Another Roadside Attraction Geotrail

North Carolina - Reed Gold Mine

There is nothing better than a good road trip: driving down the open road, eating at tiny roadside diners, going 150 miles out of the way to take a selfie in front of … the Peachoid water tower! Oh Say, can you see … me with the world’s largest frying pan?

This geotrail honors those unique, odd, bizarre, fun, historic, campy, weird, and just downright interesting roadside attractions in North and South Carolina. The caches aren’t meant to be hard, it is a power-trail after all. None of the caches are hidden at the posted locations - but answer the question correctly and you will have a working set of coordinates. All of the hides are preform bottles.

1799 the first documented gold find in the United States occurred in North Carolina.  From this discovery, gold mining spread gradually to nearby counties and eventually into other southern states.  During its peak years, gold mining was second only to farming in the number of North Carolinians it employed.  The estimated value of gold recovered from the Reed Mine reached over one million dollars in just a year.  North Carolina led the nation in gold production in 1848, before it was eclipsed by the great gold rush to California.  Today, portions of the underground tunnels at the Reed mine have been restored for guided tours. A visitor center contains exhibits of gold and historical mining equipment. An orientation film highlights the first gold discovery, and tours of a restored ore-crushing stamp mill are offered. A picnic area is available, and you can try your hand at gold panning. Hiking trails wind through the historic mining area, too. 

N 34 30.ABC W 79 15.619

Where can you pan for gold at this historic mine?

A. Statesville, NC - 528

B. Mount Olive, NC - 270 

C. Siler City, NC - 861

D. Midland, NC - 168