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January 5, 2006
Field Trip
In all the time that we've visited Arkansas, we've never actually explored any of Arkansas. So during our Christmas trip this year, I finally grabbed a map to find out what interesting things we might be near.
We took a day trip to go hunting for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park. This is a fun little spot at what used to be the crater of a volcano. It's now 37 acres of diamond-bearing soil, and you get to keep what you find. For the adults and older children, it's a geological adventure. And for the little ones, it's a whole day of digging in the dirt. What's not to like?
We didn't find any diamonds (though someone else did, while we were there!). Staffers are knowledgeable about geology and are on-hand to identify your finds. We gathered mostly jasper, agate, and various volcanic material. Aidan found some lamproite, which is apparently the material in which one finds diamonds. Close! He, at least, was smart enough to pick up the stuff and search in that area - I was chucking it over my shoulder as "not diamond" and moving on.
It's educational, it's fun, the people are friendly and it's not terribly expensive. I'd love to go again.
Posted by lynx at January 5, 2006 11:52 PM
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Comments
The "diamond mine," as the folks from Southwest Arkansas call it, is in my hometown of Murfreesboro. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your time there! Next time you go digging, be sure to explore the town square. There are a couple of cute little shops there - Caddo Antiques and Southern Specialties. Southern Specialites carries actual diamonds from the mine, so just in case you don't find one on your next trip, you can do the next best thing: buy one!
Posted by: Shannon at January 8, 2006 7:02 PM