We wanted to see a real gold mine, and this was just as advertised. Our guide Robyn was knowledgeable about the history of the mine and the equipment used. She has a great sense of humor which made the experience a fun time ! We donned our hard hats for safety and headed into the horizontal mine drift about 1,000 feet into the mountain. The walk through the mine is not strenuous, and can be easily done by old and young alike.
Aftwards we were invited to pan for real gold in the stream which flows down from the mountain. The gold is aplenty and is comprised of small pieces of gold leaf which are best sucked up with a pipette. They provide everything you need: wading boots, pan, pipette and a zip lock bag to store your gold. You are welcome to keep any gold and crystals you find without any additional fee. It was such a joy watching the young children with their little ziploc bags of gold, I'm sure they will tell this story to their grandchildren some day!
The mine tour is about 45 -60 minutes, and you can pan for gold all day until they close if you like. I highly recommend, great for small children. It is located near Breckenridge, CO.