We toured the Country Boy Gold Mine on August 11, 2007. Tours are on the hour every hour and run approximately 45 minutes long. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $13 for children 4-12, under 3 is free. You can buy tickets at the store located onsite.
The tour starts at the mine entrance. The guide explained a little bit of history about the mine. He also told us prior to entering the mine that we'd be walking through a very dim tunnel about 1300 feet straight into the mountain, that it's cold and damp in most spots and we would feel water dripping on us and would most likely step on water and mud by the end of our walk. A jacket or sweater is recommended because the mine temp is a constant 45 degrees no matter what the temperature is outside.
We all wore our hardhats that we collected in the mine's changing room. Some people in the group also put on yellow slickers to keep from getting wet and cold.
Our guide was informative and patient. He stopped periodically to give us time to take photos. It's quite dim inside the mine and seems to get dimmer the further in we went. We also felt a cool breeze in there. At the end of the tunnel, he turned off the lights briefly except for a very dim flashlight to give us an idea of the conditions the miners actually worked in. He also told us a ghost story about a miner who disappeared and hasn't been found. It was all fun and entertaining.
The mine tour isn't for anyone who is claustrophobic or afraid of dark places. We had a 9 year old boy in our group who whimpered the entire 45 minutes of the tour "I don't want to die, I don't like it here, I want to go out", many times begging his father to take him back out. He clearly didn't want to be there but his parents opted to stay with the tour and ignore their son's whimpering.
Despite the child's loud protests and his parents' refusal to address his fears, this was an excellent tour for those of us who wanted to be there and well worth the ticket price.
The ticket price also includes gold panning at the creek after the mine tour. There's also a display of mine equipment outside and a picnic area if you brought your lunch. There isn't a restaurant or snack bar onsite.
Finally, there are several burros roaming freely around the site. They are very tame and like to be petted and have their photos taken also.