We recently returned from road-tripping the deep south (more on that in a later post) where we spent several hours one morning in Murfreesboro, Arkansas at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. This park, which sits on the eroded surface of an ancient volcano, is the only diamond-producing site in the world that is open to the public. You can hunt for real diamonds. (To spare you the suspense, we didn't find any.)
This park was spectacular. I wish we would have had more time to spend there. Along with the diamond search area, there is also a water park, a cafe, remnants of old mining ventures, and a terrific campground. If we lived closer to this facility, I'm convinced we'd visit it regularly.
We attempted the wet sifting method of searching for diamonds. After digging holes, we washed the soil in a series of screens and hand sorted the gravel. Because of the density of diamonds (and other minerals), they sink to the bottom of the gravel during the wet sift. Then, they can be located after flipping the screen over. We found several minerals that were identified by the park staff, but alas no diamonds.
We had a great time !!
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