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A gorilla statue, affectionately named Goldie, was described in a September 2025 news report as standing at the Gold Rush store in Kingsport, Tennessee. A co-owner said people giving directions in Kingsport often say "Turn at the gorilla."
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Gold Rush gorilla
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Site-level location · 36.5324° N, 82.5273° W
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The story
In Kingsport, Tennessee, directions can hinge on a gorilla. In September 2025 a news report from Elizabethton described the Gold Rush store's Kingsport location as "already famous for its gorilla, affectionately named Goldie", and quoted a co-owner as saying it is common for people giving directions in Kingsport to say, "Turn at the gorilla."
The report said the gorillas were the idea of one of the business's partners. Gold Rush's new Elizabethton store also has a giant gorilla in its parking lot. That one did not yet have a name, and the store said it might ask the community to help choose one. The report said the company planned two more locations.
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WHAT TO EXPECT
A gorilla statue outside a Gold Rush store in Kingsport, a working retail business. In 2025 the Elizabethton paper described it as a local landmark that residents use when giving directions.
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Outside the Gold Rush store in Kingsport, Tennessee, on business property; please respect customers and parking.
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