Murfreesboro, Arkansas: Crater of Diamonds State Park

We visited in April, cloudy morning and sunny 70 degrees in the afternoon. It had rained hard the day before so the fields were pretty muddy. There were more than a few people there for a Wednesday, and the preferred method of searching was by digging and wet screening. I didn't find a diamond, but I did find a lot of Jasper and some volcanic stones.

Bring your own tools, food and whatever will make you comfortable as you trip over the furrows, rocks, holes and mud. Get dirty and have fun.

Stopped here, but it was cold and windy. Be sure to bring mud boots, a bucket, small shovel and gloves. Would go back if I had those items.

Mining for diamonds is not what I'd expected. It turns out that the Crater is not an actual crater but an open field of very hard dirt that is plowed up every few months. I didn't have any luck, found nothing of value after digging in 103 degrees heat for two hours. However, there is a water park on site to enjoy after getting down and dirty.

We visited here after I heard about the park on the Duggars TV show several years ago. I knew my son would love to dig in the dirt and look for hidden treasures. We brought our own shovel, buckets and garden tools. We also brought a lawn chair and I was so glad we did. We intended to use one of the buckets to sit on, but instead put sifted dirt in one and rocks in the other. We rented a sifter and some knee pads (next time we will bring our own knee pads).

We spent five hours out on the 37-acre field, and would go back in a heartbeat. We only found jasper, no diamonds, but our memories are priceless.

Don't bother with the 8 min. film -- it doesn't go into much detail. It is worth your while to check out the displays in the second section, just before the crater. An interactive area shows you how to dry and wet hunt, and other displays show what diamonds in the rough look like (you will be surprised by some).

There are also other semiprecious stones to be found, such as amethyst, agate, jasper, quartz, and peridot. You can rent or buy equipment to help with your quest, such as sifting screens and five gallon buckets. I recommend trying to bring your own things such as small garden trowels and claw diggers, knee pads, cushions (for sitting in dirt), and definitely gloves. It is hard work to hunt for diamonds.

After you are done, bring your finds to the desk at the entrance to the crater and a park interpreter will tell you what your "finds" are. The most you can take out of the park is a five gallon bucket of stones. The best times to hunt are after a really good hard rain and just after they've plowed the area. Good luck!