Land of Oz was and still is a themed amusement park based on The Wizard of Oz (1939) located near Beech Mountain, North Carolina which originally opened in 1970 but officially closed in 1980 before being revived for special event periods of time starting in 1991 usually around summer and fall. They have permission from Warner Brothers to incorporate elements from the movie whereas the original rendition used the first book's public domain status.
The location can also be visited for private tours also.
History[]
The park opened sometime during the year of 1970 with over 20,000 visitors on the opening day months after the original owner named Grover Robbins passed away. The premise of the park was to allow visitors to assume the role of Dorothy Gale as they follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City and encountering costumed characters along the way.
On December 28, 1975, a fire broke out around the Emerald City area with the rumored cause being a disgruntled employee which destroyed various collected artifacts such as an original Dorothy dress worn by Judy Garland.
The park simply closed its doors in 1980 stemming from financial troubles concerning the costs of remodeling and renovating the damaged areas five years later. It would stand abandoned until interest in renovating it came in 1991 after the city decided to open it for one day on July 4th. It would be around 1999 when restorative renovations finally were made and passionate former cast members inquired about hosting events at the park. Their efforts were made for an annual event called "Autumn at Oz" which has usually been around September or October. Also there was previously a summer series called "Journey with Dorothy" which first occurred every Friday in June 2016 up until 2019.
In 2024 they had three scheduled weekends in September as the 2025 tickets priced at $60 will go on sale in June.
Land of Oz is still an semi-active theme park mostly open only during official events but the land-owning company Emerald Mountain Properties provides private tours and can host parties starting at $250 from June to October. It is has also become a spot for weddings too.
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