Bone Valley Experience

Bone Valley Experience Bone valleys most exclusive dry dig located in Wauchula, Florida. Thomas Hodge, the owner of BVE has been an avid fossil hunter and collector for over 40 years.
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His hobby and experience blossomed into today’s Bone Valley Experience. We invite you on our journey to dig into Florida’s prehistoric past. PLEASE BE INFORMED THAT ***BONE VALLEY EXPERIENCE*** IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OTHER BUSINESS AND IS SOLELY OWNED AND OPERATED BY THOMAS HODGE.




***PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING***

Disclaimer: Prices are subject to change. A megalodon is not gu

aranteed but other types of shark teeth will be found.



***Dry Dig Only***
The use of water or water hose is NOT provided to find fossils/sharks teeth. Pricing and deposit:
Please check our FB page for “specials”! Specials will be pinned to the top of the page***
$214.00(tax included) per ADULT, per day. (Unless you have booked during our “special pricing”). Children, 17 and under are free, with a paying adult. A $50.00 non refundable deposit per adult is required before booking. Additional 4% fee is added to deposit via use of card reader. The $50.00 non refundable (per adult) deposit is NOT in addition to the current price when you book. A link will be sent via text and payment is required immediately before you will be booked and meeting location is given. All remaining balance(s) are due the morning of your booked dig date. Forms of payment upon dig date are cash or Apple square (card reader fees are as follows: 4% to enter card manually, 3% to swipe card) card reader fee is an additional charge. No refunds are given. Please ensure the phone number that you book with is an active working phone number or provide a valid number upon booking to receive any updates and or confirmations that we may send. Days of digs and time:
Friday and Sunday hours: 8AM-2PM
Meeting time is between 8:00-8:30A.M. You will be provided with our meeting location (the physical address is not given) once deposit and booking date have been confirmed. What’s provided:
Shovel and sifter are provided with the exception of solo digs, as you may have to share a sifter. You are free to dig and sift at any place the material is placed, as long as you do not intrude onto another’s space that was there prior to you. Restroom:
On-site portalet. A container to store your finds and gloves are HIGHLY recommended. A waiver must be signed BEFORE you being your dig! NO EXCEPTIONS. All payments and or balances are due before you begin your dig. PLEASE NOTE: All minors MUST be accompanied and SUPERVISED at all times by an adult. Keep in mind that fossil hunting expeditions are in essence field trips and are not recommended for children under 5 years old. If your child is not supervised you will be given a warning, if your child/children continue not to follow directions by their parent or guardian you will be asked to leave the premises. NO EXCEPTIONS! Please stay within our digging grounds and do not wonder the property. Please do not break down our material piles with shovels UNLESS you intend to dig and sift the material. Do not place sifters on top of our material piles. If you or anyone apart of your group can not abide by these rules you will be asked to leave the premises. DRESS FOR THE OCCASION. (Please dress appropriately). BE MINDFUL OF THE TEMPERATURES. BRING PLENTY OF FLUIDS, FOOD/SNACKS, BEACH UMBRELLAS/CANOPY, SUNBLOCK, BUG SPRAY. Florida weather-
In the event of inclement weather and in order to provide our customers with a safe and pleasant fossil experience, we reserve the right to reschedule/cancel your hunt. Thank you for your understanding and hope to see you at the next dig. To show our gratitude, Bone Valley Experience offers both current and retired service members a 20% discount when you book your dig.***Discounts are not combined with any specials.***
America without her Soldiers would be like God without His angels." -- Claudia Pemberton

Please be advised that we do not permit any type of alcoholic beverages or paraphernalia at our dig site. You will be asked to leave the premises if this rule is not followed. Anyone in violation will be prosecuted!

07/04/2026
Good evening. Due to insufficient rainfall at the dig site, Thomas is offering Peace River excursions on Wednesdays,Thur...
06/19/2026

Good evening. Due to insufficient rainfall at the dig site, Thomas is offering Peace River excursions on Wednesdays,Thursdays, and Fridays, contingent upon favorable weather conditions, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This river excursion will be a walk-in tour, spanning approximately 1 mile. Upon booking, participants will receive the meeting location once the non refundable deposit ($50.00 plus 4% card reader fee, per adult) or balance(s) are paid in full. The fee is $150.00 per adult, with an additional charge of $75.00 for children aged 12-17. Please be advised that children under the age of 12 are currently not permitted. We recommend that all participants apply for their fossil permits via the provided link below. Essential items to bring include a shovel, sifter, supplementary tools as needed, refreshments, snacks, sunscreen, and any additional items to ensure comfort during the excursion.

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-fossil-permit/application/

05/17/2026

FYI:
The dig site is still very dry because of insufficient rainfall, making the material challenging to dig and process.

The family made significant travels from the Netherlands, having encountered one of BVE's worst droughts within a span o...
04/25/2026

The family made significant travels from the Netherlands, having encountered one of BVE's worst droughts within a span of four years. The scorching heat in addition to the dry material did little to stop them from unearthing their finds.
🦈💦

Sunday funday 🦈💦
04/12/2026

Sunday funday 🦈💦

04/12/2026

What to Bring
• Sunscreen and a hat
• Food: snacks, lunch, hydrating beverages (Water/Gatorade)
• Gallon of water (rinse of hands)
• Towel
• Change of clothes/shoes
• A container for fossils (Tupperware works great to rinse)
• Anything that’ll make being outside more comfortable for you, IE: collapsible chair, sunglasses, UV protective clothing, bug repellent.

Things to consider for children
• Change of clothes during rainy season (it might be muddy, but fun!)
• Sunscreen and a hat
• Music
• Planning to stay from 8am-2pm? Have a plan to keep your child(ren) cool, some observed best practices include: setting up the back seat/SUV cargo section as a campsite so they can have a/c and portable fans. While every child has different needs in the Florida climate, all are welcome to come find Florida’s ancient treasures.

What’s provided by BVE: Sifter and shovel. Please note: BVE no longer provides canopies.
We HIGHLY Recommend each person to bring gardening gloves.

Reposting a customer’s find in 3-23-26 to show fossil collectors how color changes occur and how teeth get the colors yo...
04/08/2026

Reposting a customer’s find in 3-23-26 to show fossil collectors how color changes occur and how teeth get the colors you see.the pics show the changes that occur in one hour.It’s takes up to a year to see full color changes.The highest quality teeth comes from high clay areas in the Earth. Teeth on this scale have a high market value of over 1k per inch , Quality and Condition determine the value of your finds . So choose your digging locations wisely.

Address

Wauchula, FL
33873

Opening Hours

Friday 8am - 2pm
Saturday 8am - 2pm
Sunday 8am - 2pm

Telephone

+18633682306

Website

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