Last modified on March 12th, 2022 at 10:27 am

Best Spots To Go Treasure Hunting

Treasure hunting is a thrilling hobby that requires research, proper tools, and an enormous amount of patience and luck! For the past decade, there has been quite a number of valuable items found in many parts of the world, including The British Treasury Ship S.S. Gairsoppa and Galloway hoard of Viking treasure. 

Treasures are everywhere and there are still more out there! If you’re interested in pursuing this hobby, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll find some of the best places to go treasure hunting. 

Your Own Yard

All treasure hunters first need to invest in their most important treasure hunting tool: metal detectors. For more information, you can read our guide to metal detecting. After that, the first place you want to look for treasure is your own yard. It goes without saying that before heading out to uncharted territory, you must first take a good sweep of your own home. 

Who knows what could be hiding in your own yard? If you live in an old neighborhood, the chances of dropped coins, jewelry, and other valuable items is high. If your home was situated in a land that used to be an old building, farmland, or even historical place, there’s a possibility that you may find something precious deep down in the dirt. 

Your Local Parks and Churches 

Scanning churches and parks are great ways to find lost jewelry and other precious items. Many people have found ancient valuable coins in churchyards and even stashes of gold buried somewhere near cemeteries. Make sure to ask the priest or caretaker of the church first before scouring the place. 

You can also try old parks or even better do research on your local community to find historic sites within your area. Buildings with a lot of history in them are often where treasures are. At most, you can find old coins and rings, and sometimes you may even get lucky and find prized ancient artifacts. 

Underwater, Inside Sunken Ships

Serious treasure hunters know that the prized treasures are not on land but under the sea.Legendary stories of sunken galleons filled with plundered gold and treasures are well-known tales in the community. You might have heard of the sunken Spanish ship in Malacca that had 600 tons of gold and 200 chests filled with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. There’s also the spanish ship called San Miguel which was lost in the Atlantic Coast of Florida in 1715 which carried gold and gems worth as much as $2 billion dollars today. If you’re interested in scuba diving, combine your interests and hunt underwater! 

Mountains of the Philippines  

A well-known urban legend in the Philippines is the Yamashita’s treasure. During World War II, a Japanese general in the name of Tomoyuki Yamashita was said to have buried his hoards of treasure from all the Asian countries they plundered in the mountains of the Philippines. The treasure was said to be vast amounts of gold bullion, gems, gold statues, and relics from churches. 

Oak Island 

This tiny island that lies off the coast of Nova Scotia in Canada is said to have been home to some of the most famous and richest pirates, including the notorious Captain Kidd. According to numerous urban legends, the pirate captain has buried his 2 million pounds worth of treasure on the island. Some say it was the treasure of the Templars, Vikings, and even the Masons.  

Many treasure hunters have attempted to excavate the treasure, including the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1909,  Roosevelt bought shares of an old salvage company and traveled to Oak Island to participate in the excavations. Even today, there is no report of the treasure ever being found. 

Lake Toplitz in Austria 

Interested in gold? You may find some in Lake Toplitz. Evidence from Hitler’s famous notes talk of the buried treasures in Lake Toplitz. During the final months of the war, remaining Nazi officers retreated in the lake, which used to be their naval testing site. They said to have buried boxes of gold in the lake, which they carried using military vehicles and horse-drawn wagons and then sunk them. 

Big Sur in California

Hunt for jade in the beautiful Big Sur. This beach is known to be a thriving place for jade. You can find jade by diving in the ocean or by scouring the beach of Jade Cove. Jade can easily be distinguished from other rocks because of its luminescent color. You’ll also find small jade pebbles between boulders and in piles of gravel along the shore. The best part of treasure hunting here is you don’t need any high-tech equipment. Typical tools such as scuba gear, flashlight, and a bag to hold your finds is enough to get you started.  

Murfreesboro, Arkansas

Search for diamonds in the crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. This area is the only diamond-producing site where it’s free for the public to search for diamonds. The area even has an on-site water park and wildlife you can take pictures of.