Gem Panning at Long Acre Farms

Macedon, NY

By Debra Ross

Last year, my daughter, Madison read the Boxcar Children book number 89, Mystery of the Star Ruby, and ever since then, she had been wild to try panning for gems. But until recently, there wasn't anywhere around Rochester that she could try her hand at it. Then Joan Allen, who owns Long Acre Farms, let me know that they had just set up such an activity. We just had to investigate! So my family set out for the farm in Macedon, NY, on a sunny summer Sunday.

Joan presented us each with our own bag of...well, it looked like silt, actually...and a screen and led us over to the trough where the water ran. We carefully poured the grit bit by bit onto our screens, sluiced it around, and picked out the gems. It was lot of fun, both for the adults and the kids. But the mom in me liked best that my girls were especially interested in matching the gems up against the handy classification chart that was available.

The whole process brought out the difference in our kids' personalities: While David, Ella, and I all finished panning through our bags in about 20 or 25 minutes, Madison was still carefully sorting through hers 45 minutes after we started. She was chatting up Mrs. Allen the whole time. Joan is one of those people who really knows how to TALK to kids, I could tell. (Good thing, too, because the thing Madison has always done best is talk; we have always joked that her American Indian name would be "Running Commentary.")

In general, I can wholeheartedly recommend the experience for a relaxed (for the parents), exciting (for kids who like rocks and gems), and educational summer afternoon: Buy the kids a bag of ore (ranging from $5 to $10) that has either gems or fossils, sit yourself nearby under the big shady tree by the goats with a nice ice cream or cold drink, give the kids their screens, and let them have at it. Everything they find in their bag is theirs to take home, and there are some lovely big gems as well as tiny ones. If you're interested in knowing what kinds of gemstones you're likely to take home, go to http://www.longacrefarms.com/SupportingFiles/images/gem_id_chart.jpg. More info about Long Acre Farms' gem mining operations can be found at http://www.longacrefarms.com/GemMining.asp.

If you have never been out to Long Acre Farms, it's worth the trip even if you're not mining for gems, especially after the middle of August when their famous corn maze is ready. My husband and I admired how professional, neat, and clean everything is, how clear and informative their signs are, and how clever they were to install the Jumping Pillow for adults and kids alike out in their Back 40 Play Area. And they have the sweetest goats this side of the Mississippi.

Long Acre Farms also has a double handful of different birthday party packages at reasonable prices, including one with a gem-and-fossil theme. Finger Lakes travel writer Jackie Perrin, whose family has hosted as well as attended parties at Long Acre Farms, says: "Hands down, Long Acre Farms is one of our top two favorite party venues in the area, from a value as well as coordination standpoint. The staff is extremely professional, organized and fun-loving and everyone always has a great time there."

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©2008 Debra Ross