We took my daughter and bought the $60 bucket. I was a little annoyed at the cost at first but we surprisingly had a great time. I would highly recommend this for kids. They have cheaper options and we found some really cool stones. Granted, we aren't having them cut or set but was still a blast.
Took the kids to "mine" some rocks. Was ok. Kinda expensive for what You get. kids loved it. I thought it was fun. They do try to up sell. Various gems and minerals to show you. Somewhat knowledgeable. Staff that was out by the "mining" part were friendly. Inside... Not so much.