Swingin' at a DRIVE-IN Theatre?:spin:

[lainylainy]

Haha, I didn't realize how that sounded until I typed it! Anyway...

There are two old abandoned drive-in theatres near here and for the past few years I have been toying with the idea of doing some MD'ing there.

I know I can get permission but has anyone done any of those?

Am I just asking for trouble with trash? Will I just be digging 10 million pull-tabs?

It might be interesting...

 

[dahut]

Absolutely do it! Drive ins are a classic site.
Find where the playground was and hit it hard. Usually they were right down in front of the screen, or in front of - or behind - the projection/concession stand.

 

[Rainman]

If it's closed down, I just go. Haven't been bothered yet. As David said, the kiddie playground and around the concession stand are the places to start.

 

[awhitster]

My bro hit one in FL, he found a ton of wheats. Go fo it.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Old drive-ins are a goldmine. Run do not walk to the nearest one. Hunt the ramps, the concession area, and the public seating area up next to the screen.

Bill

 

[Parkit]

If you know you can get permission I don't see what's stopping you from going there. You probably will hit a million pulltabs, but that's going to depend on whether or not it's been previously searched and how well someone else searched it. It's impossible for all practical purposes to remove all the pulltabs from an older drive-in, so I suggest you start your search near the concession stand, in front of the projection booth and down in front of the screen. Start in high discrimination and it won't be long before you'll know what to expect from the rest of the place. If you're discriminating out pulltabs and still finding coins, you've found a gold mine. Or at least a likely silver mine. If you're not finding coins, someone else has probably done just what you're doing and it's time to lower the discrimination. Then you're going to be digging pulltabs, and you'll have to decide whether to dig a high ratio of tabs to coins or jewelry or try somewhere else. Another good area to hit is the gate where you pay to get in, assuming it's not paved.

I hit an old gravel-lot drive-in back in the mid-80's, and previous treasure hunters had left the place looking like an army of armadillos had gone through it. They didn't hit the "toll booth" though and I found several silver coins there.

Good luck, and be sure to keep us posted. Old drive-in's are THE classic place to search and we're holding our breath!!

Steve

 

[ziphius]

I detected a current drive-in out near Barstow last autumn and found a silver skull ring behind the snack bar. Problem was that the section where cars parked was not dirt, but rather that thin black ashphalt with weeds growing through it. I detected underneath the projection screen and out behind the snack bar where I could find some real dirt.