Walmart isn’t the only gold mine in Dahlonega.

The Consolidated Gold Mine, right off Walmart Way, started in 1895 after a 22-foot-thick vein of gold was discovered on the property. The mine was active until 1906 when the price of gold became too low and expensive to mine. It was abandoned for 75 years until a family from Kentucky transformed the mine into a fun, educational and historical tour.

The property is very welcoming as you walk into the gift shop with lots of cool souvenirs and beautiful crystals to look at while you wait for the tour.

The tour starts with a gold panning experience where you learn how to pan the way they did it during the time that the mine was operating.

Matthew Nolan, a business major at the University of North Georgia said, “Panning for gold was a fun learning experience that everyone can enjoy.”

The guide then takes you down into the mine. But watch your step, it gets slippery.

Walking through the mine, the tour guide tells you all about the history and working conditions for miners. This included 12-hours of tedious work for two weeks followed by two weeks off, only earning 50 cents a day.

The tour shows what tools were used and their functions. To shuttle out the rocks, the miners used mine carts that they would fill up with excess rocks and pull up the tracks with an electric locomotive, that the tour guide described as basically “a go-cart.”

After learning about the process and tools used in the mine, you snake your way back out of the mine to complete the tour.

For only $20, this is a fun experience for anyone who is interested in a quick tour of Dahlonega’s important history.