jim coleman crystal mines and rock shop

We took our kids (6 and 3) to dig and on the mine tour. The staff was helpful and kind. The digging was fun and messy like you'd expect. The weather was rainy and we were lucky to have our ponchos and rainboots which helped. The explanation about the crystals in the area made an impact. I'm definitely glad we found Colemans vs. the more tourist place near Bathhouse Row. The kids liked the tour down into the mine because we rode on an Army Humvee truck. We brought our lunch which was a good thing since there's nothing but vending machines.

Love to take home a little reminder of where I have been! Nothing better - or prettier than a crystal rock from Arkansas!

Our children loved digging for crystals!! We were lucky ("or not" HUGE mess) to mine the day after lots of rain. We could easily identify lots of treasures laying on top of the dirt that had been washed away by the rain. It was also easy to dig when necessary to loosen the precious crystals from the Earth. A warning to parents: everything gets stained by the red clay mud so wear old clothes and bring digging tools along with towels!

This is the best rock shop, by far. We have been here many times. We didn't go mining this time just had a great visit in the rock shop. Our 3 year old grandson loved it. it was his first time. He thought getting 5 rocks (.10/each) was wonderful then he got a "treasure box" to keep them in.

Jim Coleman Crystal Mines and Rock Shop5837 Arkansas 7Jessieville, AR 71949 (location of rock shop)501-984-5328 akaColeman Miller Mountain Mine358 Bighole RoadJessieville, AR 71949 (actual mine location)If you've never been ‘crystal mining’ (like myself) and have an adventurous spirit and don’t mind getting dirty; I recommend you try your hand at exploring for Crystals. I see there is some confusion as to the “Jim Coleman Crystal Mines and Rock Shop” on State Highway 7 and the “Coleman Miller Mountain Mine”. They are technically one in the same. You can (if you are not familiar with the actual location of the mine) purchase your $10.00 (adult) “Mining Permit” at the Rock Shop at which time they will give you directions to the mine (which is 11 miles away). Or, you can also go directly to the mine and purchase your permit on site from Patty. I chose this location based on other review here on TripAdvisor. It is undeniably more ‘remote and rugged’ than the mine closer to the rock shop; however, it is satisfactorily equipped (has facilities) and has lots of mining tailings to dig through. Don't let the dirt and gravel roads deter you.I enjoyed about 5 hours of hunting on a relatively hot October day (10/26/14) digging through the ‘mud and rocks’ looking for those elusive little crystals. For my efforts I came out with one large (goose egg size) crystal and couple of dozen smaller ones. Many are broken and although there is a possibility of finding a large perfect one… remember, it is the tailings. When I arrived at 9:30 am another couple was already digging and through the entire day, less than a dozen people came to dig. No crowds and lots of fresh areas to hunt. I have to admit I was not well prepared and offer the following if you plan to attend. First, go to Walmart and buy some cheap work gloves (mine were $2.00), you are not allowed to use hammers so bring a shovel or trowel and a small hand rake. Remember to bring a hat! Also bring something to sit on (unless you want to sit in the mud). A bucket is good and can be used to put your finds. I used one of the ‘grocery bags’ to carry my finds. I recommend a couple of large plastic bags to sit on as you will be hunting in several area and it may get muddy. Also, bring your food and drink. It’s a long way back to a convenience store. They do sell water at the mine and have hand rakes you can buy. You may know, however: for what it worth… digging for crystals is hard on the back and hands but makes a great outing for the family. Children could become ‘bored’ so you might want to bring something to occupy their time once the ‘new’ wares off and they get tired.I used my Garmin and recorded these lat/long to identify the actual mine location. The last location is from Google maps and is close. N 34.67079 by W 093.21239 N 34° 40.250’ by W 093° 12.736’ 311 Bighole Road Jessieville, AR 71949

My husband and I decided to try digging for crystals after reading about it. We arrived here mid-morning with the intention of staying for a couple of hours to see what it was like. Well....4 hours later we were still here playing in the dirt because it was just so much fun. We each found several nice crystals, as well as several beautiful quartz rocks to take home. The gift shop was fun and informative, and there were many crystals available for sale as well. There was a picnic table for resting and taking breaks.....and a small, rustic bathroom facility. A great experience and we will definitely go back again. Perfect for groups, couples and families.

I'll start by saying that I've been to the Coleman mine many times - about 5 times between the ages of 4 and 15; but, this was my first visit as an adult.My wife and I brought our 4 and 8 year olds to Arkansas to visit the places I remember visiting when I was a kid. The mine is pretty much the same as I remember; but, I must have repressed the memories of the last 2 miles of roads as a child!I don't know why we thought August in Arkansas would be cooler than in Texas; but, the thought had massive flaws. We arrived later than we planned, starting our digging adventure around 8:30am. By 10:30, we were done - the heat and 70+% humidity was all we could take. The kids enjoyed the adventure and we'll gave to wait and see the quality of the goodies we found after we return to Texas!

During a recent trip to Hot Springs, I took my four children to the Coleman Mines to dig for crystals. They enjoyed climbing the piles of dirl and rock digging and searching for crystals. The ages of my children are 13, 12, 10. and 7. Two of each gender. While the girls had fun, the boys especially enjoyed it as they are big Minecraft junkies and this satisfied their interest in mining. We bagged a few bags of crystal and one really big boulder with exposed crystal which thrilled my 10 year old son as he was sure that he could sell the rock and get enough money to buy an Xbox One. Sadly, his dreams were dashed. The cost of their adventure was good. The only negative is the price charged for an adult. I was going as a chaperone and did not have an interest in mining; however, I could not go as a bystander and the kids could not go without a paid adult chaperone. The company did give me a senior citizen rate as a compromise so I was not unhappy. This is a fun excursion for kids.

Friendly,people with productive material. They make sure you have fresh material to sort through, rather than picked over stuff

We had an awesome time diggin in the dirt. We found tons of quartz pints, clusters and even a really large piece that the men helped us load so we could take home. It was well worth the money. Next time we're going to take our rv and stay awhile. The employees were super friendly. You can't expect to find a ton of quartz unless u plan on getting dirty and digging in the dirt. I promise if you dig and come prepared you will leave very happy.

Was on a trip to Hot Springs for work and had always wanted to dig for crystals (Bucket List Item). My friend and I decided to try to make an adventure out of it. Well, we definitely got an adventure! Don't be worried, it's kind of confusing at first. We stopped at the big Coleman's store and bought our mining pass (what we thought we were supposed to do) and expected to be sent right up the road beside the shop to dig (says "1.5 Miles This Way!") Instead we were directed down the road, turn here, 8 miles here, dirt road here, another dirt road (washed out in places here)....thank goodness we are fearless! Gullywasher rain the morning of, so lots of ruts and hilarious laughter while traveling on this road. Don't be afraid - it DOES end in one of the prettiest places I've ever seen. Bill and Faith greeted us and we began digging in wet wet mud up to our knees. We laughed and made ourselves a wonderful kind of tired. My friend got BEAUTIFUL clusters and I found lots of points just glistening and asking to be picked up after the rain. Be sure to climb all the way up the old tailings piles and look at the mountain valley below, it's breathtaking. Phones don't work up there, which we decided was a good thing. This is not for people who don't like to get filthy and are scared of roads that don't seem to end. It IS for people who love a spectacular adventure that ends with a bucket of really cool beautiful crystals. We then drove five hours home covered in red clay and no one complained one time. We had had too much fun! I definitely would go again. What a day it was - the people are so nice and the place is very quiet and peaceful. LOVELY CRYSTALS.

First off- don't buy your "ticket" at the rock shop, get directions to the mine and buy it there. The road to get to the "digging site" was an adventure in itself. We laughed so hard during the climb up and gave thanks when we reached the top! No way could you get up there in anything but a 4 wheeler if the road was wet and muddy. We got basic directions on what to do and headed for the 3 new piles of dirt that had been dumped that morning. We brought buckets,metal claw tools,metal shovels and a crow bar. The dry mud was hard as a rock, the wet mud was muck and more difficult than you would think to get off a rock to see if you had anything. They had buckets of water by the office-but our rocks were too #@! HEAVY! We were there on May 3- in the am, it got very hot real fast. Bathroom on site was-ewww-only in an emergency type. Crystals were plentiful. The red dirt is a real mess- it's true- don't plan on wearing anything again,including your shoes -The hotel folk don't like it either- they will charge you a lot if you get their rooms/towels dirty. Our hotel gave us "old towels" to use for the first shower. If you find rocks/crystals of size- they weigh a lot. My little Toyota Matrix was riding real low-hopefully my transmission will not be permanently scared. There were a lot of bees in some areas,so beware. The ride back down the hill was another thrill ride-don't stay until dusk-cause if it gets dark-you might as well stop and camp,cause you will never find your way out. It was a lot of work, but fun and we love the crystal formations we took home. If I were to go again. I would line my car with a tarp to catch the red mud/dirt, bring a chair or camp stool. If it wasn't windy-some sort of shade would be nice. My sisters and I had planned this activity for a long time-came from 3 different states to do it and we had a great time. If you love "rocks" you will love it.

This place is an active crystal mine. They drag out the tailings and allow the public to dig for unfound treasure. I have personally found from 1 to 80lbs of crystal there in just a few days. When the weather is great nothing is more fun. The museum and rock shop headquarters is also very interesting and informative and the staff is more than helpful. This place should not be missed if you are in the Hot Springs area. There is also a campgound with full hookups for campers and electricity and bathhouse facilities for tenters. Check out the website and happy hunting.

During a roadtrip, I stumbled across bluemooncrystals website, which gives directions to the Coleman's Miller Mine. I did some research to discover there are other pay-to-dig sites in the area, but ultimately decided to go to Coleman's Miller Mine. My partner and I are absolutely thrilled we did! It was a wonderful experience.It's only $10 per person, to dig all day, and you get to keep everything you find. We loaded up several pounds of crystals in just a few hours. We met lots of friendly crystal enthusiasts, some of whom travel across the U.S. to dig here. One proud couple told us they go home with 100+ pounds of crystals from just a day or two of digging. You're guaranteed to find crystals. We parked, got out of the truck, looked down at the road, and started picking up lovely little points. You don't even have to dig to walk away with nice crystals. My partner walked the tailing hill, picking up crystals that were laying on top. Granted, it had rained the day before, but the sheer amount of crystals in the tailing hill means you'll find pretty points simply by taking a walk. I busted out the tools and dug in a few different spots. I found clusters and points everywhere I dug. New tailings are brought up from the mine, and deposited at the base of the giant tailing hill in the mornings. This means there's always new mud to dig through, and old mud gets turned over often. The tailings have built up through out the years to create a giant hill to dig up/on. In other words, you'll have plenty of area to search for treasures! There's a rock shop on site. It's where you pay to enter the site. There's jewelry and gorgeous crystals for sale, as well as snacks, hand rakes, and oxalic acid for cleaning your crystals. The prices are excellent. The selection is almost too huge to comprehend! Bill and Faith run the store. Take some time to visit with them. They're wonderful folks. They'll answer your questions and make you feel at home. Tips:Bring food and water. Water especially!Drink plenty of fluids! Even in March, I got dehydrated. Drink water constantly. There's bathrooms on site, so there's no excuse not to hydrate. I asked a local for tips on crystal hunting, and she told me to drink water. People get caught up in the excitement of the dig, forget to hydrate, and end up in the E.R. That's no way to end your vacation! Wear clothes you don't care about. You're gonna get dirty. It's awesome!Bring wipes. They work wonders at cleaning mud off yourself.My favorite tool for crystal hunting is a dandelion weeder. Pare it with a hand trowel and hand rake.The store takes cash and credit cards.Enjoy!

I enjoyed this mining experience so much! I felt as if I found some real treasures- and the view from the site where we sat in the rich dirt and dug was so beautiful. I am planning another trip soon...There really is magic in these mountains. The energy I felt after being on that earth for several hours lasted serveral days!