“I would like to let you know that Paul and I had a great time panning with Woody. He is a very knowledgeable man in learning how to prospect for gold and we learned a great deal. He is kind, friendly and we actually had a blast learning the technique of how to pan for GOLD. Woody is the BEST!!”

Maureen C.


“We had a great time. Thanks for the care you and Mike took in arranging a great day. Any time the kids are not on their phones is a win in my book! Everyone enjoyed the day.”

Tom P.


“It was the most educational, adventurous, surprising day we’ve had in a long time. We loved Woody…his knowledge is off the charts. He was so incredibly patient with his teachings. I could listen to his stories all day long! We also learned that the huge hill in our backyard is a volcano!”

Debbie & Dale M.


“We had a blast! Dave was so awesome. He taught us how to sample and pan. We learned a ton about gold in Arizona, history of gold and how gold moves and geology. My wife and I have run and worked in customer service oriented businesses over the years and well, you guys are pretty lucky to have Dave. Thank you so much.”

Jerome M.


“The kids loved our gold prospecting adventure. The weather was perfect and scenery was wonderful. Mike did a great job explaining the process to the adults and kids. Mike was great and appreciate him going above and beyond with the kids, even taking some time at the end to let them each try out his metal detector.”

Jonathan W.


“It was a blast. Didn’t think we were going to have that much fun. Woody is a true professional and a gift to his craft. We will be back and bring our friends because of him.”

Robert P.


“We all found gold!!! This is a “MUST DO” for anyone who is even a little interested in gold prospecting! We learned so much and we all found gold! Woody is awesome!!! He had great stories to tell and lessons to share. The class was everything we had hoped it would be and more!”

Denise M.


“I don’t even know where to begin when describing how much fun my friends and I had while gold prospecting! Our instructor was so knowledgeable and told us everything we wanted to know; whether it was about gold prospecting or the nature that surrounded us. We learned what places were better to dig, how to dry wash and how to pan for the GOLD! Bonus…we even found some! It’s such a rewarding experience to work for something and accomplish it. You’re learning and laughing the whole time. I’ll definitely be back!”

Michelle A.


“I brought my family to AZ for a Spring Training Baseball trip. On one of our off days I had booked this gold mining adventure. I am glad we found American. Jim was fantastic. We wanted to go on an off peak day and he was able to work with our limited schedule. He kept me informed on the process, introduced me to our local contact and guide Noah, and followed up to ensure all went according to plan. Noah was a great local guide. He knew the history of the area and in addition to being a guide also was active in the mining community. He was a wealth of both mining and local knowledge and worked great with my 2 young girls (9 and 11). Be prepared to put in some manual labor. The harder you work the better your chances of finding gold.”

Justin Q.


“Jim was an exceptional prospector. He knew where to look and took me through all the motions of prospecting. We put in the hard work and nature rewarded us with some gold. This was time well spent and I will most definitely be back.”

Sol M.


“We really enjoyed ourselves and Dan was awesome! We may be coming again next year (from Greece) and if we do, you will be seeing us! The boys are dying to do it again!”

Kristine N.


“Memories made on the river…A peaceful, prospect at your own pace type of day. This was my first time prospecting in Maine and my 8 hour adventure was just that and more. Thanks Jim for helping me learn more to the puzzle of prospecting.”

Ted C.


“We had a wonderful experience with Glen on the 3-hour (Arizona) intro class that was offered this past weekend. He was so knowledgeable and such a nice man to have as an instructor for the class. We will not hesitate to recommend this to others!”

The Reese Family


“Jim, I was very pleased with Glen and his (Arizona) class. We have the basic knowledge to try it at home in Wisconsin. Well done!”

Dennis Flater


“We had an absolute blast. We all said we would do it again. Please keep me updated. We had a fantastic time and everyone I told thought it was a fabulous idea. So you may have a lot more groups next year.”

Barbara Burns


“Dear Jim; I would like to thank you for giving a 3 hour beginner class on how to pan and sluice for gold. It was well worth the price and time. It was also nice to have Dan with you to help. Before your class, we were new to prospecting, though we have been out a few times on our own, we were not really sure how to pan or even where to look for gold. After taking your class we felt more confident. My 8 yr old grandson had a great time. It was even nice to find some gold in our pans, while you were there. Our group looks forward to receiving your e-mails on other information and activities you have planned. Once again from our family, Thank you.”

Sincerely, James Maroon


“My father has always wanted to learn how to truly pan for gold and has gotten my 8 year old son just as excited. This past Christmas, I purchased gift certificates from American Gold Prospecting Adventures to give them the chance to learn. Jim was extremely helpful and answered emails immediately making it a simple process. Jim did everything to ensure that my family had an amazing time. They even found gold specks in their pans. My family now has Gold Fever. Thank you Jim and American Gold Prospecting Adventures for creating a wonderful family memory!”

Bethany P.


“My husband and I enjoy watching the gold shows on TV. I have always been the outdoorsy type person and have owned a couple of gold pans but have never used them seriously. January of this year I said ” I’m going to plan some fun things to do this summer. It seems that summer is over before it starts and that we regret not doing more FUN stuff before the long winter. I have seen posts on prospecting on FB here and there and decided to look into learning more about gold panning. I came upon American Gold Prospecting Adventures. Jim Somers was great! Our class was fun and we had lots of one on one instruction. My husband has really taken to this hobby and has buckets of dirt everywhere! We are looking forward to a day long adventure with AGPA learning more about equipment and identification. Thanks so much Jim for everything.”

Catherine Belanger and Mark McKenna, Solon Maine


“I took my two grandchildren ages 10 and 12 to AGPA’s gold prospecting class last month and it was extremely interesting. Jim was very knowledgeable and helpful with the children. Although it was chilly we all had a great time and the two children even found some gold. I would highly recommend this class to anyone. We now have knowledge to do this on our own. It was a lot of fun!”

Linda


“Once again the family and I had a really good time this year at the dig. I want to thank everybody involved. It was a great event. It’s always nice meeting like minded people that share the same interests and values. We made a lot of new friends over the last few years at these outings. Thanks you for putting together these events/outing. My son and I have learned a lot and will continue learning, thanks to you and all of the people who share their knowledge at these get togethers.”

Adam Moses


“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jim Somers of American Gold Prospecting Adventures for a few years and I can say for certain he knows prospecting. Jim is a high energy prospector but very patient teacher. I have watched him work on his own and with students and I’m impressed. Don’t let Jim’s & Dan’s photos [shorts and sneakers] fool you as these two are ‘old school’ respectful and professional. And they know where the gold is around the NorthEast.

With 36 years of mining/prospecting under my belt, I would work side by side with both of them.”

Jack Duggins, Master Maine Guide FB/IceColdGoldJack


“I had been prospecting only a few times before I met Jim and I thought I had some idea of what I was doing. Boy was I wrong! He taught me how to set up and what to watch for while using your equipment. I am now finding more gold in my pan and enjoying prospecting a lot more. Thank you Jim for all your help.”

Norm Godin