[Rockhounds] Illinois-Kentucky Fluorite district

[J. R. Hodel]

Hi 
A collecting buddy of mine got some yard rocks with purple fluorite on their sides from a road-side quarry years ago.
 There is roadside collecting in central Kentucky, south of Lexington, that will occasionally turn up small but pristine fluorite in cubes with calcite or quartz. 
There are museums in So Illinois and across the river in Kentucky, the Ben Clement Museum has a great stash, and sells good rocks in their gift shop (or did last time I was there some time back). At one time the Clement Museum sponsored collecting trips on the local KY dumps that were great... that may have gone by the wayside this past year. But the exhibits of minerals are far and away the best fluorite displays, and fluorescent mineral displays I have seen anywhere.
We went there for the total eclipse of the sun and had a good time - no rocks, pretty pooped out after the big sky light came back on, so didn't stop in Marion or anywhere else. 
There is a great little ferry between Cave-in-Rock IL and the road to Marion KY that is worth far more than the price of admission, it's free, but doesn't run if the weather gets rough. It is very rural/small.
Best of luck, there's a lot to see even if you don't get to dig or break any rocks.
JR