Went to Moorefield in Amelia, Va on the third Saturday they were open for the fall season. Arrived at 930 when  they opened and was the 5th person there. It had rained two days before so some of the holes dug the weekend before were filled with water. The rain has exposed lots of tiny pieces of amazonite in the dump areas. Also the rejects from the flume area were filled with nickel size and smaller pieces of light colored amazonite.

The first dump of the day was to be around noon so I spent the morning digging in the hillside where the old mine dumpsite was located. Found a couple pieces of mica that I keep. Also some large chunks of quartz were uncovered but not of interest to me.

Attached is a pic of the loader bucket ready to be dumped for the crowd to search through. That particular load was dumped over about 20 feet with about six or seven large pieces such as you see on top in the pic. They are easy to spot as the loader backs up slowly dumping its load. Depending on the area it is dumped in, ropes hold back the crowd until it all dumped. Kids rush over and grab everything that is green and large before the adults can make it over. I was able to grab a handfull of golf ball size pieces of fairly good color in the frenzy that followed. Two dumps were made at noon. I also got a nice piece of smoky quartz and some calcite with mica.

Another single dump was at 3pm. By then the crowd was large with at least 40 cars in the parking lot and lots of kids so I had no luck finding anything of value in the area I got to. Had to be careful of shovels and trowels digging near my bare hands sorting through the clay and sand.

While I was there, two blasts were made underground. From behind the yellow tape you can easily see what was brought up and dumped out. The best pieces were pulled out. Some really nice looking dark green slabs were seen. What was left to be dumped for collecting was light green and steaked with lots of calcite. Also large pieces of gneiss was brought to be dumped for collecting.

One kid found a large piece of Cleavelandite about 5 lbs I guess. He proceeded to smash it against a rock. I told his mother that was a valuable mineral as is. She said he was looking for garnets as he smashed it to pieces. Would have loved to had that one in my collection!

You can expect to found what you see in a previous post by Tim. A zip lock bag of light colored amazonite. I ended up buying  some $5 and $10 amazonite in the gift shop that had a nice blue green color sharply separated from the almost pure white calcite. They have a large selction from $5 to $50 to choose from with mostly calcite, some with mica or quartz mixed. But only the size goes up, not the quality, based on price. Pieces similar to the beautiful dark green pieces I saw being brought up were not seen in the gift shop for sale.

Actual underground mine tours are available with reservations. I don't know the details on that.

Best to bring a kid to run and get the best pieces. There are some salted minerals that kids can find and they have fun in the flume. You can come and go as you please throughout the day as long as you have your wristband on.

Thanks for the great report varock43!

Being a serious rockhound with experience such as yourself Rebecca would seem to make this type of collecting a very disconcerting act.  But as it seems the place is packed with people, it obviously has its appeal to the general public and to a few loyal customers.  I definitely didn't get the "shady" feel the last time I was there, nor noticed any the rudeness of the salesclerk.  I hope they were just having an off day.  But at least the place is a start for wouldbe or burgeoning rockhounds and also making a lot of great memories for all the kids and adults that come.  I, like you preferr to dig my own material from the source, which is why I have only been once myself.  It was rather amusing though when they dumped a bucket of material and the croud began to race and swarm, whilst picking up some amazonite myself, an adult reached underneath me and through my legs to snatch a piece of amazonite.  Joe and I dug a little in the designated area and found some very long and stacked mica books.  Some were probably close to a foot long before cleaving apart.  I'm glad I went if even just for that mica.  I've yet to take a tour of the mine underground, so if I go back it will be for that purpose.

Scott

Yep, I had fun. I got some of those stacked mica books too. They are cool! I wish they had stayed together though.
I have to say I went because I wanted amazonite and didn't even ask what the mine was like before I went. Also, I was with great company, so it didn't really matter.
It is a great spot for children, yes, but it is their parents that are paying for it. I suggest they smile and leave their personal attitudes at home when they take your money; or get out of the business of dealing with customers and customer service. She wasn't just rude to me (and I hadn't even said anything to her), she was rude to my other friend standing next to me.
And really, I don't think it is a great introduction to rockhounding for children either. What are they instilling: take from others? opportunistic values? every person for themselves? What you teach them from the beginning sets a larger, broader tone in their life.
Their procedures set the scene for Scott's experience and mine; and I have heard it echoed from other people. I also had a hand appear on a rock that my hand was on. It was a child, though, so they got it. What did they learn?
As far as their business practices: saying the dump is coming straight from the vein when it isn't, is shady. I personally, don't feel they even need to salt the place as the minerals there are cool enough.
I am not looking for agreement, I am trying to give an accurate portrayal of the place and what to expect and so they might make an informed choice.
And yes, it did help me discover more about myself. I discovered that the only way I want the rocks, is to be respectful to the earth and others, in a mindful way. I also learned what Scott quickly perceived;  I prefer to dig it out myself from the source, with pleasant company, or none. I prefer an authentic experience. I guess it take me longer to assess conditions, but my assessments are objective, accurate, and based on direct personal experience. I also learned that this is not uncommon at these types of mines and to ask more questions before I sign on for anything.
It is what it is. Yes, you can make lemonade from lemons, but you can't squeeze lemon juice from a lime.