This state park in Arkansas is possibly the only place in the world where you can dig for diamonds and keep whatever treasure you find.
At first glance, Crater of Diamonds State Park looks like an average plowed field. Dig a little deeper and you may just go home with a diamond. Visit one of the world’s only public diamond mines in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The area, which is the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, is the world’s eighth-largest diamond-bearing area.
Join over a century of diamond seekers. In 1906, John Huddleston, a farmer, was looking for gold, tin or lead and saw glittering pebbles. Upon discovering that they were diamonds, word spread quickly and people flocked to the area. In 1972, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism purchased the site and continues to operate it as a diamond mine. Sift through the 37.5-acre (15.2-hectare) field to see what treasures you find.
Begin and end your visit in the Diamond Discovery Center. Rent tools for diamond prospecting. Tour interactive exhibits about the park’s history and watch a video on how to search for and identify diamonds. Check out the diamond hunters’ Hall of Fame, featuring notable finds in the Crater of Diamonds. At the end of your trip, bring diamonds and other finds here to be identified and certified by a park staff member.
Enjoy breakfast, lunch or other refreshments in the Kimberlite Café Restaurant. Purchase a souvenir to remember your visit, from T-shirts to diamond-hunting tools, in the gift shop.
Cool off in Diamond Springs Water Park, the park’s aquatic playground. Fitting with its surroundings, everything has a mining theme. Splash around in the large wading pool or play in the geysers, water slides, waterfall and more. Soak up the sun on the sprawling deck.
Visit Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas daily throughout the year. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Diamond Springs Water Park is open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Come and go as many times as you want in one day using your admission ticket. Look for arrowheads to go with your diamonds at the nearby Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village.
