Dollywood, Tenn

[twilli1]

Does anyone know if metal detecting allowed in Dollywood, Tenn?

 

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[Keppy]

I would say that metal detecting is allowed any were.,............. I have never been at any city or town that i could not metal detect............

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Does anyone know if metal detecting allowed in Dollywood, Tenn?

The question should not be "is metal detecting allowed?". Rather it should be: "Is metal detecting prohibited?'. Because an activity need-not-be specifically "allowed" for a person to be able to do it. On the contary: if it's not prohibited, then one assumes you can do it.

 

[mtruxfan]

Dollywood is an amusement park. You cant hunt in there, however this time of year the lines are long for all the rides. Dolly Parton owns it, if you know her or someone that knows her you may be granted special permission I guess. Good luck.

 

[Frankn]

CAN YOU IMAGINE all the junk targets that are there? Frank...

 

[Atomic Ed]

Yes but having been there a couple times before, I would think alot of the surrounding area, woods, would yield some interesting things. The times I had been there I did not metal detect, so I never tried but they look like they would be good for it. If I remember right, there is some time of state park nearby so you need to find out for sure if you decide to try the areas.

 

[huntsman53]

On the Dollywood Amusement Park properties and mainly owned by Silver Dollar Industries (they own the controlling interests), all properties outside of the amusement rides and venues are off-limits and subject to arrest and prosecution. You could try to ask for permission to metal detect but doubt that it would be granted. I used to work there after I got out of the U.S. Army and most of the properties outside of the amusement rides and venues and owned by Silver Dollar City Industries, were off-limits. If you look close enough, I am sure that you will find No Trespassing signs in these locations.


Frank

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Yes but having been there a couple times before, I would think alot of the surrounding area, woods, would yield some interesting things. The times I had been there I did not metal detect, so I never tried but they look like they would be good for it. If I remember right, there is some time of state park nearby so you need to find out for sure if you decide to try the areas.

Ed, if ... as you say .... the surrounding woods "looked good for detecting", then is that to assume you were there, looking at them? Hmmm, if I understand Frank's (huntsman53) post correctly, there was no way to be there, standing there, to have even looked at it, to begin with. I mean, you'd have been risking "arrest and prosecution" from what we're reading.

Or perhaps you looked from the outside of the fence, and made your observation from afar?

 

[mtruxfan]

There is Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge and some ball fields, soccer,softball that might be open to hunt. Im not sure. You dont want to be caught hunting in the Smokey Mnt National Park or any TVA land whatsoever. Calhouns is a great place to eat while youre down there.

 

[huntsman53]

Ed, if ... as you say .... the surrounding woods "looked good for detecting", then is that to assume you were there, looking at them? Hmmm, if I understand Frank's (huntsman53) post correctly, there was no way to be there, standing there, to have even looked at it, to begin with. I mean, you'd have been risking "arrest and prosecution" from what we're reading.

Or perhaps you looked from the outside of the fence, and made your observation from afar?

Tom in CA,

You can see a lot of the property surrounding Dollywood from the parking lots, from some of the venues and the amusement rides. However, if anyone ever ventured in to these areas, I am sure you would see the No Trespassing signs. They were all over the place when I worked there (at Silver Dollar City, the former name) in 1978 helping build new rides, venues and water flumes and other things for the tourists to see. It is a big amusement park and the properties outside of the amusement rides and venues are probably 3 to 4 times the size of where the tourists are allowed. Outside of the amusement park itself, there are a few old home and farm sites but nothing worth risking arrest and prosecution in hopes of finding something special. The O.P. should understand that anyone that lived on what is now Dollywood, were of meager means and just old plain dirt poor farmers. One would have better luck searching along the banks of the Pigeon River Northwest and North of Pigeon Forge as Native American Indians lived and/or camped along much of it's banks from Pigeon Forge to below (North of) Sevierville. You might venture in a shallow area with a metal detector and find something interesting as some homes and small businesses were washed away in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge by many flash flood events from around the mid-1800's to the 1950's and maybe even the 1960's. However, one should check with the Pigeon Forge Police and City Hall to make sure that it is okay and/or if a permit is needed. The Pigeon River contains what is considered wild (or native) fish and outside of the National Park Boundaries, is owned and controlled by the State of Tennessee. Therefore, outside of the National Park, a person can enter the river from public access (i.e. a bridge) and travel the length of the river as long as they stay in the water or within it's banks.


Frank

 

[Number9]

You need to be very careful walking down some of the back roads around there...
no telling who you'll meet!?

... if you're lucky!

 

[WVPapaw]

Tom in CA,

You can see a lot of the property surrounding Dollywood from the parking lots, from some of the venues and the amusement rides. However, if anyone ever ventured in to these areas, I am sure you would see the No Trespassing signs. They were all over the place when I worked there in 1978 helping build new rides, venues and water flumes and other things for the tourists to see. It is a big amusement park and the properties outside of the amusement rides and venues are probably 3 to 4 times the size of where the tourists are allowed. Outside of the amusement park itself, there are a few old home and farm sites but nothing worth risking arrest and prosecution in hopes of finding something special. The O.P. should understand that anyone that lived on what is now Dollywood, were of meager means and just old plain dirt poor farmers. One would have better luck searching along the banks of the Pigeon River Northwest and North of Pigeon Forge as Native American Indians lived and/or camped along much of it's banks from Pigeon Forge to below (North of) Sevierville. You might venture in a shallow area with a metal detector and find something interesting as some homes and small businesses were washed away in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge by many flash flood events from around the mid-1800's to the 1950's and maybe even the 1960's. However, one should check with the Pigeon Forge Police and City Hall to make sure that it is okay and/or if a permit is needed. The Pigeon River contains what is considered wild (or native) fish and outside of the National Park Boundaries, is owned and controlled by the State of Tennessee. Therefore, outside of the National Park, a person can enter the river from public access (i.e. a bridge) and travel the length of the river as long as they stay in the water or within it's banks.

Frank

Uh oh, you just said to ask permission and see if a permit is needed. Now the permission police are going to attack you. If you are lucky, you will escape without being injured. Prepare to be assailed at any moment. LOL.....HaHaHaHa. I am speaking from experience after making a similar mistake.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Uh oh, you just said to ask permission and see if a permit is needed. Now the permission police are going to attack you. If you are lucky, you will escape without being injured. Prepare to be assailed at any moment. LOL.....HaHaHaHa. I am speaking from experience after making a similar mistake.

haha, well if the woods were clearly listed/posted as "no trespassing", then sure, ask away for permission. My only beef is people thinking they need "permission" where there is no signs, no rules, and just simply public land (or land, at least, where the public is not disallowed from being). But nice try

 

[treasurehound]

I live about 40 minutes from there and would not even think about hunting there. If you are interested in hunting for clad coins then there are plenty of parks and schools in the area. Dollywood has not been there long enough to have silver or wheat pennies. Also you are right on the edge of the National Park which is strickly off limits. Personally I would not even think about hunting there and focus more on other great locations in the area. Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are excellent places to visit and stay. You can spend a week there and still not see everything. Great for the family. Welcome to Tennessee and hope you have a great time.

 

[mical66]

i live not to far from there and i assume you are talking about the Gatlinburg ,sevierville area and not the DollyWood Park property itself ?
As some on else pointed out , there are parks around that area that you could MD with ball fields and such, but you could not MD the amusement parks.

 

[huntsman53]

I live about 40 minutes from there and would not even think about hunting there. If you are interested in hunting for clad coins then there are plenty of parks and schools in the area. Dollywood has not been there long enough to have silver or wheat pennies. Also you are right on the edge of the National Park which is strickly off limits. Personally I would not even think about hunting there and focus more on other great locations in the area. Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are excellent places to visit and stay. You can spend a week there and still not see everything. Great for the family. Welcome to Tennessee and hope you have a great time.

That is where you are wrong! I remember going to the beginnings of the Amusement Park when it was named "Railroad Junction and which opened in 1961. It was later renamed Goldrush Junction, then Silver Dollar City and then the current name of Dollywood. Back in the early 1960's, we rode the train around the property and were attacked by the Amusement Park employees who were dressed as Indians and Outlaws and enacted those roles. We were also giving cap shooting revolvers to defend ourselves! See the link below.

Pigeon Forge, TN - Goldrush Junction


Frank

 

[Atomic Ed]

Ed, if ... as you say .... the surrounding woods "looked good for detecting", then is that to assume you were there, looking at them? Hmmm, if I understand Frank's (huntsman53) post correctly, there was no way to be there, standing there, to have even looked at it, to begin with. I mean, you'd have been risking "arrest and prosecution" from what we're reading.

Or perhaps you looked from the outside of the fence, and made your observation from afar?

No, I was not trespassing or anything. I took my family there for a short trip, stayed at a hotel in pigeon forge and we sight seen the area in a trolly type vehicle that tours all around the sorrounding aeas and shops.

Other thank that I also saw alot of woods both driving into the area when we arrived as well as on our way home from there. Heck there was even scenic overlooks we stopped and got out and looked at the beautiful countryside along the way.

Why would you assume we were doing something wrong for looking around the town we were visting?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Why would you assume we were doing something wrong for looking around the town we were visting?

Because you said the woods that ....... according to others here "off-limits", looked good for detecting. And it occurred to me that "how would someone know that (that they looked good for detecting), if they weren't there to look at them, to begin with? And how could they "look at them", if they were "off-limits" ?

But notice I suggested that perhaps you looked at them from afar, in my initial post (which turns out to have been the case).

I was only posting that in jest, to poke fun at the "you'll die as soon as you step foot there" type posts.

 

[treasurehound]

Frank you are correct. I was talking about just Dollywood itself. Also I don't consider 1960's old enough. Personally I don't hunt sites unless they are 1940's or older. And Sevierville area actually dates back to the 1700's. We have permission to hunt a site where a log cabin used to sit that was owned by John Sevier in the 1700's. The cabin has been moved to a historical site but the original site is on private property and the landowner will take us out and show us exactly where it once stood. Just waiting for some nice weather maybe this fall. I know a lot of people like to find clad so there are plenty of parks and schools they can go to in that area. Just don't hunt in the National Park.

 

[WVPapaw]

haha, well if the woods were clearly listed/posted as "no trespassing", then sure, ask away for permission. My only beef is people thinking they need "permission" where there is no signs, no rules, and just simply public land (or land, at least, where the public is not disallowed from being). But nice try

Only trying to have fun, of course.