Hello everyone,

My name is Kurt and I have always been “into” rocks but I’m trying to be active in finding them myself now. Hopefully I can do that more in the future. I live on n Wake county but spend a lot of time in Ashe county as well. If anyone has any tips or spots to recommend, I’d love to hear!

Hey Kurt, Welcome to the Board.
Glad to hear you are interested in getting out and finding some rocks of your own! It's a great hobby but there aren't a lot of places that are open to the public. You pretty much have to do your homework and get out and find them yourself, and Wake County is disappearing fast!

That being said, House Creek that runs behind the Art Museum and then along the beltline down to Crabtree is one of the best places to start. You can find agate/jasper and the occasional quartz crystal, but you'll want to read up on the geologic history and see why it's there, then you can branch out for more hunting.
Falls Lake is also a great place to learn about the geology but, of course, being State property you are not allowed to collect. But don't let that stop you, it's well worth it.

I can think of only about 6-7 pay to dig sites in the whole Southeast, so you really have to get out there and see what you can find.
The NC pay to dig site are mostly for corundum;
Mason Mountain Mine and Cherokee Ruby Mine in Franklin area, and Probst Farm in Iredell County. A member of the board here, Buckshot, has his land open for collecting for a fee, Treasure Valley. You may want to start there.
And the Crabtree Emerald Mine is worth a visit.

Good luck and have fun.