If anyone is in or around Arkansas it is a fun place to visit especially with kids. For a small price of admission you get to go onto the property and dig around in the dirt as much as you want. There are people in the area that do it as a hobby bringing shovels and 5-gallon buckets to see what they can find. A park ranger told us the same thing from the article that the best time to find diamonds is right after a large rainfall when the ground shifts and diamonds can be seen on the surface in the sunlight.
the same can be said about those who want to find seashells, the beaches after very large storms are fascinating and rewarding.
with regards to ruby, diamond, and other precious gem, mining the part I find enjoyable is most of these places are off the beaten path and a day spent in the country playing in the mud can be rewarding for lack of distractions of everyday life
Especially in Arkansas. It's a really beautiful state. There is a bunch of other natural beauty to see like hot springs and cave tours. Our family has vacation in Arkansas quite a bit.
Blanchard Springs Caverns in Arkansas are truly a site to behold. Pictures cannot do it justice. And I have been to many well known caverns throughout the world to compare.
As far as a cave that you can simply take an elevator down to and walk through on paved sidewalks, it is one of the best in the world. (There are also other portions for the more adventurous. Some that are completely underwater and require scuba gear.)
Another thing fun for kids is panning for gold out west. The sunlight glitters on the gold flakes and catches your eye.
I think there are even places you can buy a bag of dirt to be shipped to you.
Another interesting thing you can do is buy unsorted/unwashed roman coins from europe. There are techniques to soak and reveal the face of the coins. Where else can you uncover 2000 year old human artifacts?
