Wow! Wow! Wow! My son has been waiting years to visit Palmetto. It did not disappoint. From booking to communication to dig day and staff, nothing but 5 stars! Coming back to Pennsylvania with lots of great finds…even a massive Meg!

Luke was ABSOLUTELY amazing! Having the knowledge of someone who knows what you’re finding is priceless! I highly recommend….it is laborious, but hard work and perseverance leads to amazing finds!

So many good things to say.
This was a bucket list experience.
After finding shark teeth on beaches in Charleston, we wanted to find a Meg. And we did!
(Plus a ton of other really cool smaller teeth)

The setup: the Lightning dig is in the woods about 30 minutes outside of Charleston. It's a clear-cut area where an excavator has dug a large pit (maybe 20' x 20' and 8 feet deep). The top 6 feet is dirt and is taken off, exposing layers of clay and rocks and gravel. You get shovels and sitting mats and scrape away. It's pure luck.

The experience: My daughter and I showed up in mid-June for a 6 hour dig. It was just us and the guides: Tara and Matt. Tara walked us through the steps and gave a little history, and then it was off to the races. They supply all the necessary equipment including thick garden pads. You will want to sit. To beat the heat , they set up big umbrellas and some fans. There is also a port-a-potty.

Tara and Matt were right there with us, digging as well. They are very flexible and created an environment that said "this is your time, please enjoy - we are here to help".

Preparation: First of all, this is hard work. Be mentally prepared for that. And sit on the cushions they provide.

Second expect to get really muddy. Not dirty: muddy. You are ~2 feet above the water table, so it gets very muddy, very fast. (Not a problem: you dump your dirt into the water and they also pump it out every so often.)

Dress simply. I had tennis shoes and light weight long pants and a t-shirt. I also had a hat but the umbrellas made it unnecessary. I put on bug spray and sunscreen and was fine. I didn't notice bugs in the pit but they were definitely around when I went to the car.

Some people might want waders or boots. I was fine without.

Bring lots of water and even snacks.

Most important: gloves. Shoveling for 6 hours will create blisters if you don't prepare. Gardening gloves seemed a bit too flimsy and the nitrile coated gloves were too stiff. We used Flex Grip gloves that had breathable mesh and flexible padded leather on the palms. They worked great: no blisters.