Most people don't think of quarries as obvious tourist attractions, but, across the United States, many of these abandoned industrial sites have found a new lease of life as amazing places to visit. Offering everything from art projects and ziplines to hiking trails and wild swimming spots, we rounded up what are, in our opinion, the best of them.

Click through this gallery to discover the most extraordinary abandoned quarries in America, ranked...

This idyllic public garden was built around two large soapstone quarries that were mined between the 1950s and 1970s, and then used as a community dumping ground. In 2014, after 23 years of casual site clean-up, Quarry Gardens’ founders, Bernice and Armand Thieblot, launched a three-year plan to create a gorgeous green space for locals and visitors alike. 

Designated a Virginia Treasure in 2016, before opening in 2017, the project proved successful. The gardens boast two miles of walking trails, diverse native plant communities, and a visitor center with exhibits on local ecosystems and the history of the soapstone industry.

Dubbed "the ultimate adventure sports park," Brownstone lives up to its moniker with rock climbing, ziplining, cliff jumping, wakeboarding, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, and inflatable water obstacles. There’s fun to be had wherever you turn.

Tailor-made for a summer's day out, the historic quarry’s deep water – where much of the good times take place – is encircled by 85-foot solid brownstone walls. Groups of 25 or more get discounts, so it's a top spot for team-building shenanigans.

Residents of Franklin County once had an abandoned quarry lingering on their doorstep. Following a remarkable transformation, they now have a dreamy recreational space instead. The 182-acre park boasts everything from hiking routes and observation areas to a single-track mountain bike trail, a 25-foot waterfall, and even a via ferrata.

Sat on the site of the Marble Cliff Quarry, this renewed environment was once the largest contiguous quarry in the United States. It provided limestone for more than a century, with the rock excavated here used to build the Ohio Statehouse and more.

Rib Mountain, formerly known as Rib Hill, is a ridge of ancient rock dating back about 1.7 billion years. Composed of an extremely hard metamorphic rock called quartzite, and once thought to be the highest point in Wisconsin, it is among the oldest geological features on Earth 

Today, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the Rib Mountain Quarry Trail: a short yet rewarding hike through a charming blend of woodland and open terrain. The trail leads to a historic quarry site that’s being gradually reclaimed by nature.

If you're seeking adventure and adrenalin, Quarry Park Adventures in Northern California should definitely be on your radar. Serving up a heady cocktail of ziplines, rock climbing, and rappelling inside an old rock quarry, it’s fun for all the family with an intrepid edge.

Part of a wider collection of attractions in Rocklin, be sure to catch a live concert at the picturesque Quarry Park Amphitheater if you can. With wildlife to spot and trails to walk too, there are plenty of reasons to hang around.

Once the economic backbone of its community, Quincy Quarries has been on quite a journey. When the granite quarrying industry departed in 1963, the pits were left behind as giant, unregulated holes in the ground. Decades of cliff-diving deaths followed before the quarries were eventually filled.

This decision paved the way for the tourist attraction we see today. Now open to the public and linked to the Blue Hills Reservation trail system, the grand formations are decorated with eye-catching graffiti art. The quarries serve up delightful views of Boston, and are beloved by rock climbers.

France Park was a limestone quarry before it was filled in. These days its lake is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, formed during heavy excavations, with a sandy slope making up the remainder. Scuba divers craving underwater exploration will love the 1940s school bus and assorted pieces of mining equipment that have been submerged here.

Prefer to stay dry? This corner of Cass County is home to seven miles of well-maintained hiking and biking trails, as well as a 24-hole disc golf course. There are also camping options aplenty.

You don’t need to leave Earth’s atmosphere to visit Mars – just get yourself to the Sandstone Quarry Loop in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Combining a series of trail connections, with scrambling sections along the way, this otherworldly 6.3-mile route is a Nevadan gem for outdoorsy types.

Do keep in mind that most of the trail is exposed to the sun with limited options for shade. Be sure to bring plenty of water and sun protection with you.

At Blue Water Park in Pelham, Alabama, the star of the show is a water-filled quarry with scuba diving facilities. Boasting an average depth of 100 feet, aquatic explorers will find all sorts of sunken vehicles down at the bottom, including fire trucks and school buses. 

And it’s not just hunks of metal you’ll see beneath the surface, as the list of life here includes bass, sunfish, catfish, bream, bluegill, and much, much more. Whether you’re new to diving or a seasoned veteran, this place will have you hooked.

Whatever outdoorsy activity you’re into, you’ll likely feel right at home at the Heritage Quarries Recreation Area (HQRA) near downtown Lemont. The site owes its existence to the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which dates back to the mid-19th century, and today people come to enjoy walking, running, biking, boating, ziplining, and fishing.

The HQRA is open from dusk until dawn, seven days a week, but before you consider going full outdoorsman, remember that wild swimming, hunting, alcohol, and open fires are not allowed.

If the rocks of Pipestone National Monument could talk, they'd have amazing stories to tell. For over 3,000 years, Indigenous people have quarried the rock on this site to make pipes used in prayer ceremonies. The tradition still continues, and this corner of Minnesota remains a sacred site to many Native Americans. 

Established officially by Congress in 1937 to protect the history and environment of this remarkable place, the Pipestone National Monument offers the chance to explore the ancient cultures and natural resources of the tallgrass prairie. Don’t leave the North Star State without paying a visit.

Scuba divers, assemble. Dutch Springs, now more commonly known as Lake Hydra, has been transformed from a flooded quarry to an underwater haven. The tireless filtering of resident zebra mussels has given the water visibility of up to 50 feet.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or you're giving diving a go for the first time, you’ll be well taken care of. Keep an eye out for sunken planes, buses, and boats, as well as largemouth bass (pictured).

Located roughly 35 miles northeast of Amarillo near Fritch, Texas, you’ll find a unique walking tour offering glimpses into the lives of the High Plains Indians. You'll have to pre-book your spot on the two-mile hike round the Alibates Quarries, but it’s well worth the hassle.

Covering everything from geology and anthropology to history and ethnobotany, the two-hour walk will open your mind to how ancient people revered the flint quarried here. Needless to say, wearing appropriate hiking attire and footwear is recommended.

Palmisano Park, formerly known as Stearns Quarry, is a 27-acre public space in the southwest corner of Chicago, and a symbol of renewal. Approximately 400 million years ago, it was – believe it or not – part of a coral reef system at the bottom of a shallow tropical ocean.

In the 19th century the site became a quarry that was more than 300 feet deep, before being used as landfill for construction debris from around 1970. Led by landscape architect Ernie Wong, who delighted in returning the land to the community, the park opened its gates in 2009 after years of clean-up.

For amazing contemporary art in an outdoor setting, look no further than Stone Quarry Art Park. Founded in 1991, this not-for-profit enterprise has been working with visiting artists to shape and reshape the landscape over a number of years. It’s open to the public all year round, from dawn until dusk.

The park sits on ancestral Native American land, so it's made a conscious effort to push conversations around racism, power, and privilege. Art buffs visiting New York should add this spot to their bucket list immediately.

In 1863, Fort Dickerson played an important role in defending Knoxville from Confederate attack during the American Civil War. Today history enthusiasts can check out the fort’s old earthworks, where echoes of the state's past are all around you.

From the mid-1930s to the 1970s, Augusta Quarry (also known as City Quarry) operated here and was responsible for producing curbstone, stone blocks for architecture and crushed stone for roads. The quarry lake was officially opened for swimming in 2017.

Operated by the Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mining Company, this open-pit mine differs from the other attractions on this list in that it’s still industrially active. During summer, the mine offers immersive guided tours that start at the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum, which is dedicated to the area’s illustrious mining history.

Tour highlights include the chance to push a one-ton ore cart and take a ride on an underground air tram locomotive. The mine, which is also known as the Cresson Mine, is the richest gold mine in Colorado history. Tour spaces are limited, so be sure to pre-book a spot.

As radical transformations go, the changes at this century-old abandoned limerock quarry in Williston, Florida, are right up there. Where giant machines and weather-beaten men once toiled for hours on end, an enchanting 20-acre botanical garden now sits. 

The magical regeneration didn’t happen overnight, of course. When Dr Raymond Webber, the gardens’ founder, came across the quarry in 1991, it was little more than a polluted swamp. In 2014, after decades of tireless improvement work, it opened its doors to a grateful public.

Formerly known as Bellwood Quarry, Westside Reservoir Park in Atlanta is a testament to how unloved spaces with unpleasant histories can be repurposed for a community’s enjoyment. Formerly a granite quarry, which was used for prison labor after the Civil War, essentially prolonging slavery, today it exists as the city’s newest and largest park. 

Boasting trails, a playground, pavilions, quarry viewing areas, and more, this verdant gem was opened in August 2021. Eagled-eyed film and TV viewers might recognize it from The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, and Stranger Things.

Looking at the Japanese Tea Garden now, it’s hard to believe it was once a limestone quarry and cement factory. Today, this soul-soothing outdoor space is a beloved jewel in San Antonio’s cultural crown, and a chance for locals and visitors alike to escape the noise of modern living and envelop themselves in calm. 

It began in 1916 when commissioner Ray Lambert decided to do something with the disused quarry's rocky void. Channeling the efforts of local citizens, he set about creating a beautiful Japanese-style garden complete with waterfall and koi pond.

For outdoorsy folk, it doesn’t get much better than the 700 acres of trails, swimming quarries, rock climbing walls, and more that’s on offer at Quarry Park and Nature Preserve. Home to oaks, aspens, yellow ladyslippers, Indian paintbrush, and prickly pear cactus, plant enthusiasts will love it here.

Scenic woodlands, open prairie, wetland, and unquarried bedrock all wrestle for your attention, while the 20 former granite mining quarries are still visible in large man-made hills formed from quarried rock remnants. It's our number one pick for good reason.

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