A unique park in the U.S. is the only place in the world where visitors can search for real diamonds and take home what they find – and one recent tourist just walked away with a gem worth thousands.
Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, sits atop a volcanic crater, where thousands of amatuer treasure hunters flock every year with one goal in mind: to hit the jackpot.
Since becoming a state park in 1972, the 37.5-acre site has become a must-do attraction for visitors far and wide, with a whopping 35,000 diamonds yielded to date.
In April, David DeCook of Stewartville, Minnesota, was visiting the park with his family when he spotted what he thought was a piece of candy wrapper glinting in the sunlight.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a 3.81-carat brown diamond worth thousands of dollars.
‘David DeCook of Minnesota just registered this HUGE, 3.81-carat, brown, octahedral diamond he found on the surface at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park,’ a Facebook page titled Diamonds in Arkansas wrote at the time.
Diamonds discovered at the park are typically white, yellow, or brown in colour.
But it isn’t only diamonds found in the area, as the area is also rich in other minerals, including amethyst, garnet, agate, jasper, and quartz.
Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas , sits atop a volcanic crater, where thousands of treasure hunters flock every year with one goal in mind: to hit the jackpot
Since becoming a state park in 1972, the 37.5-acre site has become a must-do attraction for visitors far and wide, with a whopping 35,000 diamonds yielded to date
Along with diamonds, the area is also rich in other minerals, including amethyst, garnet, agate, jasper, and quartz
Visitors can bring their own tools or rent equipment on-site, which are used in three primary ways to search for diamonds.
The first is surface searching by walking the fields, the second is wet sifting using water to separate stones from soil, and, thirdly, dry sifting without water.
The park also features a Diamond Discovery Center and a visitor center, where guests can learn about the area’s geology and have their finds identified and registered by park staff.
If a visitor does find a diamond, staff will examine, weigh, and certify the stone free of charge, reports the Sun.
While the diamond field is the main attraction, Crater of Diamonds State Park also offers walking trails, picnic areas, a campground, a fishing lake, and a mining-themed waterpark called Diamond Springs.
Entry to the diamond search area costs $15 (over £11) for adults and $7 (over £5) for children. Waterpark access ranges from $10 to $12.
The park is located near Murfreesboro, a small town with a population of just over 1,600.
The nearest major city is Texarkana, which sits on the Texas-Arkansas border and is known for its musical history and one-of-a-kind federal courthouse that straddles two states.
Visitors can bring their own tools or rent equipment on-site, which are used in three primary ways to search for diamonds
The first is surface searching by walking the fields, the second is wet sifting using water to separate stones from soil (pictured), and, thirdly, dry sifting without water
If a visitor does find a diamond, staff will examine, weigh, and certify the stone free of charge
The park is located near Murfreesboro, a small town with a population of just over 1,600
Just six miles from the park, Lake Greeson offers additional outdoor recreation, including boating, hiking, and fishing.
In August 2024, an Arizona father and son found a two-carat diamond while visiting Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Will Barnett and his son Marshall made the discovery on July 27 after his uncle encouraged them to head to the site.
After filling up a few buckets with dirt, the pair went to the park’s south wash pavilion to sift through.
The father found the glittering gem at the bottom of his screen and said, ‘Hey Marshall, you should take a look at this,’ according to the park.
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