Note: This column was published in the Barrow Journal on December 11, 2013.

I’ve been waiting all year to tell you about the North Atlanta Gem, Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Show. We went last year, and we’ve decided to make it a yearly tradition because we had so much fun. It’s going to be this weekend, December 13-15 at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross. You won’t want to miss it.

This is a great show. It is huge, and there are so many beautiful and interesting things to look at. Maybe you like rocks or fossils, or maybe you prefer jewelry…there is something for everyone. The prices are lower than most retailers, and you’ll find things that you just can’t find anywhere else.

Last year the boys were excited to walk into the show and find two big dinosaur bones on the first tables we encountered. They were triceratops thigh bones or femurs, and we got to touch them! We talked to the men who had excavated them. Did you know you could go dinosaur bone hunting on your vacation? That’s what these men did.

Then there was the lady from the Meteorite Association of Georgia who taught the boys what the difference is between a rock and a meteorite and gave them a tiny meteorite for free. She wasn’t the only person at the show who had some small rock or fossil to give away to children.

Last year my four-year-old was three, and all “hands-on,” so I stayed by his side as we looked at some delicate fossils and rows and rows of those shiny, polished stones. There were plenty of items he was allowed to touch, so it wasn’t hard to lead him to safer tables.

My seven-year-old loved the shark jaws full of teeth and a wholly mammoth tusk. I found some pretty jewelry, and I picked out a polished ammonite charm that I still love to wear.  For less than a $1, I bought the then three-year-old a shiny stone, and he was happy with his new treasure.

There were countless fossils of fish and shark teeth. Mosasaur teeth were pretty cool too. I especially loved the fossil of a small stingray on a big slab of sandstone. We also found some fossilized dinosaur eggs!

My husband says that going to the show was like going to a museum. We also learned that the people who sell at these shows usually do it for a hobby, and they are friendly and happy to talk to you. We can see how it might be addictive to go fossil and rock hunting because a few years ago when we went to the beach, my husband got a little obsessed hunting for shark teeth in the sand. Because of his determination, my son has a nice, little collection.

The highlight of the show last year was when our seven-year-old picked out what he wanted to buy. We had given him a price he could spend, and surprisingly, he found that it was enough to buy an almost fossilized tibia bone of a bison that is between 11,000-15,000 years old! He placed it proudly on his shelf in his room.

Admission to the show is just $4 for adults, and children under 16 (accompanied by an adult) are free. Parking is free too. For more information see their website at http://www.mammothrock.com.

To see all of our photos from last year’s show, click here.