World at the Land of Oz for the annual Autumn at Oz festival. The Land of Oz originally opened in 1970 as a theme park in Beech Mountain. History of Land of Oz Theme Park Oz was dreamed up and designed by Jack Pentes, on behalf of Carolina Caribbean Corp., and headed by Grover Robbins, of Tweetsie RR. Both men were exceptional visionaries. It was their plan to create something special for children - something that would be fun and financially compatible with the ski slopes of Beech.
| Location | Beech Mountain, North Carolina, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°11′07″N81°52′49″W / 36.1853°N 81.8804°WCoordinates: 36°11′07″N81°52′49″W / 36.1853°N 81.8804°W |
| Owner | Emerald Mountain, Inc. |
| Opened | 1970 |
| Operating season | Weekly in June, First Weekend of September, October |
| Area | 17.82 acres (72,100 m2) |
| Attractions | |
| Roller coasters | 0 |
| Water rides | 0 |
| Website | www.landofoznc.com |
The Land of Oz is a theme park in the resort town of Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA. In 1970 it opened as a theme park based on the L. Frank Baum Wizard of Oz books by Carolina Caribbean Corporation under the guidance of Grover Robbins, who had been successful with Tweetsie Railroad, and designed by Jack Pentes. It was fully operational until 1980. As of September 2019, it now opens for Fridays in June for 'Journey with Dorothy Tours' and in September for Autumn at Oz - the largest Wizard of Oz festival in the country.
History[edit]
Construction[edit]
Brothers Harry and Grover Robbins in 1965 began looking for a way to turn ski resort Beech Mountain into a year round attraction. Finding an area that remind them of the The Wizard of Oz (1939 film), the brothers began work on an Oz based theme park. The had over 44,000 bricked glazed yellow [1] The songs that were lip-synced by the characters on the Yellow Brick Road and at Emerald City were composed by notables Alec Wilder and North Carolina native Loonis McGlohon (with the exception of E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen's 'Over the Rainbow' for which rights were obtained to integrate into the Emerald City show).
Opening[edit]
Hans christian andersen cinderella. Land of Oz opened on June 15, 1970, with actress Debbie Reynolds cutting the ribbon with her daughter Carrie Fisher.[1] A ski lift was specially designed to become the hot air balloon ride which has since been redeployed to be a ski lift on the back bowl, now Oz run, of Ski Beech. In later years, characters from the story conducted tours, but the original design was for the visitor to assume the role of Dorothy – experiencing everything from Kansas to tornado to the meeting the characters on the yellow brick road to Oz. The visit culminated in Emerald City, where Dorothy appeared with her friends to meet the Wizard.
Visitors would start off in Kansas, 'experience' the tornado which struck Dorothy's house, and walk down the Yellow Brick Road to visit with the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion and the Wicked Witch of the West. The original Emerald City consisted of gift shops and an amphitheater that the Magic Moment Show would be staged every half hour. An artificial balloon ride, a specially modified ski lift installed by Goforth Brothers, allowed visitors to get a bird's-eye view of the park and mountain scenery before leaving Oz. A small museum showcased props and costumes from the MGM film, including one of Judy Garland's Dorothy dresses. This was jointly bought by the park and Debbie Reynolds from MGM.[2]
The park was the top attraction in the Eastern United States the first year. Its opening day in 1970 attracted 4,000 visitors.[3] Dampened by the death of owner Grover Robbins a few months before the park opened, the driving force to keep the park as a special experience gave way to commercial necessities foisted on Carolina Caribbean Corp (CCC) by the downturn in real estate sales. A failed investment in St. Croix left CCC bankrupt the later part of 1975.
Closure[edit]
On Sunday, December 28, 1975, a fire was set to the Emerald City Amphitheater, and surrounding gifts shops. Two buildings were destroyed, along with the park's offices, costumes, sound equipment, and props. At the same time, many items were stolen from the park's museum, including Judy Garland's Dorothy dress. There is some speculation that the fires were set by disgruntled employees.[citation needed] Land of Oz would be rebuilt and managed by a new company, but it never recouped. Some reports state that the quality of the original park was not recaptured, and the cost to restore the park deemed too high.[1] It would finally close in 1980.[4]
After the park was closed much of it fell into disrepair. Props were vandalized, stolen, or left exposed to the elements. Some of the park was saved, including most of the yellow brick road, a few munchkin houses, some of the later costumes, and sections of the witch's castle were preserved.[5] A video and display of The Land of Oz were on exhibit at the Appalachian Cultural Museum, part of Appalachian State University, in Boone, North Carolina but the museum closed and the artifacts were returned to the park.[5]
Re-opening[edit]
On July 4, 1991, the park was re-opened for the day as part of the town of Beech Mountain's Independence Day celebration and as a kickoff to the redevelopment of the property into a condo complex. Visitors rode the ski lift up from the base of the adjacent Ski Beech. Watauga High School in nearby Boone, N.C. had staged a production of The Wizard of Oz as its spring musical a few months earlier and the student actors appeared in character and in costume to greet visitors as they came off the ski lift. Visitors then made their way to Dorothy's house, which was then the home of the property's owner, Alex Hufty Hays, and viewed a collection of original costumes and props from the 1939 movie. A year or so prior to this event, Appalachian State University in Boone opened its Appalachian Cultural Museum, which featured props and costumes from the theme park. The floor in this portion of the museum was paved with surplus yellow bricks that had been donated by their manufacturer, Sanford Brick, which had been made for the park but never used.
The owners of the land began restoring portions of the park over the upcoming years. In the mid-nineties, the Autumn at Oz event began as a reunion for original park employees. This quickly grew in popularity as an annual public event, and by 2009 the festival had over 8,500 people attending. The event has expanded to include all of the characters from The Wizard of Oz, shows, Museum, Emerald City set up, Omaha Vendor Fair, Petting Zoo, Pony Rides, and other activities within the Oz Theme. Money raised during this event go back into renovations and upkeep of the park, as well as adding new attractions each year.
In 2011, the park hosted the International Wizard of Oz Club and some of the original 1970 cast returned to share photos and tales from the original inspiration of Jack Pentes.[4] By 2013, the Land of Oz expanded openings to include 'Journey with Dorothy,' a guided tour through Oz every Friday in June during Beech Mountain's Family Fun Month. In 2018, it was announced a new yearly event is to be introduced.
Urban explorers often visit the park, shooting photos near or stealing relics from the site, including pieces of the yellow brick road.[6]
The park has an annual Autumn of Oz event. Also, in June 2018, the park was scheduled to open for tours led by Dorothy, with some guests playing other characters, on Fridays and on June 30.[7]
For the 80th anniversary of the 1939 movie, the park will open Thursdays and Fridays in June 2019, plus the last Wednesday in June and the first Friday in July.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ abchttps://www.wfmynews2.com/article/travel/why-north-carolinas-land-of-oz-theme-park-closed-and-why-its-reopening/83-561ded12-de72-49df-80b6-aaa915f40737
- ^Leah, Heather (June 8, 2018). 'Hidden History: Exploring North Carolina's Land of Oz theme park'. WTVD. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^'Abandoned Land of Oz'. May 31, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ abMartin, Ray (September 7, 2010). 'Dilapidated Land of Oz theme park glows with life for annual festival'. News & Observer. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
- ^ ab'Fire Damages Land of Oz'. The Times-News. Hendersonville, NC. December 29, 1975. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^Martin, Mark (June 13, 2015). 'Internet beckons crime to Land of Oz; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
- ^'North Carolina 'Oz' theme park reopening for summer tours'. New York Daily News. Associated Press. April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^'Land of Oz theme park reopening in North Carolina'. News and Record. May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- Bengal, Rebecca. 'In Search of Emerald City'. Eye. Posted at AlterNet on April 1, 2000. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
- Wuckovich, Tom. 'Here & There'. AAA Going Places Magazine, September/October 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
- Land of Oz Theme Park, Appalachian Cultural Museum exhibit, Appalachian State University.
External links[edit]
- Beech Mountain, North Carolina - Land of Oz at Roadside America
- [1] at NWNC Magazine
- [2] Video about park
Apparently somewhere over the rainbow is pretty darn creepy. In the quiet wilderness of Beech Mountain, NC, lies the Land of Oz theme park, a once-abandoned amusement park centered around The Wizard of Oz. Inside the walls of this theme park, the yellow brick road faded to a jaundiced hue, and nature began reclaiming the Emerald City. Any hint of magic faded away, and its decaying interior made it seem more like the Wicked Witch's latest real estate acquisition than a mystical world that exists inside the mind of a teenager from rural Kansas. In short, it was just flat-out creepy.
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Land of Oz may have been one of the creepiest theme parks in the world, and once you entered, you couldn't escape by simply clicking your ruby slippers together. The sordid history of the park creates an unsettling air of mystery around it, even now that it's been partially restored. What was once a happy place that saw thousands of visitors was tainted by death and possibly arson. It may take lion-sized courage to enter the park's front gates, but every year, thousands gather to explore the attractions.
These eerie Land of Oz facts will have you saying, 'There's no place like home.' Are you brave enough to venture inside?
Land of Oz was a grand endeavor in the North Carolina mountains. The park was reportedly built using local craftsmen and entertainers to help boost Beech Mountain's economy, providing a way to capitalize on the property - primarily a ski resort - during the spring, summer, and fall.
During the park's first summer, a whopping 400,000 visitors walked Land of Oz's yellow brick road, which contained 44,000 real yellow bricks. They explored a replica of the Emerald City and took a stroll through Munchkinland and the Wicked Witch's castle. But the laughter that permeated the park's walls quickly faded.
Today, Land of Oz is so infrequently visited that the owners require guests to park at the nearby Beech Mountain Resort and let a shuttle navigate the winding roads to the park's location.
Land of Oz has been tainted with death since before it even opened its doors in 1970. Grover Robbins was a successful entrepreneur who wanted to attract tourists to the resort town of Beech Mountain all year round. He hired designer Jack Pentes, who said the trees on the property reminded him of the film's haunted forest. For a few years, their vision was truly successful.
Robbins had previous success in operating theme parks; he was the man behind Tweetsie Railroad, a Wild West theme park in North Carolina, which is still in operation. Unfortunately, Land of Oz never saw the same level of lasting success. Mere months before the park's grand opening, Robbins died of cancer. Some believe his demise led to the park's eventual decline.
Debbie Reynolds, who rose to fame in Singin' in the Rain and scored a 1964 Oscar nomination for The Unsinkable Molly Brown, cut the ribbon at Land of Oz's opening on June 15, 1970. The actress was a partner in the business and brought along her then-unknown teenage daughter, Carrie Fisher, to enjoy the event.
Throughout her life, Reynolds amassed a vibrant collection of famed Hollywood memorabilia. Her collection contained none other than one pair of Dorothy's famed ruby slippers, which were reportedly bought at auction for $510,000 in 2011. Reynolds helped with the park create its collection of Wizard of Oz props and costumes.
The park had only one ride, a ski lift made up to resemble hot air balloons that gave visitors an aerial view of the park's unique scenery. Most of the park consisted of character houses and a replica of the Emerald City, which suffered a fate worse than abandonment.
In 1975, the Emerald City was destroyed in a mysterious fire, which crippled the park. No one knows what started the fire, but it destroyed the amphitheater, nearby shops, and a restaurant. On top of that, thieves broke into the park's museum and stole numerous original film costumes, including Judy Garland's coveted gingham dress.
Coupled with a drop in tourism from the gas crisis in the 1970s, the park never fully recovered.