standing slew so people with back and hip problems may have issues (hint, stools would keep people around longer and the lack is why I deducted a star). Dirt is bought by the pail and seeded enough
Margaret S.
Jun 10, 2018
Report
This was a great experience especially in a hot day. The kids had a great time with their buckets sorting for gems (even found some sharks teeth as an added bonus in the rockhound bucket). It entertained my son, niece and nephew who are ages 7 through 12 but they had a special dry dog that would entertain younger kids as well. The water was clean and not muddy and the prices were extremely reasonable. They spent time with each child identifying the different gems and minerals that they had in their loot. Then we picked out geodes and broke them open in their special geode breaking machine.
