Mineral Wells Fossil Park — Attraction in Mineral Wells

I came to Mineral Wells from College Station for the fossil park! It's a neat experience! My kids thanked me constantly while we were there and they never do that! It was just the neatest visit for them! We also got to see rabbits. It has a beautiful and rustic scenery! Take a picnic, some beach chairs and plenty of water! It has a nice size gazebo with nice size picnic tables and port o potties. (We did not use the port o potties so I can not vouch for the condition they were in, we will stop by before we head out tomorrow just to get one more fossil hunt in and I will check them out and update my review.)

The sun was on us, the breeze was nice so it did not feel hot but we still felt parched! So really take plenty of water with you, sun block and some nasal spray if you get dry nasal easily! Wear jeans and some good sneakers or closed toe shoes. You can wear any top you want but trust me, you do not want to get scraped up on that loose soil, and gravel.

For some reason gps took us to the gun and archery club which is a quarter of a mile or so before you get to the fossil park. That road dead ends into the fossil park so if it happens to you, just keep driving.

This was our homeschool field trip! So I made special necklace ID tags with the fossil park info on them along with our info and pics. I got a 5 pack necklace ID tags from Dollar Tree, and I made personalized crossbody messenger bags to put their fossils, digging tools and etc in. All of the fossils that we found were on the surface. Once you spot one fossil, you can spot them all! Most of the ones we found are really small, but that's okay!!! There was not a single complaint from my junior explorers!

Finally, aside from getting the opportunity to give my children this experience, the best part for me as a mom, is that I could see my kids no matter where they were picking up fossils from. They could go up, down and all around and I could see them. I did not feel like I had to stay on top of them while they were exploring. I mean kids could wander off into the thickets if your kids have a habit of wanting to do that, but my kids do not do that and were too busy picking up fossils to want to do that. I told my kids that if there are rabbits then there could be coyotes, and they remained alert after that however, enjoying their time. 😬🤓💕

Update: the port o potties were as can be expected😶 I've seen...

Mineral Wells' Fossil Park is a fun experience for everyone willing to get out in the sun for a while! Would not recommend taking anyone not willing to get down and dirty. Piece of advice: for the love of all that is holy, bring sunscreen. Also, would definitely recommend going during spring/fall and right after rain if you can swing it--midday summer Texas heat is most decidedly not fun to experience. No bathrooms or water anywhere near the dig site, so make sure you stock up/down before you arrive.

As for the ease of gathering fossils, familiarize yourself with the sign out front, pick a spot, sit down, and scan the ground around you for a good while. It's not instant, but eventually you'll learn the way the fossils look and you'll be gathering like a...

Such an amazing discovery. This is a no frills place where you can hunt for small fossils and keep what you find. It's very primitive, a parking lot, porta-potty (clean), and a gravel path and ramp into the pit. It's helpful to bring a small trowel and sifter but we didn't and did fine. Make sure to bring some storage bags with you as well as water. You are literally in an open pit with virtually no shade.

There are tons of fossils to find. Our family found shells, fossilized sea lilies, coral, rocks with imprints, and maybe even a shark tooth. We had fun sorting, trading, and making little gift boxes for friends and family. Weeks later we still talk about it as a highlight of our trip.

It's free and you can keep what you find, but it's for...