Thousands of people go to the park to dig for diamonds and bring them home, earning billions of dong.

Legal "diamond mine"

Crater of Diamonds State Park, located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, USA, is the only park in the world that allows visitors to mine diamonds right from an ancient volcano.

The 37-acre park is open daily from 8am to 4pm, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Since 1972, it has been a popular destination for gem hunters. Visitors from all over the world come here in the hope of finding a valuable gem.

According to statistics, on average, one to two small diamonds are discovered every day. To date, more than 35,000 diamonds have been found in the park. Among them is the largest diamond ever discovered in the United States, a 40.23-carat diamond called "Uncle Sam".

The gem is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution's Gem and Mineral Collection, part of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington.

Crater of Diamonds State Park is located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas (Photo: Arkansas State Parks).

Diamonds found in the park are usually white, yellow or brown. In addition, visitors can also encounter other gemstones and minerals such as amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate...

Tickets to the diamond hunting area are $7 (about VND 180,000) for children aged 6 to 12 and $15 (about VND 390,000) for people aged 13 and over.

Visitors are allowed to bring their own mining equipment or rent them from the park, but any battery- or motor-powered equipment is prohibited. Each person is also allowed to take home a bucket of sifted gravel each day to continue their search after returning home.

In addition, the park also organizes demonstrations of mining techniques and assists visitors in identifying found specimens.

The "cool hunters"

One of the familiar faces at the park is Scott Kreykes, who in 2022 found the 35,000th diamond recorded in the area.

Notably, this was also the 50th gemstone he discovered that year and the 80th on his search.

Scott Kreykes found the park's 50th diamond of the year (Photo: Arkansas State Parks).

For his remarkable achievement, the Kreykes were rewarded with two free nights at an Arkansas state park, a special display case for the diamond, and a personal registration card.

One of the most recent notable discoveries was a 3.81-carat brown diamond found by David DeCook, who was on a trip with his brother Derek on April 21.

When David saw a shiny, foil-like object on the ground, he initially thought it was a discarded candy wrapper. However, when he bent down to take a closer look, he realized he had found a diamond.

He named the stone “The Duke Diamond” after his dog. According to the park management, it is the largest diamond discovered this year. The exact value of the stone has not been determined, but it is likely to be in the thousands of dollars.

The latest discovery to attract attention is a 3.81-carat brown diamond (Photo: Arkansas State Parks).

Previously, in 2013, a young woman named Tana Clymer found an extremely rare 3.85-carat canary diamond. Officials estimated the value of the stone at $50,000 to $60,000.

In addition to gem-hunting, Crater of Diamonds State Park offers a variety of other fun experiences, including hiking trails, picnic areas, camping areas, a fishing lake, and a mining-themed water park called Diamond Springs.

With a combination of discovery , entertainment and the possibility of digging for diamonds, this park is becoming a unique and attractive destination for those who love nature, like to try their luck and those who are passionate about gemstones.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/hang-ngan-nguoi-vao-cong-vien-dao-kim-cuong-mang-ve-kiem-duoc-ca-ty-dong-20250518014422604.htm