To celebrate TK's birthday we traveled to Murfreesboro, Arkansas, and stayed at Crater of Diamonds State Park, for a lovely four day weekend!
Murfreesboro is located in the southwest section of Arkansas and is the county seat for Pike County. This small town has great small-town charm with a very cute downtown area for shopping.
Old hotel located in Murfreesboro
Once was a gas station but now it is a community park
Water tower watching over Murfreesboro
Great antique and gift shopping in downtown Murfreesboro
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is located just three miles south of Murfreesboro and consist of 37 acres of pure diamond digging delight! This crater is actually the only place in the world where the public can hunt for diamonds and keep whatever they find. We visited the park many years ago and had no luck finding a diamond. This time we returned to rectify that situation!
Welcome center sign
Crater of Diamonds visitors center
Old equipment used in digging
The diamond digging field
We prepared for our visit by learning about diamonds and how to search for them at the park's visitors center. The three colors of diamonds found in Crater of Diamonds are white, brown, and yellow. Amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, and quartz are among the minerals and rocks you can find at the park, as well. More than 35,000 diamonds have been found by park visitors since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972. Notable diamonds found at the Crater include the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, the largest diamond ever unearthed in the U.S.; the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight; the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas; and the 8.52-carat Esperanza. Sadly, our hopes for finding a diamond, or even a nice mineral sample, were denied
Entrance to Crater of Diamonds State Park
Our trailer at our campsite
The Crater of Diamonds State Park has other amenities which include a gift shop, seasonal water park, walking trails, picnic sites, 5 walk-in tent sites, and 47 Class AAA campsites (50 Amp/30 Amp/Water/Sewer).
Our campsite was amazing! Not only was it clean and level but tall trees surrounded the site providing privacy from neighbors and cover from the drizzle and rain.
There are several hiking trails in the area with some leading down to the Little Missouri River and back up to the Crater of Diamonds Visitor Center.
Not far from Murfreesboro and near the small town of Billstown, Arkansas, is the final resting place of Glen Campbell. We stopped by to pay homage to this master musician. As we were reading the historical markers within the family cemetery a truck pulled up and out popped Glen Campbell's cousin. He introduced himself and thanked us for visiting making our visit to Campbell's grave even more special.
We also enjoyed visiting the town of Washington, Arkansas. We were so impressed with this town turned living-history-museum that we decided to spend an entire day exploring this area and have saved Washington for a separate post, all by itself.
View our latest video about Crater of Diamonds State Park on our YouTube Channel!
Here is the recipe to the travel-inspired cocktail we create in this video:
Arkansas Razorback Cocktail
½ shot of Vodka
½ shot of rum
½ shot of almond liqueur
½ shot of coffee liqueur
Add all together in a shaker with ice.
Shake to froth and strain off the ice into the glass. The ice is
just to get it cold and the shaking is to make it froth. Don't worry
if it doesn't stay frothy.
