Visitors to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, can enjoy the thrill of the hunt while also exploring a quaint downtown area.
By Kathleen Walls
November-December 2025
Are you looking for a chance to strike it rich? You might be a little late for the California Gold Rush, but you can still hit the jackpot in Arkansas at Crater of Diamonds State Park. Located in Murfreesboro, the park is home to the only public diamond mine in the United States where you can search for these gems in their original volcanic source. And it’s “finders’ keepers” if you uncover a precious stone.
Crater of Diamonds State Park is world-renowned for its geological diversity, most notably its naturally occurring diamonds.
The park’s Diamond Discovery Center teaches visitors how to identify diamonds in the rough. Near the entrance to the center, a ranger shares visuals to guide guests through the methods of looking for diamonds. The presentation describes some gems found in the park, including Uncle Sam, a 40.23-carat diamond, said to be the largest ever discovered in the U.S. Diamonds here are white, brown, or yellow. A variety of semiprecious stones can also be unearthed, including amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, and quartz. During my visit, I found a few pretty stones, but no diamonds.
The park rents tools to those who wish to dig for diamonds. The digging site is a 37-acre plowed field that was once a volcanic crater. Pick a spot that feels lucky and start digging. Use the washing station toward the back of the field to clean any rocks you find.
Park visitors can clean their discoveries in an on-site gem washing station.
You won’t have to rough it while you search. The park has 47 paved RV sites with water, electric, and sewer hookups set in a beautiful tree-shaded campground. Facilities include two modern bathhouses with hot showers, as well as a dump station.
While staying there, you can get your steps in by hiking the Little Missouri River Trail, which winds through the woods between the campground and the scenic river. It’s an easy hike that takes approximately one hour to complete. A large part of the path is paved, making it the longest wheelchair-accessible trail in southwest Arkansas.
If you want to cool off during the summer, check out the Diamond Springs Water Park, located right next to the visitor center. It has a large wading pool with water geysers, sprayers, jets, animated waterspouts, cascades, two water slides, and waterfall hideaways. A deck with tables and chairs surrounds the pool, making it a great spot to relax.
The campground at Crater of Diamonds State Park, open year-round, offers 47 RV sites within walking distance of the dig area.
The park lies just a few blocks from downtown Murfreesboro. Exploring the downtown area is like stepping back in time.
The Pike County Courthouse sits at the center of the town square. The current courthouse was built in 1931-32 in the Art Déco style, and signs around the building share bits of history. For example, one notes that the county’s first diamond was discovered in 1906. (John Huddleston, a farmer, uncovered it on his land, which is now the site of Crater of Diamonds State Park.) Another sign describes the town mill; the old grindstone stands nearby. In the median across from the courthouse, a sculpture features several colorful stones, along with a shovel, a pick, and a sifting pan.
The Murfreesboro Saturday Market, a combination farmers’ market and flea market, opens for business on the town square weekly from May through October. Several antique shops await exploration year-round. Almost all the shops offer beautiful stones for sale.
Those hunting other treasures may find them downtown at the Murfreesboro Emporium.
The Murfreesboro Emporium antique store is housed in the H.M. Ross/Lewis & Branch Building, which was constructed in the summer of 1909 for use as a hardware and general merchandise store. The brick building shows its age; at the top of the front façade, a nameplate that reads “H.M. Ross” is visible. At one time, the building bore a matching plate for “Lewis & Branch,” but time has removed that one. When I visited, bins of stones, along with an old wood-burning stove and a claw-foot bathtub, were out front. Inside, the store is filled with jewelry, collectibles, and antiques.
The building that houses the Hawkins Variety Store was constructed as the Owens-Stelle Building in 1909. This old-school establishment is filled with a wide range of interesting items, including candles and Christmas decorations. Stop in for fresh-baked goods, sandwiches, or a treat from the ice cream counter.
Across the street, Caddo Antiques is located in a 1915-era building and offers even more collectibles and gift items in a 5,000-square-foot space. Another shop near the courthouse is appropriately named The Old Store and offers candy, sodas, and souvenirs.
Caddo Antiques, also downtown, offers collectibles and gift items.
You can enjoy a delicious lunch at the Feed Bin Café, just catty-corner from The Old Store. Owner Laurie Westfall hails from Louisiana, and her restaurant serves a nice mix of cultural foods.
If you want to do more digging — and explore an ancient Indian mound — head for Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village, located about 1¼ miles from downtown Murfreesboro. It’s an amazing experience to stand in what was once a settlement from the early Mississippian era that dates back a thousand years. Ka-Do-Ha Village was discovered in 1964 by amateur archaeologist Glen Kizzia and contains the only open mounds in the United States — the remnants of an ancient Caddo civilization.
A museum in the village displays artifacts from these and other early cultures. Each exhibit has an audio component that describes the artifacts. As you examine the Clovis points handcrafted by these early American humans — prehistoric stone spear points made from stone or mammoth bones — you also see how later peoples improved the designs. One display illustrates how the Clovis points originated from a mammoth bone and went through five steps to become finished spearheads. Later, the Woodland-era people added notches to the spears and arrowheads so they could be attached to shafts. They began using a lightweight, spear-throwing stick called an atlatl for hunting bigger game. Since the atlatl extended the reach of an arm, it gave the spear thrower more power.
Ka-Do-Ha Indian Village features open mounds and a field in which to search for arrowheads and crystals.
A diorama in the museum depicts ancient Caddo dwellings. Constructed of poles thatched with grass, they once stood around the ceremonial centers of the mounds.
The actual mounds are open, so visitors can wander around and observe the excavations. The largest one served as a temple mound; another functioned as a burial mound. Out of respect, the skeletons seen at the bottom of the excavation are plastic replicas, not actual bones; however, they provide a sense of how the mounds appeared when they were first excavated. The larger burial site, believed to be that |of a chief, holds his personal effects, including pipes, water bottles, food bowls, and pottery. Another site contains two sets of bones. One is thought to be those of a chief as well; the other may be a younger warrior who was sacrificed.
The Historic Indian Trading Post gift shop offers a variety of Indian crafts, bows and arrows, moccasins, drums, and more, which make great souvenirs.
The large field outside, where you can dig for arrowheads or diamonds and keep what you find, is seeded regularly, which makes it more fun for the kids but less scientifically accurate. I dug for a while and found a few interesting pebbles. Some of my friends unearthed arrowheads, and one even picked up a four-leaf clover to go along with her arrowhead find. A trail awaits those who want to wander off and commune with nature after observing the mounds.
The village itself is a beautiful blend of scientific knowledge and tourist-type fun you do not want to miss.
Even if you don’t discover any diamonds or other gemstones during your visit to Murfreesboro, Ka-Do-Ha Village, and Crater of Diamonds State Park, you’re bound to leave with some precious memories.
MORE INFO
Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism
adpht.arkansas.gov
Crater of Diamonds State Park
arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park
(870) 285-3113
Dig Murfreesboro
digmurfreesboro.com
(870) 285-3131