Ah, you were near Asheville! You drove close to my most favorite ridiculous tourist thing ever - Gem Mountain! Where you can buy a bucket of sand and stuff from a nearby gem mine and sift for stuff. I have a garnet that was cut to the size of my pinky nail, and my mom found a star sapphire the size of her thumb there. :)
THAT IS MY FAVORITE PASTIME AND NOBODY UNDERSTANDS ME. But I also grew up in the area, and gem mining/gold panning/etc. are just parts of the cheesy local tourist economy. New idea: Tiaras n Teakettles gem mining meet up. Come meet me and dig in the sand for jewels. Yes.