wegner quartz crystal mines

Impromptu trip while we were in town. Really nice people. They have a wonderful shop. Next time, we will come better prepared with tools (and in a warmer month!).

Beautiful place, amazing shop/museum . I would recommend the tailings area for kids under 8 only. Adults and older kids would be disappointed and bored in the size and amount of crystals. I did specifically ask if there are garden sized rocks to find and was told yes. Most specimens were 1 1/2 " tops but there are many of those. I would go back again and do the crystal forest mine. It was just too cold that day for serious mining.

Well first of all thank you for coming. Glad you had a wonderful time your first day. We agree that bringing your own tools is a good idea. We're so glad you had such a good time that you came back the next day to find more crystals.We understand that there was some confusion about your second day, and how long you were going to stay at the mine. You paid for one, two hour session, but not for the rest of the day. Our policy is that you pre-pay for the entire time to avoid confusion. Because of that, our driver was sent to pick you up after 4 hours. So you actually got two extra hours of digging time without paying for it. We feel that if procedures were followed, there would be no problem. Our policy is that should people pay for two hours and opt to stay longer because of their success at finding beautiful crystals, that they call us on the telephone provided to advise us on their intentions. Then we are glad to receive payment on their return. None of our staff was aware of your intentions to spend the day because you only paid for two hours, and never advised us on your change of plans. We have thousands of people that come to visit, and this is the first time we've had this issue. We've taken corrective action to provide back up keys for the lock box where we safely store your drivers license deposits. By doing this, we will avoid staff members leaving with keys as we now have a back up set.We feel lack of communication causes many problems. We don't understand why you're addressing your concerns seven months later in January of 2015. During our 35 years of operation, we provide a satisfaction guaranteed experience. We are not asking for the $60.00 we did not receive for the two extra hours you took while finding crystals at our mine. Our business philosophy is to create a win/win relationship with our customers. However, in this interaction with your family, we took a $60.00 loss.No hard feelings, and we hope you visit us again. We have the very best collecting opportunities in Arkansas for the public. We guarantee you'll find many more beautiful crystals here with your family.Sincerely,Richard Wegner

If you make it to Mount Ida, this is the place to come to dig for crystals. This is an awesome place, family owned and operated here in the crystal rich town of Mount Ida. They want you to find what you come for and to have incredible experience. We happened to meet the owner and he was such a kind and knowledgeable man that I feel blessed to share the same ideals that he does. He respects the earth and treats each guest as a part of the family. Thank you so much for making our experience a blessing. We will be back!

We are so glad you enjoyed your visit with us. This time of year, that short drive from Hot Springs is really beautiful. On your next visit, you may want to try some of our other great activities like our gemstone sluice and new diamond experience. We're looking forward to seeing you again soon.Thank You

We're glad to hear we made it on your list of things to do while visiting the area. We always try to be as knowledgeable as possible when answering your questions. We're glad you took the time to come out and visit us. We hope to see you again soon.Thank You

Visited the Phantom Mine while on our visit to the Hot Springs area. Did find some nice material, we were with a large group of rockhounds from Kentucky. Some of the group had great success, just depends on where you look. Long bumpy trip to the mine, about 1 hour each way in the back of a military style truck. You have 4 hours in the mine and a one hour drive each way so it is an all day event.

I took my 11 yr old nephew to dig for crystals........We spent 2 days with Wegner. Did one day in Hot Springs and my nephew said that we could have skipped HS and dug another day..hehee. Yes he is hooked now!The staff was wonderful...Would really like to thank Susan for taking her time with us....She is so sweet, kind and knows SO much....She made sure our trip A+. We dug crystals 2 days on the mountain and our finds were Great!! Very clear crystals. Some of my Best Finds to date.Bonus.... It had rained very hard the night before we dug crystals on the first day...and as we got closer to the dig site it was beautiful.. .Sparkly everywhere in the sunshine....There were small crystals laying everywhere...we just picked them up!I would highly recommend Wegner to anyone that wanted to dig crystals....They are a first class service with a all around friendly staff. A+ In My BookLove the big tree with the crystal garden & the wind chimes...My Favorite!We will return!

My wife Julie and I had a great time at the mine. We took the two hour trip up to the mine late one afternoon, and couldn't wait to go back the next morning! Our driver and guide, Dave, was the greatest! He was very informative and helpful, and went out of his way to make sure we found crystals. We want to thank all the mine employees, for being so friendly and helpful, and for making our time at the mine enjoyable! Also, we want to wish our guide Dave, a very "Happy Birthday" on Thursday, October 16th., and hope he has many more!

So much fun to dig for crystals. Easy to find, especially after a rain they sit on the surface. Two hours goes very fast, just bring muscles to haul home lots of crystals.

Wegner Quartz crystal mines are in Mt Ida which is about an hour drive from Hot Springs. I have never been to a mine, I was very keen on going crystal hunting.WHY I CHOSE WEGNER OVER THE NUMBER OF OTHER MINES IN THE AREA:I wanted to know more about the mines and what they did before I got there. I called almost all of them, I was not very impressed. most asked me to come and see for myself. One didnt even know what quartz was. I spoke to Richard Wegner, he was happy to tell me all about his mine. Since mining can be an environmentally unfriendly proposition, it was nice to know all he was doing trying to combat that and be more environment friendly such as tree planting and constructing ponds and pools to hold water and prevent run off into the stream, use of wind and solar power. I was also happy to meet and talk to him at the mine. all his staff are very friendly and professional,WHAT IS QUARTZ?Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, formula SiO2.Pure quartz, traditionally called rock crystal (sometimes called clear quartz), is colorless and transparent (clear) or translucent. Common colored varieties include citrine, rose quartz, amethyst, smoky quartz, milky quartz, and others. Quartz is used for a number of purposes, as an abrasive, in glass making, in the petroleum industry, as foundry sand , jewelry, electronic circuits that become important components in cell phones, watches, clocks, games, television receivers, computers, navigational instruments and other products.WHAT CAN I DO AT THE CRYSTAL MINES?There is a gemstone sluice where you can buy a bucket of gemstone containing material that one can wash in the sluice and retrieve the gemstones or look for crystals at the tailings area. If you are a group of 10 people or more then you can go to the Phantom mine and stay there for 4 hours. we were just two of us so we went to the crystal forest mine.I chose this because I wanted to find crystals for myself. I did not want them planted there for me to find.WHAT DOES THE CRYSTAL FOREST MINE AREA LOOK LIKE?I think this is a very pertinent question. my preconception of a mine came perhaps from an old mine in an Indiana Jones movie. i was expecting having to go into a dark mine etc. Please look at my pictures, it will give you an idea of what it is like. It is a 40 acre surface mine which essentially means it is a large field. Unlike as in the Crater of Diamonds State park, it is not flat everywhere. When I went in august there were flat areas, there was also a big ditch with water in it. there are rocks wit veins of crystals in it. you have to be a serious crystal hunter to be able to extract the crystals from there.HOW TO GET THERE AND WHAT TO TAKE:well first check in at the crystal mines and they take your information and check you in. it is 15$ per person for a 2 hr slot. Groups leave at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The vehicle they use to get there is open at the back, so depending on the weather dress accordingly, I read of someone who said they got caught in a downpour. When we went it was hot and we had out oldest clothes on. You can get very dirty. They have a person drive you there, he will stay a few minutes and get you started, then will leave and come back and pick you up after 2 hours. He will leave some water ( 60 cents a bottle) and 2 phones to call from in case there is an emergency. CARRY WITH YOU: A hat, sunscreen, at least 2 bottles of water, a pair of gloves because the sand is very clay like and sticky if it has rained. You are better off taking gloves you have at home or else spend 4$ to buy a new pair there. You can get a bucket and a contraption to move the soil from them and thats all, anything else you need to buy or bring from home so come prepared. Carry small bags to put your crystals in.Also there is nothing nearby carry snacks with you.WHAT EXACTLY WILL YOU BE LOOKING FOR? AND HOW TO START?Please take a look at my pictures. You are looking for CLEAR, DOUBLE TERMINATED (pointy at both ends) quartz crystals. You will find small ones a few centimeters long, I found a few. You will also find a lot of other interesting crystals. Put the small ones you find in a bag, put the larger ones in the bucket. I picket up a stone ( see my pics) a few pounds in weight and it has a number of crystals twinned and growing out of it and it is sitting in my garden. You can take as much as you can carry.You arent going to find anything standing up which is why you need old clothes. Pick a spot, sit and move the sand around and examine what you have got. it will be covered with clay and you will not get a very clear picture unless you wash off the clay. Move the sand with a trowel or whatever tool you have and look for stones that are clear with a sharp point. Its hot, dirty work but when you find a crystal and you will find many it is very rewarding.REMEMBER TO STAY WELL HYDRATED.There is no washing facility there, so I had to wait till I got back to Dallas and washed off all the clay with a hose. They will provide boxes for you to put your stones in. It was interesting some stones had so much of sand and clay on it it took soaking them in water before it loosened enough to be washed off.They have a gift shop where you can purchase stones of different sizes by weight, they also had several interesting glass pieces that artists had sent them that are very colorful.WHAT NEEDS TO IMPROVE?on their website it says coming soon, expected in 2013, Phantom Mine crystal safari which is a Private Excursion featuring Exclusive Mine Access and you dig with your own personal miner with you guiding you. Its 2014 nearing the end and its not ready as yet. For a newcomer like me, this is just the type of thing that will attract me to the mines and I would pay for the opportunity, but sadly it wasnt,SO WILL I VISIT WEGNER CRYSTAL MINES AGAIN?I always end my review with this question. Yes I believe I would, Once the private excursion has been set up, then yes.I hope you find my review and pictures helpful :)

Their rock shop was wonderful, but we expected more from the crystal digs. Cost a bundle and the take home was very poor.

We're glad you had a wonderful experience when visiting our mine. And your tip for bringing an extra change of clothes is spot on, because sometimes mother nature has a way of helping you clean up!

The Staff was great.....Grounds are great....The ride was great...crystals were great...The Store was great! GREAT ALL AROUND...the BEST in the area.

Went to the Wegner Quartz Crystal mines with my wife and my 4 year old. Did not know what to expect since it was our first time doing anything like this. Let me tell you that it was one of those once in a life time events. When we got there we were welcome by everyone who work there. The driver waited while we sign the papers even though I was a little late getting to the Wegner place. They gave us buckets , shovels , water , everything we would need to dig for the crystals. The driver who drove my family up the mountain to the mines showed us how to dig, where to look for the crystals everything to be successful. This trip to the Wegner Mines was better than going to Magic springs them park or anywhere else. My wife and daughter had a blast. If you want to do something out of the normal and have a fun filled day with your family then this is it. You will not regret going. (24 Aug 2014)