Posted on 02/26/2018 1:14:22 PM PST by MissEdie
I have a question for you Freepers who travel a lot. My daughter has asked for a trip to the Diamond Park in Arkansas for her birthday. We will be traveling via car from South Carolina to Arkansas, possibly in late June early July. I am looking for a service to design a trip with directions and points of interest along the way. I have tried AAA on previous travels but I want something that offers better information about local landmarks/historical places we will be passing.
Did this with my mom and dad back in the early 80s at my suggestion. Great trip. We didn’t find any diamonds but was loads of fun. We had a camper van but in arkansas we ended up in hotels some nights. It was hot. Good luck!
Trip advisor has info on local attractions, plus it will give you the yummiest places to eat.
My advice would be to pick your spots to visit carefully and don’t try to visit too many. If you stop at too many places you just end up running hither and yon at a frantic pace instead of enjoying a few places thoroughly.
I'll second TripAdvisor for finding things along to way. You can read up other folks' reviews. And find decent restaurants.
I would go for Spring Break unless you like to swelter. If you do go in late June early July make sure you belts and hoses are recently changed and you radiator’s thermostat is working well and your AC has a good charge. Another possibility is to rent a camper. https://www.bing.com/maps?&ty=17&q=rent%20a%20camper%20van%20in%20south%20carolina&ppois=34.0273857116699_-81.0833892822266_Cruise%20America%20Motorhome%20Rentals_YN788x232837466~33.8923606872559_-81.1965637207031_Todd%27s%20RV%20Rentals_YN786x13394014~34.8864288330078_-82.3947372436523_Gibson%20Auto%20%26%20RV%20Sales_YN792x13528791~33.9514999389648_-80.9202270507813_Holiday%20On%20Wheels_YN788x13410042~32.8869514465332_-79.9256362915039_Charleston%20RV%20Rental_YN873x16634041838017250615~&v=2&sV=1&qpvt=rent+a+camper+van+in+south+carolina&FORM=SNAPST
Here is a map of possible routes from Columbia
https://www.bing.com/maps?q=arkansas+diamond+park&FORM=HDRSC4
Sounds as if she’s interested in gemology. Swing north into NC, the Franklin area just across the state line is full of gem mines. Hit the Smokies on your way out, Cherokee or cross over to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge (gorgeous drive between Cherokee and Gatlinburg, very high altitude for east coast, driving above the clouds if there are any), then catch I-40 across to Arkansas.
Someone already beat me to this but I’ll second it. https://roadtrippers.com/guides/roadside-attractions-usa?lng=-96.67528&lat=40.80972&z=4
https://www.geocaching.com/play Geocaching is lots of fun for all ages. Most cell phones now have gps so there’s no need to buy anything. Just read up on the cache and go find it. It’s an Easter egg hunt all year long. Simple free sign up and it’ll give you hundreds of caches along the route. It’ll take you to many out of the way and unique places. Many with beautiful views or just plain quirky. If nothing else, it’ll give you a chance to stretch your legs a few minutes.
Daughter, preschool grandson and I drove down in March 2016.
The weather was perfect and the people were very nice and helpful.
I made screens of various size mesh and bought a couple of sieves for pasta, also a small shovel.
They rent all the gear on site.
There are many techniques, we chose to fill a five-gallon bucket and use the stroller to transport to the wash station.
I found one minute diamond.
We had a great time.
A day or two after we left they found a large one!
No doubt I had either stepped on it or dumped it with my discard stones!
Thanks! Me too!!
We live in SC where it’s hot and humid from April to October, but thanks for the heads up!! Due to hubby’s work schedule we won’t be able to go until June/July so it looks like we will be taking a large umbrella and lots of water!!
Aw thanks!!
We were in the Bryson City Area back in December but unfortunately all of the gem mining places were closed.
A lot of the tourist attractions close after fall color and reopen in late spring. Plus, I’d imagine it’d be tough finding much in frozen ground or a bucket of frozen dirt, lol.
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