With a lot of travel restrictions and lockdowns in Germany, our adventures look a little different these days, but fortunately, we have so many incredible places to explore right in our “backyard.” Just a quick drive down the road we can access the only gem mine in Europe that is open for inspection. We decided to surprise the kids with an adventure day at the Steinkaulenberg-Mines located in Idar-Oberstein. We began with a 2 hour session of treasure hunting and digging for gems at the gem mining fields. Upon arrival, we were each given a special gift...our own geode. We were then equipped with pick axes and shovels to dig up whatever gems we could find, to include pieces of agate, amethyst, smoky quartz, and mountain crystal. After loading our pockets with all the treasures and gems we could find in the mining fields, we met up with our guide to start our private tour of the mining tunnels. Our tour guide was amazing and did an incredible job of walking us through the 400m long tunnels and explaining the formation of the gemstones, as well as, adding in the local history and fairytale stories of the caves. He had the kids “oohing and ahhing” at every turn. One of our favorite parts were all the underground water features lit up and glowing....it definitely looked like a magical fairytale. As with every good adventure, we ended our visit with ice cream and a couple special souvenirs from the gift shop. If ever in the area, we would highly recommend a visit to Edelsteinminen Steinkaulenberg.