(Your Children Are Also Welcome)
🔹 Part 1 of 3
There’s a swath of land from southwestern Arkansas to eastern Oklahoma called the Quartz Belt, and if you’ve never visited, you’re missing out on one of the most fun and rewarding experiences you can have with your dog. I’m speaking, of course, of going digging together!
There is one town in the Quartz Belt that’s world famous for its many mines and the museum-quality specimens you can find there. So let’s talk about Mt. Ida, situated by scenic Lake Ouachita. It is one of my favorite road trips, and I try to go two or three times every spring and fall. It sits between Hot Springs—one of the most dog-friendly towns in the United States (seriously, it’s amazing. . . Your pup is welcome in all the restaurants, all the stores have water bowls and offer dog biscuits at check out, and there are several historic hotels, baths, hiking trails, and thermal springs—it’s the best) and Murfreesboro. If you’ve heard of Murfreesboro, Arkansas, it’s probably because it’s home to Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond mine in the world open to the public. It’s a great weekend. Dig for crystals and diamonds—you really can’t lose. It’s a fairly cheap adventure. When I went a few years ago, admission to the diamond mine was only $20. Alas, I returned home empty-handed.
Returning home empty-handed is definitely not something you have to worry about when you dig for crystals in Mt. Ida. I love to stay in the cheap Royal Oak Inn, a local haunt for rockhounds and a quick drive to my favorite mine, the Wegner Crystal Mine.
Everyone has a favorite crystal mine. Mt. Ida is packed with them, and you should absolutely shop around until you find one that suits you. Some people prefer mines where you pay a premium to carve straight from the motherlode. I’m not that fancy (or that rich, strong, or comfortable around power tools). I’m happy with Wegner. It’s the hamburger of crystal mines—cheap, satisfying, and never lets me down. I’ll tell you all about it in part 2.
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