Harvest | A publication of
A family takes a look at an exhibit during a visit to the Dahlonega Gold Museum.
In 2006, when the new owners made renovations to the dining room, they found a mine shaft going straight into the ground. Chris Welch, a third-generation family owner, said his grandfather passed away before even knowing about the shaft, but now people come from far and wide to view artifacts and an unusual history. “Everybody’s fascinated,” Welch said. “It’s just an amazing find. It’s just a really cool thing to find that has been covered up for many years.” But the biggest tourist draw in Dahlonega might be the actual gold panning that goes on at one of two locations in the area. Visitors to either the Crisson Gold Mine or the Consolidated Gold Mine can get a taste of what it was really like to pan for gold during the rush. “I don’t plan to get rich from it, but it’s just a lot of fun,” said Raymond Callahan, visiting Dahlonega
from Flowery Branch. School groups and families frequent the mines, said Crisson employee JoJo Tester. She said tourists come from the Ukraine, England and across the United States. “I have people that are drawn to the history and some people that are thinking they’re going to get rich quick, but most of the time it’s for the history and the excitement,” she said. That history and excitement brings more than 225,000 visitors to Dahlonega’s visitors center every year — only Savannah’s center has more. They come for the mountains, the gold, the wine, the shops and the stories of the past. “We’ve got a lot of treasures that have been preserved, and we have a lot of stories to tell,” Cordle said. “We’ve got landmarks and legends, and a lot of things for visitors to learn about and experience.”
| Sunday, August 29, 2010
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