Pyrography to watch and try, music events at the Learning Center, and a farm field open to visitors give you specific reasons to stay in Union Mills. Parsons Wood Artistry has space at the Union Mills Learning Center; Encompass Farm welcomes visitors to its main field and also offers order pickup. At the Gem Mine at Thermal City Gold Mine, covered flumes are available for gem hunting, along with a mineral museum. These offerings appeal to different interests: watching or trying a craft, planning around a concert, exploring field crops, or searching for gems.
Watch or try pyrography yourself
Parsons Wood Artistry uses space at the Union Mills Learning Center. Visitors can view exhibits of antique and modern pyrography tools there. They can also try their hand at decorating wood or leather with pyrography. The exhibits and hands-on activity offer different ways to visit: one focuses on the tools, the other on creating something yourself. If you’re interested in both, you’ll find an introduction through the exhibits as well as the chance to get creative yourself.
Concerts and craft festivals
Craft festivals are among the events held at the Union Mills Learning Center. The 2026 concert program lists monthly concerts featuring various artists. There is no admission charge for the music; admission arrangements may change. So check the latest information before attending a particular concert. If you’re specifically planning to visit a craft festival, you should also check in advance for a suitable event date.
Farm visits and order pickup
Encompass Farm offers pickup of ordered goods at 210 Ferguson Ridge Rd, Union Mills, NC 28167. Pickup details may change, so check the latest pickup information before setting out. Visitors can also explore the main field, where vegetables and flowers are grown. Visits there depend on the conditions of ongoing farm operations.
Pickup and a field visit are two different reasons to visit: for pickup, the latest order details are important, while exploring the main field is shaped by the farm’s operations. If you plan to do both, take the respective conditions into account separately.
Gem hunting in rain or shine
At the Gem Mine at Thermal City Gold Mine, the flumes are covered, so you can search for gems there in rain or shine. The Gem Mine also has a mineral museum. This offers two distinct aspects of the same place: a hands-on activity and a museum.
For planning your visit, the covered flumes are a practical advantage for gem hunting: you can search for gems in both rain and shine. The mineral museum offers a different thematic focus. When deciding what to do, you can consider whether you’re mainly interested in searching for gems yourself or also in the museum.
The activities also differ in what you should plan first: concerts and craft festivals depend on a suitable event date; at Encompass Farm, pickup or farm-operation conditions need to be taken into account. The option to gem hunt in rain or shine is specifically mentioned for the covered flumes. Plan your stay around whichever reason for visiting matters most to you.
Discover more destinations: Rutherfordton, Lake Lure, Forest City, Ellenboro, Spindale, Chimney Rock
Return to the main travel overview: Rutherford County.
