There's good rockhounding in Virginia if you're willing to drive a bit. You can find garnet, amazonite, amethyst, blue quartz, turquoise, unakite, prehnite and much more. There are some old mines that will seasonally be open to the public and are usually great for kids. Lucky Lake is one that's not too far that should open in the spring. But you can also Google rockhounding maps of Virginia to get suggestions on where to find different rocks. It's not as simple as looking in the back yard but it can make for a fun getaway.