Great experience! After reading others reviews I was worried we would come home empty handed but I think we were there on a good day. It had rained for about 2days before we got out there and I think they had just moved some piles around. My 9 year old who isn't very committed to digging walked up and picked up a big crystal laying on top of the mud. I later found two other beautiful pieces near the same spot just poking around in the mud on the flat areas. Anytime I really dug in the big mounds like everyone else was, I found nothing. We stayed overnight in the campground it was only 12 bucks with hook ups (and found crystals on the ground there too) and paid $5 per kid and $20 per adult to dig for the day. One of the crystals I found alone is worth $55-75!! So we definitely got our money's worth. Fun times. Definitely try it! read more

See all

I am including everything to do at Ron Coleman mining. They all have a different star rating. 1. The mining tour, was great, the guide and driver were very friendly and informed. We started the tour with a small video about Ron Coleman mine the full video is for sale in the gift shop . Then we went into a locked room where they have all of the really expensive and beautiful pieces of rocks and minerals . Some of them were breathtaking We were able to drive in a old army truck down into the mine itself. That was very interesting. After that we went into the cleaning room and sorting rooms. All in all I would give this trip a five-star. Price of the store was $15 for a person. 2. Crystal Ridge Campground. Campground host was very nice and friendly explained a lot about the mine and the campground around to us . A nice quiet little Campground but it could use a little repair. But for $12 a night for a full hookup I guess we can't complain. the showers were clean but a little dilapidated. Didn't get the check out the laundry room or the bathrooms. We had the only pull through site and had a nice view and it was plenty wide enough for us to get our big 5th wheel in. I would give this park a three-star. 3. Now for the crystal digging itself we have been here in the past and I've always found a lot of very nice crystals. The price of digging was $15 a person for senior citizens. We dug for close to four hours and found what you will see in the picture. Extremely disappointed this time and the time before this with what we found. It also seemed that no one around us was finding anything. They told us to go dig in the piles that the trucks were just bringing up and then a little bit later a grater came and pushed those piles over the edge of the of the Hill because it was just all overburden, so we dug in those piles for nothing. We will not be back but you decide for yourself maybe you'll be luckier than we were. I would give the digging experience a one star. The gift shop in my opinion was very overpriced. They had baskets of unwashed crystals that you couldn't tell what they were. The last time we were here they were selling for $30 each. They are now $115 each. Good luck with your digging. read more

See all

The best time I've ever had digging in the dirt. I saw babies to 80 somethings out their digging for crystals. It's good, clean fun. Bring your ice chest, lunch and spend the day. Everyone will enjoy at least one of the activities they offer. The zip-line and tour are a must do. The selection in the Gift Shop was quite impressive. There were amazing mineral mineral accents and jewelry. read more

Ron Coleman Mining - Part of the view riding down to the commercial mine - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

Mom and I came for the mine tour and the crystal digging and left with a wonderful experience, ready to return. Haley and John provided a great tour, and after, Don golf carted my mom (92 years young) up to the top of the tailings pile and then came back to bring her down. We had a blast meeting new people ( @that.campingcouple.com ) and getting expert advice on where to look! The fresh tailings provided us more crystals than we could carry back, but they will look lovely in my garden! Thanks Ron Coleman for a wonderful vacay day! read more

I visit Arkansas from Colorado several times a year and a stop here is always on the agenda. Always a great time and cool Crystal finds! read more

See all

During the three days we were here, no fresh loads were brought to the mining site. We might've found more if we were more experienced, but the overall feeling from the patrons was that it was hard to find a dig site that hadn't already been dug and fresh loads were much needed. Found some little stuff that was adequate for making jewelry. But honestly, we found so much more under the picnic tables, around the water hook ups, and at the cleaning stations. That made the trip worth while. I hope to come back one day when the dumping is more frequent and I really get that eureka moment of finding some big and wowie crystals. How will I know when that will be if they don't dump on a schedule? I will say that the wholesale service was very good and we left with some beautiful points that we bought. We were treated very well as buyers. That was a 5 star experience. read more

We have never been disappointed going there. Our family goes about three times a year. My kids have pulled out some really awesome pieces. It is amazing to wear out the kids and put a little competition in the family, who can find the best crystal. read more

Our weekend getaway was going to include the diamond mine but we found Ron Colemans instead and we had the best day ever! Having been to the crater years before, I didn't know what to expect but the ladies in the office gave us the low down. Starting with the fact you get to be a kid and dig in the dirt!! You purchase your all day pass (come and go all day) and drive down to the digging area. The actual mine is on site and they bring the quartz filled dirt up by the truckload. You "mine" in these huge piles of rock and dirt. Bring or buy shovels, trowels, hand rakes, and gloves. We brought a bucket for the larger pieces we kept and some people had carts. Water and clothes to get dirty in and a pad to sit on are must haves as well. Pick a spot and start moving dirt. Quickly we found gorgeous chunks of quartz: clear, white, pink, and black. The crystals are more elusive but the longer you dig the more you find. And you keep anything you want to keep. There were people with truckloads! We ended up with a small bucket of larger pieces and about a bag - which they supplied- of quartz and crystals. The best part is that your entry fee is guaranteed. If you don't find something great you can apply the entry fee to a purchase in the store! Rock hounds beware. They have tables full of gorgeous rock and a full gift shop. There are clean bathrooms, vending machines for snacks, and also a mine tour and zip lining on site. This was definitely a great day and we took home more than pretty rocks-- great memories as well. We will be back. read more

Ron Coleman Mining - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

See all

Rip off to get in very very little crystals, probably buy from China and spread on dig pile, I find better ones in the corn fields in Pennsylvania then I did at an actual crystal mine read more

Me and my family had a fun time despite all the flaws. My mom and I are from Mississippi and my cousins are from California. We all decided to come to Arkansas for Spring break. My cousin was looking for things to do when she stumbled upon Ron Coleman Mining. She saw it had good reviews so we decided to take a look for ourselves. We arrived around 3:20. The website had said the place closes at 4:30 so we thought we had about an hour to dig. We found out quickly that they get you to leave at 4:00 so they have 30 minutes to close. It was a little frustrating but it was our fault because most places do that in Mississippi. We decided to get the passes anyways and at this point we only had about 26 minutes to dig so we were in a rush. This old woman gave my family their wavers to sign and by the time they were finished, she had disappeared leaving us to wait for someone to assist us. By the time someone did, we had about 20 minutes to dig. My mom was buying everyone's tickets and the card reader quit working. Then the lady rang us up again and it had came up to be $80. Mind you, after 3:30 the tickets are half off. We got her to put it down to $40 where my mom had to swipe twice for it to work. After all this, we only had 16 minutes to dig. It had come time to leave. I decided to walk around while my family grabbed their things. A woman then came up on a golf cart and told us to leave. Despite all this, we did have fun read more

Ron Coleman Mining - Proof of the hours - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

My daughter and her friends had a great time digging. Unfortunately, once they were harnessed up for the zip line they were told that there was thunder in the area. They were obviously disappointed and said that they were willing to come back the next day. The staff told them that if they came back the next day that they would have to pay again do to an absolute no refund policy. I can understand the policy if they allow people to come back the next day. However, paying for a service and then being told that they won't get that service is nothing short of fraud. I haven't been able to talk to them yet personally. If something changes, I would be happy to change the review since they had a great time, except for this one very unfortunate incident which left an incredibly bad impression. Good businesses do not employ fraudulent practices. They didn't ask for a refund, simply another time the next day when they might complete what could have been a great experience. read more

The Ron Coleman mine is fantastic! Everyone that works there is absolutely wonderful! Debra, Marshall, Debbie, Hazel, Joseph, Connor, Craig & Mike are great at making you feel like you belong. They all made our whole family feel welcomed in every way! They go above and beyond to make sure guests are having fun by answering questions, offering advice and ideas, as well as showing us around. We spent two days at the mine. The first day we had little knowledge as to what we should be looking for and how. By the second day, we were ready to go! We went on the tour & did the unlimited zip line over the mine, in addition to mining for crystals. Advice from this new-to-mining-family from Texas: 1. Wear play clothes & closed toe shoes. You're gonna get filthy. 2. Wear sunscreen and have plenty of water to drink. You can refill water bottles at the gift shop. 3. Take the tour. Just do it. You'll be glad you did and you'll see some gorgeous stuff! 4. Take/buy a cultivator or shovel to dig. Also take a beach umbrella or sport awning to provide shade while you dig. 5. A wagon will be your friend to haul stuff in & out of the mine to dig. 6. Arrive early & take breaks often! Your permit allows you to dig all day! 7. Put up the windshield visor in your vehicle, so your car will stay cooler inside for your return! 8. Ask questions because the staff is more than happy to help! They really want your experience to be terrific! 9. Be kind to other people! You never know who might find a honey hole & be willing to share! 10. July is HOT! Consider September as a better option! Ron Coleman mine is a family friendly, affordable adventure that everyone will enjoy! read more

See all

What a fun place to come to and spend a few hours, a few days or a few weeks, you can do that because they have a nice, clean, inexpensive RV/Tent Park you can stay in. Crystal digging always gives you some great finds, the zip line is very fun and the tour of the mine is very informative. This is our second trip here and we will be back! read more

Family had a blast here. We spent about half a day. Picnic lunch, took the tour and dug for a couple hours. The adults could have stayed all day. Ha. But our little ones were tuckered out. Bring some shovels and gloves if you can. If not, they sell them here at a reasonable cost. We found many cool crystals along with a bunch of pretty rocks for our garden. read more

Ron Coleman Mining - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

See all

So much fun!!! Girls weekend crazy fun! Make sure to take the tour first and ride the army truck into the mine! Bring a trowel and get into it! The crystals and quartz are ready to go home with you!! read more

See all

We covered a lot of ground while in Hot Springs....my teenagers LOVED crystal digging the best! It was a really hot day so we were only there for 2 hours & we left with 3 big bags of crystals!! I do recommend wearing old closed toed shoes & not your favorite outfit. That red dust is everywhere! read more

I went for the second day in a row and found better crystals. Alisha was a great help, she helped point me in the right direction to dig. She went from customer to customer helping them find good places to dig and what to look for. I can tell she likes helping the customers have a great experience. Water which is very important during the 100+ degree days, Alisha would bring the cold water or Gatorade to people, and the price was great. I found lots of little crystals and several large ones. Definitely coming back. read more

My 2 teen kids and I had a wonderful time for our first visit. The price is not bad for being able to keep everything you find. Definitely bring your own tools. Buckets, gloves, pads to sit on, wagons, full size shovels, small gardening tools, and plenty of water. Great time spent outdoors playing in the dirt! read more

Ron Coleman Mining - Crystal cluster cleaned - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

See all

We had an absolutely wonderful time. The weather was perfect and we found some great crystals. Be prepared to get dirty!! Bring a change of clothes and a towel. The staff were all great. read more

See all

The Ron Coleman Mining experience was AMAZING! I definitely will remember this for years to come and maybe even return in the future! Tips: wear clothes you can get dirty in for the mining as well as your own tools like shovels, pics, gloves, boots. (Otherwise you'll have to pay for them)You can leave whenever you want and return to mining. Anything you dig up and can carry is fair game for grabbing. The western part of the mine has the bigger quartz crystals. The main issue in the mine is that you can find the quartz, but can't always dig them up/carry because the rocks are really heavy. Follow the rules and guidelines and of course have fun! I know my family did! read more

This a fun experience if you don't mind getting a little dirty. They also have a zip line you can rise as well. I don't suggest the zip line if it's a windy day I got stuck in the middle which was scary fun but scary. We found so many beautiful Quartz . Be ready to get really dirty if you want to find the goodies! Bring lots of water and some hand tools to dig through the mounds of dirt. If you are visiting on your birthday you get to mine for free! read more

See all

We went for the zip lining and were highly surprised by how much we enjoyed the quartz mining. First we did the tour, which was very interesting, where they let you see the gallery then take you into the mine and give you the history and information on the mine. The area is beautiful and it was nice to even just be out there enjoying the scenery. We then got into the digging (wear comfy clothes, good shoes, and prepare to get dirty) which was actually quite fun, especially after learning about the history of the mine and quartz itself. I would definitely recommend this place for anyone visiting Hot Springs or for a fun day trip. read more

Ron Coleman Mining - View from the digging area - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

Another awesome visit! My son and I had a blast digging around. We found some really nice crystals. We had a good few hours and then tired out but we got two sacks full and that was enough. I really want to use the campgrounds next time. We will have to get our camper ready! read more

Ron Coleman Mining - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

See all

Fun way to spend a day. Go see a crystal mine. See gems from around the world. Dig in the dirt and find your own gems. Tour of the mine was very informative. The cost was reasonable. The zip line was a one way ride but you could ride as often as you wanted. The only thing we didn't like was after you pay to mine you get an oh by the way did you bring a shovel and a bucket....no well we have some to sell you. Other than that we really enjoyed it. Having a great time visiting this area of the state. read more

Ron Coleman Mining - Fun way to spend a day - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

See all

I specifically asked the lady at the desk where the new loads they had brought up are, she said dhe didn't know, that she hadn't been watching. I then asked her if they had brought up loads that day, she said yes. She lied. There were no fresh tailings, another crystal hunter told us they hadn't brought up a load since Thursday, This was on a Tuesday.There are lots of big hunks of white quartz, and some small crystals, all damaged. So if you like being lied to.... I will spend my hard earned $ elsewhere, with honest people. read more

Who doesn't like getting dirty digging for crystals?! Little advice WEAR GLOVES as the crystals will cut you up pretty good. I have only been here once ages ago to actually dig but they have 2 gift shops which are an easy out for those who don't like to get dirty. They sell way more than the average crystals at these shops as well. I do suggest packing some cash because digging isn't exactly cheap. read more

Coleman Mining offers an hour long tour featuring an informational video, visit to a showroom and tour of the mine. We enjoyed the showroom very much as we were able to see large stones from around the world and were given information on each one. We took an old military vehicle into the mine and then were take. To the cleaning facilities to see how the stones quartz is cleaned and sorted. We opted to dig for our own stones and were able to get the necessary supplies in the gift shop. We found several pretty pieces of quartz and a small crystal with 3 points a few inches long. They offer a small cleaning area for people choosing to mine. It was a fun experience. The gift shop had a large variety of stones for purchase from across the globe. read more

We really enjoyed our time here! My son thought it was awesome. I would say it's a bit like buying a scratch off ticket. Your odds of a big win are low, but lots of small prizes. Look for the fresh, bright, peanut buttery soil. Tour is interesting. It's all a little pricey, but a unique experience. Keep small children close- there are some steep unmarked drop offs. read more

Ron Coleman Mining - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

There were a LOT of people here which wasn't fun. Also, on their website they state that Spring/Summer hours went until 6pm, but when I went to buy the permits, they said they closed at 4:30, and that meant they wanted everyone out of the parking lot by 4:30. We got there at 3:30 which meant we only had around 45 minutes to dig. They only charged me half price for the permits which I appreciated, but honestly would have liked to have a bigger discount given the little amount of time left. But yes, we went ahead and did it because we had driven 13 hours to dig at a couple mines, and this one was highly recommended. Sadly, we only found one medium and one tiny crystal point, and those were lying on the surface. We didn't find anything by digging, not that we had a lot of time to dig. read more

I took 4 teenage daughters to this mine and managed to keep them off their cell phones for 4 straight hours. They had a blast and so did my wife and I . We will be back this fall when its cooler!!! read more

Listen, I'm new to things like this. We enjoyed the stops at the store and visit to the big ole digging pile. It's a rough road up to the mine but easily navigated. It's a bit "rough" around the edges but we got a bucket full of treasures so we call it a win. read more

A great time for the family! The staff is very friendly and helpful. You can bring your own tools or buy them at the store. We dug for awhile and found a ton of crystals! Afterwards we did a ride down the zip line which was big fun! read more

Ive gone here for years. The last two years their tailings have been very sparse. If you notice even pictures being taken nothing outstanding is coming up for the public to find. Very disappointed and probably will not make the 8 hour drive again. Very sad as this was our major vacation spot for the last ten years. read more

I took my kids here about 15 years ago. We had a blast! Kids enjoyed it and so did we. We camped at the park. Bathrooms were clean, and well maintained. The digging experience was wonderful. The dozer was constantly bringing up new dirt full of crystals. I came home with lots of wonderful crystals, that are proudly displayed thru out my home. Last year we took our grandchildren. The experience was very different. They now take the good crystals and put them in another area for visitors with 10 people or more. We didn't see 1 dozer both days we were there. What we brought home, was no comparison to the previous time. I must say, I was very disappointed in what we found. Nothing like the 1st time we went. They have gone up in price for digging, and didn't really bring home 1/8 of what we did the 1st time. Will try another mine next time read more

We really loved our day here. The shop is beautiful and the people are so friendly. We got to dig in the dirt like kids with our kids and find quartz points and rocks. It was really fun! The reason for four stars is we wish the water washing station was not in the best shape, one working hose that doesn't turn off and the other faucet spews water everywhere. But we spent hours digging and got some cool rocks in the shop too! read more

We been to all of the crystal mines in the area. Last weekend we decided to try the Ron Coleman mine for the first time. The admission fee is pretty pricey compared to some of the others, but I figured we should try it! I have never paid so much money to work so hard for so little reward in all my life. Even our three kids whom love doing this sort of thing were ready to leave after three hours of finding nothing but a few small point pieces. This family of five left after spending all day digging with barely the bottom of a five gallon bucket covered. It appears the crystal mine is no longer the main attraction or focus for the business. Truly a shame. Beautiful location, hope the rest of the attractions they offer are more productive than the crystal mine. We truly wanted to leave showing everyone who told us not to bother with this mine, they were wrong! Unfortunately this is one case where they were right. read more

The zip-line is awesome ! My grandson loved it which means we loved watching him ! We also had a good time digging for crystals. The mine has a beautiful view. read more

Ron Coleman Mining - He's loving it ! - Campgrounds Near Me - Jessieville, Arkansas

See all

If I could put no stars I would. Not only did I go two days without so much as a whole quartz point, I hardly found anything at all. They weren't covid-compliant (not enforcing mask regulations at all) but they raised their price and their dirt was a bunch of crap. Such a disappointment to drive in from another state to find this. Two thumbs down read more

Great experience! We did the tour, zip line and digging. We brought an ice chest with lunch and dug for almost 2 hours. I think all four of us found something we were content with. It was a Thursday morning and it was relatively busy. Went for a bachelorette trip activity, and now I want to take my family. read more

Doesn't get any better than this! Easy digging and best finds. Very friendly staff! Dirty fun - so plan to bring old clothes, good shoes you don't mind getting dirty, and perhaps a towel to sit on/clean off when you're done. They provide digging tools and gloves in the gift shop but of course you are welcome to bring your own. Have been 3 times in the past year and plan on coming back from Louisiana in April for another dig! Love this place, love crystals. read more