There are lots of things you can do in Arkansas that you really can’t do anywhere else. You can’t float the Buffalo in any other state, you can’t look out from Hawksbill Crag or Mount Magazine in any other place either. Other places have mountains and rivers, but they don’t have that river or those mountains. There is one thing Arkansas has that no other place in the entire world does—a diamond mine open to the public, where anyone can dig for diamonds. That diamond mine is located in the charming town of Murfreesboro, which is also home to unique Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village. You’re sure to have a great time exploring both on this unique-to-Arkansas day trip.
Crater of Diamonds State Park is located at 209 State Park Road in Murfreesboro. You can get directions by clicking here.
Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village is located at 281 Kadoha Road in Murfreesboro. Directions are here.
If you’re looking for an adventure you can have with the whole family, you can’t do better than the world’s only open-to-the-public diamond mine.
Flickr/Maria J. Aleman
You’ll enter the park for a small fee, and you can rent equipment in the Diamond Discovery Center, which also provides useful tips for your diamond mining adventure.
Flickr/Jonathan Ball
There’s plenty of space where your crew can spread out and dig in the dirt.
Flickr/J. Michael Raby
You never know what you’ll find there, but it sure is fun to look.
Flickr/Jeff Noble
After all, the Natural State is home to more than just diamonds. There’s also a possibility of finding some of Arkansas’s other naturally occurring gemstones, like quartz crystal, for example.
Flickr/Orbital Joe
If you’re concerned that all the diamonds have been found, no worries. Over 75,000 diamonds have been discovered there since 1906, and last year in October someone found a 2.03 carat diamond.
Wikimedia/swamibu
But it isn’t really about the find at Crater of Diamonds State Park, anyway. It’s about the fun.
Flickr/Jeff Noble
Flickr/Jeff Noble
While you’re in Murfreesboro, you also need to check out the Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village.
Flickr/Farther Along
The grounds are perfectly lovely…
Flickr/J. Michael Raby
…and they invite you to go exploring.
Flickr/J. Michael Raby
Flickr/J. Michael Raby
And there are plenty of things hiding there, waiting to be found.
Flickr/J. Michael Raby
You’ll also find a trading post where you can find awesome souvenirs…
Flickr/J. Michael Raby
…and there are rooms full of artifacts in their museum.
Flickr/J Michael Raby
Both Crater of Diamonds State Park and Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village can be explored in one day, making a trip to Murfreesboro a one-of-a-kind adventure every Arkansan should have.
Flickr/J. Michael Raby
Though you may want to visit the village first or bring a change of clothes, because you’re going to get dirty digging for diamonds.
Flickr/Maria J Aleman
But you definitely shouldn’t let dirt deter you from having a jewel of a time in Murfreesboro.
Flickr/friggy_30
For more awesome getaways in Arkansas’s towns, click here. For a waterfall weekend you really shouldn’t miss, try this one.
Flickr/Maria J. Aleman
Flickr/Jonathan Ball
Flickr/J. Michael Raby
Flickr/Jeff Noble
Flickr/Orbital Joe
Wikimedia/swamibu
Flickr/Farther Along
Flickr/J Michael Raby
Flickr/Maria J Aleman
Flickr/friggy_30
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
