2023 Autumn at Oz Weekends 2023 will mark the 30th anniversary for Autumn at Oz weekends! This popular event will happen over three weekends this year with all Oz characters. Tickets are $55/person, kids aged 2 and under are free.
The Land of Oz, North Carolina's only theme park, is open seasonly each Autumn for three consecutive weekends. Here, guests can experience the iconic characters and wander down the yellow brick road through the dreamworld captured in the novel by L. Frank Baum and the iconic movie, the Wizard of Oz.
If you follow the yellow brick road to Beech Mountain, it will take you to the Autumn Oz Festival in Beech Mountain, North Carolina! That's right, just travel over the rainbow to find yourself in one of the world's largest "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" events at the Land of Oz.
“Most enjoyable and inspiring place to experience - like no other!” The Yellow Brick Road winds through the woods on top of the mountain, and each character meets with Dorothy, entertai... The Land of Oz, and the Autumn at Oz event in the Fall, is a wonderful, magical experience.
The "Abandoned & Creepy” Wizard of Oz Theme Park: Land of Oz | Expedition Extinct
Why did they close the Land of Oz?
By the end, the soundtrack recordings were breaking down during performances and things fell apart, and Jack actually came back in to see what it would cost to renovate the park and reopen it and the sum of the money was just too much to want to invest in it so they closed the park altogether."
Oz consists of four vast quadrants, the Gillikin Country in the north, Quadling Country in the south, Munchkin Country in the east, and Winkie Country in the west.
Rare OZ artifacts such as original MGM 1939 movie production notes, death certificate signed by original Munchkin Coroner, Ray Bolger's (the original Scarecrow actor) passport, and gloves of Munchkin, Nita Krebs. Yellow brick from Baum's military grade school, props from the Broadway musical Wicked, and much more!
What is there to do at the Wizard of Oz theme park?
Visit the Gale farm in Kansas, experience the twister, meet Glinda in Munchkinland, and follow the real yellow brick road to Emerald City where the Wizard grants everyone's' wishes – right before your eyes!
One account says it is a brick road in Peekskill, New York, where L. Frank Baum attended Peekskill Military Academy. Other accounts say it was inspired by a road paved with yellow bricks near Holland, Michigan, where Baum spent summers.
Land of Oz operated in the 1970s before closing in 1980. In 1988, a group of original theme park employees brought the park back to life with yearly re-openings and the park has since opened a few times each year to take visitors on a walk down the yellow brick road they won't ever forget.
It wasn't until 1954 when Walt Disney Productions finally bought the film rights to 11 of Baum's Oz novels, with the intent to use them in the Disneyland television series.
How long does it take to go through Wizard of Oz museum?
We love the Wizard of Oz so we were pleasantly surprised by the variety of items and exhibits this museum had. Friendly staff provide a nice background story before you enter the self-guided tour. They even show the original movie in the theater. Depending on how much time you have, plan 1-2 hours.
Where in Kansas does the Wizard of Oz take place? While a specific Kansas community isn't specified in the Wizard of Oz, the town of Liberal, Kansas has claimed the title of Dorothy's hometown for its own. Wamego, Kansas also leans into Kansas' Wizard of Oz connection with an Oz Museum.
In the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy says to her dog at one point, “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.” It's a phrase that has come to mean that we have stepped outside of what is considered normal; we have entered a place or circumstance that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable; we have found ...
Kansans have mixed feelings for Baum and his story. Dorothy, a little girl from Kansas, lives in a bleak, drab environment. A Kansas cyclone catapults Dorothy over the rainbow into the colorful Land of Oz. The Kansas Baum describes was based on his experiences living in South Dakota in the 1880s.
"The Yellow Brick Road in Sedan, KS is a collection of bricks (over 10,000) that people can buy to have their name on that are painted yellow -- they cover the sidewalk in downtown Sedan. The VIP section is in front of the Emmett Kelly Museum. There is an annual parade at the end of May.
Oz explains that his real name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. To shorten this name, he used only his initials (O.Z.P.I.N.H.E.A.D.), but since they spell out the word pinhead, he shortened his name further and called himself "Oz".
The Wicked Witch of the West is the malevolent ruler of the Winkie Country. Her castle is described as beautiful instead of being the sinister fortress shown in the film. In all versions, she is aquaphobic.
Why is there no witch of the south in Wizard of Oz?
In the original books, Ozma, queen of Oz, explains to the Wizard how four wicked witches took over Oz. One for each direction. But Glinda conquered the bad witch in the south and the other good witch conquered Mombi, the wicked witch of the north.
