Home to the largest silver discovery ever made, Nevada earned its reputation as the Silver State more than 150 years ago. Today, zero in on hundreds of ghost towns and historic mine sites that can be experienced in all corners of the state, or get yourself on a tour of some of the largest modern mines on planet Earth. No, really—if you’re after major mines of Nevada, Nevada Gold Mines is the largest gold mine in the world, and can be toured during summer months.
Want to get a bit more hands on? Nevada is a total paradise for rockhounds, with thousands of dig sites brimming with obsidian, chalcedony, agate, jasper, quartz, garnets, black fire opal, and turquoise, to name a few. Sink your pickaxe into massive tailing piles at the Otteson Brothers Turquoise Mine Tours in Tonopah. With gems spanning a color spectrum including robin’s egg blue, cerulian, indigo, teals and beyond, all you’ve gotta do is pick your hue, load up your dig bucket, and Otteson’s will cut and polish some of your best finds for you to take home.
