Private mines where you pay a fee, dig through mine material, and keep everything you find. No federal restrictions on resale - these are private operations.
Call ahead to confirm current fees and hours. Both Coleman operations are on Highway 7, about 10 miles north of Hot Springs.
Largest producer of natural Arkansas quartz in the United States. Family-owned since 1963. You dig through mine tailings brought up by dump trucks - you can't enter the working mine itself. Bring tools or buy a garden tool on-site for $3. Restrooms, snacks, drinks available. Pet friendly (leashed). Rock shop with 100+ tables of minerals from around the world.
This is the recommended first fee-dig trip from Conway - closest, cheapest, open every day.
Different operation from Jim Coleman (same last name, different family branch). Mine is on the same property as the gift shop - not a separate location. Largest specimen ever found here was 9 feet long, over 3,000 lbs. Guided mine tours, zip-lining, and camping available.
Nicknamed the "Quartz Crystal Capital of the World." Multiple private mines in the crystal-bearing red clay and sandstone of the Ouachita Mountains. The geological horizon producing these crystals is the same one exposed on free USFS land nearby - the fee-digs just give you access to richer, less-picked material with infrastructure.
Considered one of the best digging experiences in the country. One of the only places in the US where you can find phantom quartz. Multiple dig options: crystal forest (40-acre surface mine with hand tools), gemstone sluice (bucket of dirt sorted through a trough - yields amethyst, opal, topaz, tourmaline, rubies), and tailings area. Keep everything.
Twin Creek Crystal Mine - Favorite among serious rockhounds. Known for high-quality specimens.
Sweet Surrender Crystal Mine (Story, near Mt Ida) - Known for large, high-quality crystals. Rich deposits.
Board Camp Crystal Mine (Mena area) - "Crystal Dig" and "Crystal Light" tours. Large, clear crystals. Scenic Ouachita Mountains setting.
Arrowhead Crystal Mine - Family-owned, relaxed atmosphere, large quartz crystals. Owners share knowledge freely.
Avant Mining - Over 12,000 acres. Encompasses the oldest public dig mine in the state (Ocus Stanley Claim on Fisher Mountain). Only gem-quality turquoise mine in the Eastern US. Also has mineral museum, gift shop, coffee shop.
Worth combining with a mozarkite collecting trip or a museum visit for a full weekend.
Former #1 barite-producing county in the US, with 250+ square miles of residual clay deposits above weathered Cambrian Potosi Dolomite. Multiple operational fee-dig sites: Haunted Ridge Druse Farm (200 acres near Cadet), Bluff View Farm (300 acres north of Potosi), B and G Farms, and guided trips via JWJ Rocks (active Facebook group). Specimen quality is very good - abundant and aesthetically pleasing. Drusy quartz comes in multiple colors.