Where to pan for gold in Dahlonega
Two mines where you can pan, and the museum on the square where the story is told.
By the Gold Rush Dahlonega Editorial Team. Updated .
An independent visitor guide. Not the festival’s official website.
The short answer
You can pan for gold at two places in Dahlonega: Consolidated Gold Mine, which also runs an underground mine tour, and Crisson Gold Mine, which has an open-air display of old mining equipment. Both are open daily. The Dahlonega Gold Museum on the Public Square does not offer panning, but it holds the coins, a nugget of more than five ounces and the history. Hours and prices are listed below.
Consolidated Gold Mine
Consolidated calls itself Dahlonega’s only underground gold mine tour. Its tour runs about 40 minutes and goes more than 20 stories underground, and it comes with gold panning instruction and a gold sample to pan. Panning is also sold on its own, and there is gemstone mining at water-powered flumes.
The mine says it takes Visa, Mastercard, Discover and cash, and does not take American Express or personal checks. It does not take reservations for groups under 25. It also warns that weekday mornings between 10:00 AM and noon are its busiest, because of school and tour groups.
consolidatedgoldmine.com has current hours and prices.
Crisson Gold Mine
Crisson says it was established in 1969 and describes itself as the oldest mining establishment in North Georgia. It offers gold panning and gem mining with instructors on hand, and a self-guided walk through an open-air museum of historic mining equipment.
It also runs a rock and mineral shop and sells prospecting equipment. Crisson says it is open on all major holidays except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
crissongoldmine.com has current hours and prices.
The Dahlonega Gold Museum
The museum is in the 1836 Lumpkin County Courthouse in the middle of the Public Square, which puts it in the middle of Gold Rush Days. Georgia State Parks says visitors can see a complete set of the coins struck at the Dahlonega branch mint, a nugget weighing more than five ounces, and a hydraulic cannon once used to blast soil from mountainsides.
The state lists it as closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Leashed pets are allowed on the historic site’s trails but not in its buildings. Some second-floor exhibits cannot be reached by wheelchair.
The state historic site’s page has hours and admission.
Hours and prices
- Consolidated Gold Mine
- 185 Consolidated Gold Mine Road. Open daily, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tour with panning: adults $24.95, children 3 to 12 $15.95, 2 and under free consolidatedgoldmine.com
- Crisson Gold Mine
- 2736 Morrison Moore Parkway East. Open daily, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Museum tour, a pan of gold dirt and a gem bucket: adults $19.95, 12 and under $15.95, 3 and under free crissongoldmine.com
- Dahlonega Gold Museum
- 1 Public Square. Monday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM to 4:45 PM. Adults $10.00, seniors $7.50, youth 6 to 17 $7.00, children 6 and under $3.50 gastateparks.org
Why there is gold here at all
The first miners worked what they called deposit mining: gold that had washed down from the hillsides and collected in the streams. A pan and a shovel were enough. When the easy gold ran thin, companies dug tunnels and crushed the ore in stamp mills. The Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mining Company’s plant was the largest gold-processing plant east of the Mississippi, with a four-story mill and 120 stamps, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. Most of those companies had closed by 1906. More of the history.
Where these facts come from
We link the organizer and other primary sources so you can confirm anything before you travel. Checked October 12, 2026.