In Western North Carolina, rockhounds have plenty of opportunities to dig for gems, if they don’t mind getting a little dirty, and maybe a little wet.

Eduardo Medina reported from Spruce Pine, N.C., and took home a piece of amazonite. May 31, 2025 The jagged ridges in the green mountains above Spruce Pine look strange at first, as if they were ...

[piano intro] - Next on North Carolina Weekend, join us from Old Fort as we celebrate summertime fun in the mountains. We'll ride trains, roller coasters, try gem mining and even go underground.

Spruce Pine isn’t the only place in the world with a large quartz deposit; Norway has some, as do Brazil, Russia and Australia. What sets Sibelco apart, industry experts say, is that it has been ...

BPR reached out to N.C. Sen. Ralph Hise (R–Spruce Pine), a key budget writer and member of Senate leadership, for comment. He had not responded by the time of publication. Food delivery and ...

I had a chance this week to fish with Dom Costello, head fly fishing guide at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. An excellent angler and instructor, he runs a professional, well-run ...

HAYWOOD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA — Our foraging party nibbles lemony mountain sorrel and delicate violets as we hike past forested valleys of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on our ...

The Gem of a Town in North Carolina That Powers the World’s Tech. Residents have a saying in Spruce Pine, that a piece of their home is in tech across the globe.

JAY — The Regional School Unit 73, or Spruce Mountain school district, board of directors approved Mason Labonte and Aubrey Mitchell as the new student representatives to the board at the May 22 ...

Greenville is a near and dear place to my heart. I spent 3.5 glorious college years in the town while attending East Carolina University before graduating and moving to Raleigh.