FAQsÂ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Our crystal digging area is open 362 days a year rain, snow or shine. Please note: Our zip-line is closed for 30 minutes each time there is thunder or lightning. If it is too slick to operate the mine tour vehicle safely, we will cancel tours. Please call 501-984-5396 if you want to take a mine tour and it has been raining for several days prior to your visit.
Digging permits/tickets are purchased the day of, and in person only. No reservation is required for individuals and families. Groups of 15 or more who wish to receive the group discount must use the group form on this website.
We do not give refunds on any activities for any reason. There are signs posted on all entrances and registers indicating our refund policy. Please do not ask staff to refund your activity purchase as they are no permitted to do so.
Our zip line is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 9 a.m. Closing time is seasonal. Please check hours. Minimum weight is 45 pounds. Maximum weight is 280 pounds. Long hair must be in a ponytail or bun. Wearing a safety helmet is required. Our zip-line staff takes a 30-minute lunch break around 11:30 a.m. If there is thunder or lightning, the zip-line closes in 30-minute intervals for the safety of our guests. If thunderstorms are forecast or it is raining heavily, we recommend waiting to purchase a zip-line pass, as we do not issue refunds or exchange merchandise due to inclement weather.
We have some numbers available for various needs you may have:
Gift Shop - 501-984-5396 (General, Digging, ZipLine, and Tour Information, Non-Emergency Needs - 8:00am-6:00pm)
Festival Staff - 501-226-9680 (General Festival Information, Non-Emergency Needs - 8:00am-12:00am)
RV Park Manager - 501-209-9933 (RV Park Information, Shower/Laundromat Help - 8:00am-9:00pm)
Medical Tent - 501-356-5894 (On-Site Medical Emergencies - 8:00am-10:00pm)
Security - 501-356-5895 (After Hours Medical Emergencies, After Hours Shuttle Service, Security/Safety Concerns- Available All Hours)
The festival will be located on private land adjacent to Ron Coleman Mining. You should enter "Ron Coleman Mining" or "211 Crystal Ridge Lane, Jessieville, AR" into your GPS and head to our giftshop to check-in and access the parking area. Shuttles will be available for all festival attendees to take you to and from the parking area, festival grounds, digging area, and giftshop. Zip-lining and tours are available at the giftshop as-well for an additional fee (it is recommended you purchase in advance on this website to guarantee availability)
Please refer to the image below for a map of the currently planned layout.*
*Layout is subject to change as needed. Please check back here for most up-to-date layout.
Please be wary of purchasing tickets from anywhere other than our website (https://www.roncolemanmining.com/2024solareclipse-buytickets).
If duplicates are made, only the first ticket scanned will be allowed entrance to the festival, no exceptions.
This also means you should work to keep your ticket safe, as if someone steals your digital or printed ticket and makes it to the festival before you, you will not be allowed entrance.
A parking pass is included with each Festival + Camping pass, as well as each 3-day festival pass. Guests that purchase a 1 day festival pass must pay a $10 parking fee on-site.
Parking is located near the festival grounds (see "Where is the Festival Located" section above), and shuttles will be running each day to bring attendees to and from the parking and festival areas.
In addition to the festival having live music, local vendors, and food trucks, attendees who purchase a 3 day festival pass with or without camping are also entitled to dig in our quartz mine's digging area* each day of the festival. You are allowed to keep all you find, and this will be available from 8am - 4:30pm every day.
On top of all that, we also offer zip-lining across our mine, and give tours of the mine and our facilities. Both of these are available for an extra fee.
*Digging is only included in the price of the Festival + Camping pass, and the 3-Day festival pass. The single-day festival passes do not include digging or parking fees.
If you are not interested in the festival, and only wish to visit the mine for digging, zip-lining, and tours that's totally fine! We do recommend you purchase your Ron Coleman Mining activities in advance to ensure entry. Bring your own tools to dig for crystals or purchase in our gift shop. We do not rent tools. We also have a separate RV park/camping area for those that don't wish to be at the festival. Pricing and information for this can be found on our main website*, www.RonColemanMining.com, or you can email us at info@RonColemanMining.com for more details.
*We will have special pricing for digging, tours, zip-lining, and camping during the weekend of the festival, so please reach out to make sure you have the most up-to-date information before visiting.
Kids 10 and under are allowed into the festival for free. (There will be a charge for all Ron Coleman Mining activities for ages 4 and up) There will be an area on the checkout page to signify if you plan on bringing kids. If you have more questions about this in the meantime, feel free to reach out to us at Events.RonColemanMining@gmail.com .
- Dogs will be allowed at the festival, but must be leashed at all times (including at campsites, on festival grounds, the parking area, and digging area). Your pet must be leashed with said leash being held by the owner or wrapped around the owner's waist. We will not tolerate loose pets under any condition. Absolutely no exceptions will be made. The pet owner agrees to assume all liability for their pet. - Owners/responsible persons must clean-up after their pets.
- No more than 2 dogs will be allowed per campsite.
- Pets must be well behaved (no aggressive behavior, no barking at people or other dogs. - Owners/responsible persons much watch and be in complete control of their pet at all times.
- Gate staff will request to see waste bags upon arrival to the festival.
Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in the pet and owner being removed from the festival.
If you have a pet other than a dog that you'd like to bring, please email us at Events.RonColemanMining@gmail.com
Food and Water
We recommend attendees bring their own food and drinks, especially those intending to camp over-night. Water and food will be available on the festival grounds, and vending products will be available at the giftshop (subject to availability)
Alcohol
Alcohol will not be sold at the festival. We recommend any guest wishing to partake in alcohol consumption bring their own (must be kept in discreet container)
Camping Gear
Camping gear will not be provided. If you are camping you need to bring your own camping gear. This includes a tent, lights, sleeping bag, sanitary products, seating, snacks, personal fans, air-mattresses, clothing, deodorant, locks for your tent zippers, and garbage containers. Please also see the clothing and festival supplies sections below for more recommendations.
Clothing
Make sure to bring extra changes of clothes. Extra pairs of shoes and socks are also recommended if you plan on digging, since the mud in the digging area can be deep and wet. Gloves and digging tools are another good idea if you are digging, but these are available for purchase at the gift shop.
Festival Supplies
Even if you're only visiting the festival for one day, we still recommend things such as a reusable water bottle, portable charger, personal fan, walkie-talkies, sunglasses, sunscreen, hand sanitizer/wipes, and a light jacket.
Pet Supplies
If you are bringing a pet, make sure to bring food, water, bowls for their food and water, and waste bags. Waste bags may be made available at the festival, but you should plan on bringing your own just in-case.
Cash
Though we do not expect there to be issues with credit card processing at the festival nor the mine, we suggest you carry cash for this event and your travel to and from our eclipse festival.
See "Amenities" section below for a list of nearby stores.*
*We've been told to expect extremely dense traffic over the eclipse weekend, so please plan on stopping for supplies before arriving at the festival.
The line-up of bands and list of vendors are set, please click this link for band line-up information.
Vendors:
Ani's Oddments - Knit producs
Blackfeather Studios - Wood sculptures
Crystal Art By Erika - Art pieces with crystals
Darla's Crystal Moons & Treasures - Incense, jewelry, clay creations
Dirty Hippie Creatings - Wire wrapped jewelry, bleach art and wood burned products
Duchess Rocks World - Glass, organic materials, stones
Earth To Soul Stones - Stones
Hey Now Productions - Bubble wands, upcycled materials, eclipse items
Jurassic Parkins Art - Artwork
Kings Treasures - Wire wrapped jewelry
Wicked Weird Artist - Polymer sculptures
Xanadu Unicorn Displays - Wire wrapped jewelry
Food Trucks:
Grindhead Coffee - Coffee, daquiris, snacks, promo items
Homestead Peppers - Freeze dried snacks, pepper products, bar soap
Hog Wild Shaved Ice: Shaved ice
Baconmecrazy - Burgers, Fries (etc)
Tonka's Tasty Treats will remain in their location at the Gift Shop parking lot - cold sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, nachos, chips, soft drinks,
information is available on our Facebook page and will be added to this website soon. If you hae a question, please send us an email at Events.RonColemanMining@gmail.com for more information.
Click any of the pink links to view these locations on GoogleMaps.
Gas
Wyles One Stop - 2 Miles Away
Moore's One Stop - 2.5 Miles Away
Shell - 4 Miles Away
Supplies
Wyles One Stop (Gas Station Convenience Store) - 2 Miles Away
Dollar General - 3.5 Miles Away
Walgreens - 3.5 Miles Away
TrueValue HomeCenter (hardware store) - 3.5 Miles Away
Brookshire's (Groceries) - 3.5 Miles Away
Wal-Mart - 6 Miles Away
Lodging
Village Inn - 3.5 Miles Away
Red Roof Inn - 16 Miles Away
Economy Inn - 16 Miles Away
Many hotels are available in near-by Hot Springs, 16-20 miles away
Restaurants
Clampit's Country Kitchen - 3 Miles Away
HomePlate Cafe - 3 Miles Away
Sonic Drive-In - 3 Miles Away
El Padrino - 3.5 Miles Away
Village Hibachi - 3.5 Miles Away
McDonalds - 3.5 Miles Away
Charlie's Pizza Pub - 3.5 Miles Away
Medical
On-Site Medical Tent - On the festival grounds
CHI St Vincent (Urgent Care) - 3 Miles Away
Baptist Health Urgent Care - 20 Miles Away
CHI St Vincent Emergency Room - 20 Miles Away
The festival grounds and Jessieville in general are quite remote. Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing/taxi services are generally not available. A shuttle will be running for festival attendees to and from festival locations, but attendees will need to use their own vehicles for transportation to off-site locations (stores, restaurants, etc).
Currently the plan is as follows (more details will be emailed out closer to time of event, you may also check back here for updates as they come out):
Arrival
Guests that are camping at the festival should show up at 7am on Saturday, April 6th for early access in order to set-up their camping space.* *Only attendees with a camping-pass and their verified guests will be allowed in at this time.
For all other guests, gates to the festival will open at 10am each day (April 6th-April 8th) Daily color coded wrist bands will be issued for single day festival attendees.
The gift shop and digging area will open at 8am daily in case any guests wish to start their day off early.
Departure
The festival will end each day at 10pm, and guests that are not camping will need to make their way towards the gates at this time.
Guests that are camping are encouraged to make their way towards the camping area after the last band plays. This will allow security to direct single day festival pass holders to the shuttles.
The final day of the festival is April 8, 2024, and non-camping guests will need to be headed towards the gate at 10pm that night.
Guests that are camping will be allowed to stay the night, but must have their campsite packed up and be out of the festival area no later than 10 am, the following day, April 9, 2924.
Alcohol will not be sold at the festival, so we recommend any guests wishing to indulge to bring their own alcohol. There are many stores in the area that sell alcohol, including a liquor store approximately 4 miles away: Village Wine and Sprits 4350 N State Hwy 7 Hot Springs Village, Arkansas 71909
All alcoholic beverages must be in a discreet container (koozie, paper bag, cup, etc)
Showers and laundry are available at our near-by gift shop (a short walk from our digging area and gift shop).
Laundry machines are coin operated, and shower passes must be purchased from the gift shop at $15 per person. Please note: there is a facilities attendant at the bath house who will take your shower pass and enter the code to allow entry.
Laundry and shower availability are limited and will only be available to festival attendees from 8 am-6pm, so we recommend packing enough clothes and bringing enough personal hygiene products to not have to rely on this. Please visit the gifts hop for more details on shower and laundry services.
Cell Service
Cell service is available at our location, however we've been told to prepare for cell-towers to be strained due to the influx of visitors for the eclipse. Texts and phone calls should get through without issue, and a land-line is available at the gift shop in case of emergencies.
Access to social media, data uploads/downloads, and streaming services may be limited.
WiFi
We are planning on having a wi-fi area on festival grounds. This will be satellite internet though and won't be available across the entire festival grounds, so please plan accordingly.
Security will be present on the festival grounds 24 hours a day.
A bag check area will be placed at the entrance(s) to the festival grounds. (Please see the "What's not allowed" section for details on what not to bring)
The camping area will be sectioned off from the general festival grounds, and only camping-pass holders + their verified guests will be allowed access to the camping area.
We recommend attendees with a tent to bring a lock to keep your zippers secure and prevent un-authorized access into your tent. We also recommend keeping important valuables on your person in either a backpack or pocket.
Ron Coleman Mining will not be responsible for any lost or damaged property, so please plan accordingly by only packing essentials, and keeping your possessions secure.
There are a few items that will not be allowed onto festival grounds*:
Firearms
Fireworks
Knives
Tasers
Weapons of Any Kind
Illegal Drugs
Drug Paraphernalia
Prescription drugs must must be in their original container and still have the owner's name on the label.**
*We reserve the right to refuse permission to bring in items that are deemed dangerous or inappropriate. If you have questions or concerns about something you plan to bring, please email us at Events.RonColemanMining@gmail.com to check.
**Prescription drugs may be allowed outside of their original container in some circumstances, but only enough dosage for the duration of the festival. If you have any questions or concerns, or are in need of accommodations, please email us at Events.RonColemanMining@gmail.com .
A medical tent and appropriate staff will be on-site on the festival grounds.
Additionally, security with basic first aid training and materials will be patrolling 24 hours a day during the festival. There is also an Urgent Care Clinic less than 4 miles away from the festival, and a hospital approximately 20 miles away.
See "Amenities" section above for more details on nearby medical services