Arkansas State Parks Trip Ideas

Waymon Cox

Jack Pearadin, 35, of Nashville, Ark., and Michael Schumacher, 43, of Soldiers Grove, Wis., have visited Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park countless times over the years and have found many diamonds. However, a routine livestreamed gem search on Sunday, January 25 resulted in an historic find that shocked the two friends.

Livestreamed Search Yields Historic 6.03-Carat “American Dream Diamond” at Arkansas State Park

Standing on Thin Ice: A Little-Known History of the 1874 Courthouse Lot

Jan 2026

Chris Adams

In South Arkansas, we are used to unpredictable weather. It is cold and raining one day, and the next day, the temperature reaches 70 degrees. But as an old local account reveals, the winters of the mid-19th century brought rare visuals to the local populace.

Standing on Thin Ice: A Little-Known History of the 1874 Courthouse Lot

This Valentine's Day, Love the Outdoors at Arkansas State Parks

Jan 2026

Arkansas State Parks can serve as a destination for any season and reason.

File photo of Mount Magazine State Park.

Texas man discovers 2.09-carat brown diamond at Arkansas State Park after asking Siri for mining tips

Jan 2026

Waymon Cox

A casual question to a virtual assistant led to an exciting discovery for a Texas family at Crater of Diamonds State Park. James Ward, a 41-year-old high school teacher from Cypress, found a 2.09-carat brown diamond on Tuesday, December 30, while visiting the park with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two sons, Adrian (9) and Austin (7).

Texas man discovers 2.09-carat brown diamond at Arkansas State Park after asking Siri for mining tips

Winter at Arkansas State Parks

Dec 2025

Each season is an opportunity to experience our Arkansas State Park in a different light. Winter offers its own particular charm for those making a venture to one.

File photo of aerial view of lodge at Mount Magazine State Park.

Rock-climbing at Petit Jean State Park

Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation, Arkansas Climbers Coalition and other partners have worked together to open a new chapter at Seven Hollows with the development of dedicated rock-climbing routes.

A woman and small child top roping a rock wall share a fist bump at the bottom.

Opt Outside this Thanksgiving Weekend at Arkansas State Parks

Our 52 state parks offer incredible opportunities to explore Arkansas’s natural beauty during the long holiday weekend.

File photo of the trails at Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area. Photo by Kirk Jordan.

Arkansas State Parks: an educational destination

Many are familiar with Arkansas State Parks as a destination for outdoor adventures and family fun. Along with this they also serve as an engaging educational resource.

File photo of park interpreter at Logoly State Park.

Dr. James Alexander Lafayette Purdom and His Home

Chris Adams

Dr. James Alexander Lafayette Purdom was hardly a man who stayed put. A surgeon educated at the University of Pennsylvania, he spent his early life pinballing between Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky. So what finally convinced him to settle down? It was this property in Washington, Arkansas, which he bought in 1843, linking his memory forever to the house that now carries...

Dr. James Alexander Lafayette Purdom and His Home

The Shape of Crater Diamonds

Oct 2025