Deep Earth Gem Mine at Andy's Garden Center
Family gem mine and rock shop inside a Vestavia Hills garden center
- Where
- Andy's Creekside Nursery, 3351 Morgan Drive, Vestavia Hills, AL
- What
- Gem mining for kids, families and adults; Deep Earth Rock Shop with rocks, crystals, gemstones and fossils
- Material
- Brought in for the mine, not dug from the site
- Opened
- 2026
- Run by
- Andy Burris and family
- Phone
- (205) 824-0233
Attraction: buy a bag of paydirt and search it on site
Enriched material: the paydirt may contain added gold or gems.
Season: Year-round, Monday to Saturday
Make a weekend of it
1 gem and mineral spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Deep Earth Gem Mine at Andy's Garden Center
Deep Earth is the newest part of Andy's Creekside Nursery on Morgan Drive, in the Rocky Ridge area of Vestavia Hills just south of Birmingham. Andy Burris opened a small fruit market on this stretch of road in 1997, built the nursery in 2002, and early in 2026 added a gem mine and a rock shop, opened with a ribbon cutting by the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce.
The gem mine is set up for kids, families and adults to search for gemstones and natural minerals. Like most gem mines of its kind, it works with material brought in rather than dug from the ground on site, which makes it a gentle first try at the hobby rather than a collecting trip.
Inside the main greenhouse, the Deep Earth Rock Shop carries rocks, crystals, gemstones and fossils, in small sizes and large ones, a long-standing interest of Andy Burris finally given a room of its own. With the nursery and the farm market on the same property, a visit easily turns into a morning out.
Clubs and places nearby
- Birmingham Paleontological SocietyClub · 3 mi
- Alabama Mineral and Lapidary SocietyClub · 3 mi
- Alabama Paleontological SocietyClub · 4 mi
- Alabama Museum of Natural History Fossil ExcursionsPay-to-dig · 47 mi
- Pinhoti Mineral and Gem Mining Co. (Cheaha State Park)Attraction · 56 mi
- Alabama Gold CampPay-to-dig · 66 mi
Where to buy gear nearby
- History Seekers Metal DetectorsOnline shop · 70 mi
- Earthforged Rock ShopShop · 96 mi
Access
3351 Morgan Drive, Vestavia Hills. Open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. Phone (205) 824-0233.