Crater of Diamonds State Park Visitor Center — Attraction in Murfreesboro

This is just a tourist attraction. Please don’t think you’re going to find a diamond that easily. Over a period of three days, I’ve seen people (teams) spending over $300 and finding diamonds so small that it’s not even worth the effort.

I personally busted my back going through buckets and didn’t find anything. A few people get lucky and find a really tiny one, but it's rare.

It’s like going to the casino: some people win without any effort, and some spend a ton of money and win nothing. The only difference is that you won’t get dirty and tired from working tirelessly to find a diamond, ahaha.

The only people making money here are the park operators. They charge $10 per adult and $6 per kid. If you want a good chance at finding a souvenir, you will have to either bring your equipment or rent it there. It’s not cheap. I spent about $100 in three days for two people. I got my clothes ruined, caught a cold, and ended up with a sore back. Seems like a hell of a deal... NOT!

Honestly, it’s not worth it at all unless you have nothing better to do and are willing to dig through the heavily dense fields of clay. It’s just a gimmick to attract people from all over and have them spend money on admission, tool rentals, snacks, and even souvenirs.

This time of the year is super cold and ugly, in my opinion.

People need to realize that this is no easy task. Kids will get bored quickly and will nag you to leave. The moment they realize that a diamond can’t be found easily, the fun is over. Or when you have to dig with a shovel, carry heavy buckets to the washer station, and get wet and dirty—not to mention that the water is so cold your bones will hurt and eventually go numb. No joke.

Don’t dream, and you won’t get disappointed. Understand that if this place had many diamonds available, it wouldn’t be a park; it would belong to a mining company. Keep in mind that before the park bought this land, it belonged to many mining companies that went out of business because the business could not be sustained. Just Google and do your research.

The park ranger is an older, cranky guy who probably doesn’t enjoy his job anymore. He didn’t have any personality and seemed to be waiting around to give people tickets. At least, that was the impression he gave us. Like the park isn’t taking enough money from people already! Pretty weird. This guy should be friendly and welcoming, but instead, he was a tyrant. Not going to elaborate, but just watch out. By the way, I did nothing wrong but had an uncomfortable situation with him. The way he handled it made it worse.

Couple of tips:

Bring rubber gloves, rubber boots, 5-gallon buckets, a shovel, a diamond screen, and a cart if possible. Although you will be tempted to bring a lot of clothes because it’s really cold this time of year, you will be sweating and become uncomfortable quickly. Going back to your car will be annoying as you will have to wash off the mud, and usually, there is no water in the morning because it’s frozen.

All in all, this is only my personal opinion, and it may not align with other customer views. I was super disappointed and will definitely not come back! It’s too much work for a slim chance. Just walking around hoping to find a match head-sized or smaller diamond lying on top is a one-in-a-million chance. Don’t count on it, and you won’t be...

I took my family (fur-babies)here for a vacation. Yes I went diamond hunting/rock digging (playing in the dirt/mud really)with 3 dogs and had an absolute blast! We all did, we stayed by a watery mud hole which allowed for them to stay cool and temperature controlled while we were out there because it was HOT and SUNNY. Went in clothing that I didn't care if it got messed up and would dry quickly, as well as reflect the sun light and not absorb it (light colors lake clothing). It was a bucket list item I've been wanting to do for a while, didn't find any diamonds but got a few cool looking stones. They let you bring your dog(s) as long as you keep them on a leash and you follow their rules. You can also bring in your own gear for your search or the gift shop sells items to help with this along with all kinds of other things, or you can rent different items for your assistance too. I bought a bucket and gloves (don't use plastic gloves your hands get gross after a while sweating in them) breathable gardening gloves work a little better but your hands still get messy so I ditched all the gloves and went barehanded. Rented a shifting box set and a wagon. They do require a deposit for any rental but as long as you show your receipt or a picture of your receipt you get that back.Thankfully they do have a washing station with high power spray hoses (cold water) where you can rinse off everything. It's a pretty big area you can search and anything you find you get to keep. They have information videos for you to watch so you can figure out what you are looking for ideally. Lots of people were there while we were and everyone was friendly and having a good time it seemed even if you didn't find anything because it was an experience and memories were being created. One of the girls even picked up the shovel and tried to help lol.

I was able to check this off, along with discovering waterfalls in nature, and the Talimena Scenic Drive in Oklahoma / connecting states it's 54 miles and is a scenic byway that offers panoramic views of the Ouachita National Forest. Super RV/camper friendly route (meaning lots of RV parks and places you can park/camp at) and gorgeous this time of the year. I'm told even better during the fall. With the winding roads and sometimes high winds just be prepared to take things nice and slow and enjoy the drive. Rest during the night to be safe and do your driving during the sunlight hours. Pick one of the many coves along the side of the highway and take in the stunning sunset. We got to hike down a trail and discovered a waterfall. All the wildflowers and wildlife is incredible too. It's a road trip that you can do on different budgets just depending on what you want to do and how much planning or not planning...

Museum is free. Modern restrooms. Cost $15 per adult to dig for diamonds. Can buy tools or rent tools & wagon, but you can bring your own. Can also bring your own canopy. We were on vacation, but went to Ollie's and purchased a bucket & gardening tools. Had purchased a bucket & gloves at Harbor Freight. Child beach toys with sifters were purchased at Dollar Tree, but a kitchen mesh strainer would have worked better. Will give away before we finish our vacation.

We each carried a bucket with the supplies & put some water bottles in a bag in the bucket for hydration. Very hot open field in 90+ degree June weather. Will burn if out too long! We did wear shorts, but closed toe sneakers will protect your feet from sharp rocks and sunburn.

You can surface hunt by looking for shiny glitter in the dirt. You can sit, dig, & sift. There are 2 covered roof washing stations to wash and sift your dirt, just like mining for gold. Serious diamond hunters dig 20+ buckets of dirt to sift. They actually rent space in a cage to come back to complete the task.

One diamond hunter allowed me to take photos of his diamond display collection to show the variance of size, colors, & shapes found.

There are shaded picnic areas and trash receptacles. You feel the difference in the shade! I do not recommend bringing small children (I did see one, I think), but kids 8-10 or older would be okay. One boy was being silly making mud pies all over himself ilI think in loosing interest in digging.

Need to leave field by 4 pm to give time for employees to check your stones to tell you what you found. They do post when a diamond is found. No diamonds found on the day we went, a Monday.

The park does have camping and some hiking trails, but the picnic area was in adjacent area off of the parking lot. I like when a park has picnic areas scattered throughout the park. This location was originally a farm so that could explain the difference. Trees/woods do surround the diamond field. The field itself is plowed once a season.

This was a bucket list item checked...