Looking for recommendations for fossil hunting and mineral hunting spots

[FinFin]

I'm planning a trip to Washington, D.C. soon. And will have plenty of time for stops. And I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for places to look for fossils and minerals.

I'll be driving along Florida's east coast, coastal Georgia, semi-coastal South Carolina, the middle of North Carolina, semi-coastal Virginia, and Maryland. Anyone have any recommendations for good places to stop in these areas?

[FinFin]

I will have the most time in South Carolina on the way up.

[A.C.]

Calvert Cliffs and surrounding Potomac River are highly popular sites South of D.C. There are also plenty of online resources pointing to simply searching the South Carolina shores for teeth and echinoderms. 

[FinFin]

4 hours ago, A.C. said:

Calvert Cliffs and surrounding Potomac River are highly popular sites South of D.C. There are also plenty of online resources pointing to simply searching the South Carolina shores for teeth and echinoderms. 

I will definitely look into those areas looked up a few things on those areas and saw I could find some sharks teeth in the matrix which is something I have been looking for.

[Fin Lover]

NC - Green's Mill Run, Aurora, or beaches (I've heard Topsail and Holden are good).  SC - Summerville or beaches (Edisto and Folly are popular).  

[patelinho7]

VA:

- Stratford Hall (Lee family home, beach has fossils)

- Westmoreland State Park

 

MD:

- Calvert Cliffs

- Nanjemoy

- Dinosaur Park, Laurel MD

 

These are the obvious/easy ones to hit in VA and MD, beyond that, the fossil content of these states is extremely rich but you have to do some digging (no pun intended) to come up with sites. 

[patelinho7]

There's also the National Museum of Natural History in D.C. with a recently-renovated dinosaur exhibit. Definitely recommend that. I found this article a while back that gave a walking tour of impromptu fossils in D.C. architecture (like various government buildings, monuments, and other museums). I can't find it anymore, but there are basically fossil bearing building blocks all over D.C. (as well as Cretaceous dino-bearing strata under D.C.) that are fun to see and it also gives you an excuse to explore all the cool museums and buildings.

[FinFin]

I will make sure to post images of the stuff I find after the trip

[Tales From the Shale]

Beaches of the Chesapeke Bay area if you manage to be close by. Post whatever you come across!

[EMP]

Honestly you could occupy yourself just with the specimens in the Smithsonian. If you don't get to DC often, I'd recommend that over Calvert Cliffs or any of the other sites in MD, especially since they'd be pretty similar to what you'd find in NC, SC, or Florida. Dinosaur Park is neat and could be done in the same day as a museum visit, but it's only open certain days of the month, and it's definitely geared towards families/kids, so keep those things in mind. 

 

Hope you have fun! Sounds like a fun trip you have planned.

[Meganeura]

Peace River for Florida! Highly reccomend it over Venice beach unless you’re planning on diving. 

[EMP]

On 3/13/2023 at 8:28 PM, patelinho7 said:

There's also the National Museum of Natural History in D.C. with a recently-renovated dinosaur exhibit. Definitely recommend that. I found this article a while back that gave a walking tour of impromptu fossils in D.C. architecture (like various government buildings, monuments, and other museums). I can't find it anymore, but there are basically fossil bearing building blocks all over D.C. (as well as Cretaceous dino-bearing strata under D.C.) that are fun to see and it also gives you an excuse to explore all the cool museums and buildings.

 

IIRC the reptile hall at the zoo not only has dinosaur murals, but it also has ammonites and other fossils in the stone blocks used to construct it.