In and around Mount Ida, the identity of the official Arkansas State Mineral can be guessed just by looking around. In fact (pun alert!), the laureate is crystal-clear from billboards and other signs.

Sparkling hollows filled with lustrous crystals, dubbed geodes, are often perceived as small objects that can fit comfortably on a bookshelf. But some are more like gigantic cathedrals filled with a ...

It's always fun to escape the heat to see the cool gems and geodes at The Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson County on Main Street, tucked away from the Apple Festival crowds. The museum, often ...