What a fun and wonderful place! Me and my son and his father had such a great time at the flume mine and we got a great selection of really cool gemstones from our bucket! I can’t wait to come back and mine some more!

This place did not disappoint! We both got the family size 5 gallon bucket. We found so many pretty things! The people there are go nice and helpful. They help you identify what gems you have. They look totally different in the rough. If you’re thinking about it do it. It’s worth the money you spend for sure🤗

I went here with my brother, mom, and dad, and we all had an absolute blast! The tour guide that brought us, I wish I could remember his name but was amazing. He was digging and walking around with us, telling us what we had found and where to look and even giving out any cool gems he had found to everyone. You can bring a little cooler with some lunch and there are plenty of spots to have a nice little snack, brunch or lunch lol not only that but we found so many cool gems, aquamarine galore and much more. Also, the sights and history of the old mines were stunning and amazing to see and learn about in person. I would highly recommend bringing extra cold drinks and nice sturdy sneakers or hiking shoes, also if it's gunna be hot to wear light comfy clothing and a hat to protect your fave from the sun but still be able to see the good stuff! I would love to go back and get a just a bucket and go to the sluice and find some stuff that isn't local, but overall, I had such a great family time.

My son (6) absolutely loves panning for gems so when we were up in the area camping I knew we had to stop and check out this place. We got the 2 gallon mixed bucket and the number and quality of gems we found was so much better than the places we had gone in central North Carolina. We spent about 30-45 minutes working through our bucket and walked away with a ziplock stuffed full of gems. The staff was very friendly and took the time to explain the different gems to my son. We ended up with about a dozen good sized garnets, some nice quartz, adventurine, amazonite, amethyst, citrine, topaz and sodalite. I didn’t photograph it, but aside from the larger gems we also got a whole lot of smaller gems in different stones. Such a great family activity and the gift shop was also full of books on rocks and science which was nice.

I took my grandchildren, ages 8 & 11. They loved this place! I bought a bucket for them to share and they were happy with that. They found many more gem stones than I expected!

We went today and our family of three had a great time. It exceeded our expectations. Ms. Kay told us what we had gleaned from our bucket, and my wife purchased two cuts from what we found. Ms. Kay was super knowledgeable and nice. We’re excited to see how they turn out. Our son wants to go back again before our vacation is over.

It was one of the best flume mining places I have ever been. It was a nice scenic drive there. Nice and quiet not to loud or busy. A great place to take the family. The pre-loaded buckets are really great and at a great price. The cutting services are phenomenal. The owner is very kind and helpful. The workers check on you to help if you need. You can buy all kinds of beautiful jewelry and lose raw and cut stones. And a lot of good gem books as well. It's a great place and I will definitely be coming back.

Fine arts and crafts beautifully displayed in a light filled space. Lovely staff and dedicated safety measures for covid19. Very impressed.

Great little art gallery with pieces for sale including wall art, bowls, plates, jewelry, ornaments, and more. Friendly staff and many artists represented.

Great show from High Country Ceramic Arts upstairs and beautiful juried work in the downstairs gallery!

Major exhibition space for regional arts, along with Penland School the major source of arts in the area. Full Spectrum exhibit noe showing.

An educational experience and just a neat place to visit.

Nice exhibition space and lots of interesting crafts for sale.

Lovely gallery with an interesting collection of pieces for sale.

Pretty, modern playground right next to the river and right off a walking trail. Walking distance from downtown, with a soft ball field and plenty of benches/picnic tables available. We love taking our toddlers here. The only minor complaint we have is that some of the equipment is starting to show it's age. Still a great place to bring kids and is one of the better parks we've seen in the area. Good selection of playground equipment for kids of all ages. Small stuff for toddlers, bigger stuff for kids and adults. Plenty of swing, bouncy rides, and climbing equipment (including a short rock wall). Play surface is a soft, deep bed of shredded tires. In the last year a splash pad and bathroom facility have been added. Great fun for toddlers! Parking is tight on mildly busy days.

Beautiful little park to go for a walk by the river, if you have kids, there is a playground, public restrooms and plenty of parking

Beautiful park set on the river. This quaint town exudes a charm that is refreshing. Definitely worth a casual stroll and savory solitude reflecting on this peaceful area.

Great little park with a trial that run s along river. Has playground and benches.

They have fishing, a park, splash pad, multiple picnic areas(covered/uncovered), a bridge you can walk across.

Nice park, the side facing the river needs to be trimmed and taken cared of better, you can barely see the river.

Great park in a wonderful location. Enjoyed taking a rafting trip from there with Thrifty Adventures. If you have to use the bathroom in the park use the ones near the ball field or make note that the other restrooms do not lock and frequently leak.

Kinda small, little pricey for the rides and not many rides for the kids. Would be nice if more there to see.

Gets a little worse every year. Started to charge to listen to music and talking to some venders the price for them to be vendors is high. This is a once a year event that takes place in downtown Spruce Pine. Food is almost always good.

Attended this event on Oct. 7th, 2023. Substandard music (not blue grass), 2 bbq trucks and 2 craft booths. Disappointing!

Great area for the festival not many in attendance but it was cold and windy, still the wife and I enjoyed it

Nice location...Free shuttle to and from the even...Activities for children...Live music and storyteller...Only 5 dollars per person...

Very family friendly. Very reasonably priced. Very good food. Fun music.

Great food and music ... awesome little town!!!

Really friendly place and a great Sloppy Joe! Beer is cold also. They gave me a free beer koozie. Nice!

I am not able bar/tavern regular at all. We got some ice-cream and a coffee it was good. The people are nice, cool breeze inside open door/ windows all wood, rustic place.

It took us 15 minutes to place a call in order. Not 15 minutes wait before they took our, it took 15 minutes for her to enter our order into the system. We were told it would be a 30 min wait, which was fine with us. It actually took an hour. We were missing one entire dish which never made it onto the order and out of the 4 dishes we DID get only one was correct. To top it all off I found a hair in my take-out container. I'll have to be very hungry and very desperate to go back. *EDIT - I decided I'd give it another go, for lunch this time, as I was on this side of town and options are limited. Service was fast, food was really good. It's a drive-through connected to a bar. I've never eaten inside so can't comment on the atmosphere. My advice, if you get someone on the phone who sounds like they know what they're doing you're probably gonna get some pretty decent food. If you have issues with the phone person probably best to seek other options.

We waited atleast 45 minutes for two simple lunch orders. When they finally arrived they were cold and stale. There was one other table occupied while we waited so it wasn’t a busy time. Our empty cups sat with no refills during all the waiting. Really a disappointing experience for my first visit. Family that lives close by just raved about the place. I’d try it again but there are other places to try in the area.

Super friendly customer service, food was classic drive-in and pretty tasty. They had a long wait, but it's because they had a full house and live music. We enjoyed the music while we waited.

We stopped here for lunch. I ordered the Fish and Chips. The fish was good, but the texture was a little off. That said, I ate it all. My main issue was with the lax smoking rules. There is an "outdoor" dining area. But it has walls, roof, and blinds covering the windows. Instead of walking all the way outside, staff smokes in the outdoor dining area. Huge turn-off for a non-smoker.

I’ve been eating here since I was a kid & even though I’ve since left the area, I always find myself coming back “home” for a cheeseburger all the way and a peanut butter milkshake! Also, the chuckwagon sandwich is an underrated gem. 10/10 would recommend!

The place is quaint and small. Indoor seating is limited, but there is plenty of seating outdoors. They were super busy and short staffed the night we went so it took forever to get our orders placed. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The complimentary chips and salsa are great and came out with our appetizers. There is only one cook so the food also takes a while to get to your table. Patience is rewarded because the food is absolutely delicious. Be prepared to wait, but also plan on a great experience. Try the limeade and sweet plantains. You won’t regret it.

This little place was amazing! We ordered the Jamaican jerk chicken and the Cuban steak sandwich. Both were delicious but, make sure you let them know how to cook the steak (Cuban steak sandwich) my husbands was a little redder than he’d like. We really didn’t think to mention it, as we have never seen one not fully cooked. Either way, the taste was on point.

I never would have guessed some of the best fish tacos I’d ever eat would be in the WNC mountains, but here we are! Awesome food, cute little place with a very friendly staff. Next time I’m in town, I know exactly where I’m going!

They cook and season a traditional tropi chop pork platter that is great, especially when compared to other restaurants. Their chips and salsa are fresh and good. Their walls display their brought in Central America accessories. Their Cuban on fresh pressed bread is something different and is another really good item, especially when comparing to other restaurants. They make a high quality Quattro Leche.

First time here after a long hike. Amazing food. Lovely owners. 10/10.

Amazing food! I haven’t ever had something that I didn’t absolutely love here. The food is so fresh and very well done. The Jamaican Me Crazy platter has it all; my wife loves the tacos and shrimp platters. Come and visit - you will not be disappointed!

Generous portions, delicious food, great service. Came with large group and everyone was highly complimentary of the food. Plus the Jerk chicken spice is legit. A gem in a beautiful mountain town

I have eaten heat since I was a kid. This was a favorite restaurant. I’d thought all western Sizzlins had closed. I was ecstatic to eat here during a trip. This one was even better than I remembered. Food was fresh and tasted incredible. Everything looked and smelled clean. The staff was warm and friendly.

The Gold Standard of good dining out in this community. Consistent quality buffet, excellent wait staff, and the most attentive owners/managers you'll find . If you're passing through Spruce Pine, give them a visit!

Got the buffet with a party of 25ish. Waitress was kind and attentive with our large group, we happened to have a room to ourselves. Lots of seating. Buffet options are good. the salad bar was excellent. Buffets can be a little grungy.. this wasnt perfect but i saw ppl clean as guests went through the line, so thats a plus.

This Steer seems to be under new management. The quality of the food was very good, nothing was cold or cool it was all hot just as if it had just come off the burner. The salad bar was complete with a very good variety of veggies and fruits. My meal was very tasty and I enjoyed being there for dinner. Thank you.

I didn't even know these places still existed. Plenty of options both to order and on the buffet. Everything was fresh and tasty. I favored the fish and cabbage. Awesome salad bar. The service is well organized and very friendly. I have nothing bad to say about this place and would recommend to anyone.

It was a very nice dining experience. My waitress was very attentive and helpful. The meal was very good. My entree included the toppings for the baked potato, yeast rolls and dessert off the buffet.

I’ve now ordered from here twice first time was a great experience. Food was good. Second time. The only issue is the blonde older lady. Very rude. Needs to work on her customer service skills. That’s how you chase off new customers. I’m hoping she’s not the owner because I will be having a phone call. She just had a nasty attitude from the beginning. We were getting our sides for our baked potato and she came over to us and was rude and snotty about it asking making sure that we were getting sides for our baked potato. Definitely needs to work on your customer service skills

I enjoy their generous salsa bar. Their meal is great and filling especially after a busy day working outside and possibly hiking. I sometimes enjoy a drink other than water. I enjoy trying different meals. The chef always makes a decent, good meal. 🍅 🫓 🫘 🥬 🧀

Had a great dinner here. Seems to be family owned and operated with very welcoming staff. Chori Queso was some of the best I’ve had. Nightly happy hour specials, I got the $4.50 blue margarita. Will be back.

Great food, very tasteful. Nice vibe. Loved the appetizer “guacamole Mexicano”. When visiting back the region for sure we will back.

I was seated quickly. The chips was fresh and warm. Food was delicious, especially the tamales. Service was great, server was there whenever I needed a refill or had questions. I had a pleasant experience, and will return if I'm ever in the area again. Really cool looking booths as well.

I use to love this place, but for some reason recently the food has been not up to par. I got a taco salad, and I promise you guys it looks like taco salad soup. It’s almost like the queso dip is too wet and it’s soaking down everything making it utterly disgusting.

Good Mexican food in a small town. Service was great.

Fantastic Mexican food! Guacamole was good (chunky) and the customer service was also great!

A simple cafe, nothing fancy, but the breakfast I had there was exceptionally good. They use paper plates and plastic utensils, so if you are looking for something more upscale, go somewhere else. We were from out of town but noticed a lot of locals coming to eat there. Once we got our food, the reason was clear. It was so good! I would definitely eat there again if I was in the area.

A plethora of comfort food options with breakfast served all day. Food was hot and very tasty. Staff is very pleasant and the wait was short. I would certainly come back. ~ Update - food and service still top notch. As for pricing, you have to consider a Double Quarter Pound meal @ McDonalds is over $10. I feel the extra is worth it to support local businesses.

Honestly not great. It got more than one star because the pancakes and omelets were good but everything else was just not great. The biscuits and gravy was downright disgusting.

Lots of items on the menu. Food was hot and tasty. Workers are friendly. Good county vegetables. I had the chicken strips and fried okra. Fried pickles were good as well. Very big chicken strips and they were great.

If you are looking for gravy and biscuits. The biscuits are like air. Best ever. They know how to COOK. I would drive 2 hrs just to get those biscuits again. Nice people

Great place imo. Couldn't ask for a better cafe for spruce pine. Only complaint i could think of is the radio cuts in and out and can be annoying. But everything else is magic.

Many small businesses have been struggling during this COVID 19 pandemic, so we decided to start supporting out local people. After years of living in Spruce Pine, we decided to give these folks a try. What a nice surprise! Our only regret is that we didn't discover them sooner. It is our opinion that they have the best hamburger around! The customer service is great too. We plan to go for breakfast as soon as everything opens back up.