Land of Oz (theme park)

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**Land of Oz**
Location	Beech Mountain, North Carolina
Owner	Emerald Mountain
Opened	1970
Closed	1980
Operating season	first weekend of October annually
Rides	total 0 roller coasters 0 water rides

The Land of Oz is a mostly now-defunct theme park located in the resort town of Beech Mountain, North Carolina. It was opened in 1970 by Grover Robbins, who had been successful with Tweetsie Railroad, and was fully operational until 1980. Based on the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, visitors could take a walk down the Yellow Brick Road, "experience" the cyclone which struck Dorothy's house, and visit with the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and of course, the Wicked Witch of the West. Visitors were able to enjoy a magic show at the Emerald City as our friends met with the Wizard. Finally, an artificial balloon ride (propelled by electric power lines) allowed visitors to get a bird's-eye view of the park before leaving Oz.

In the late nineties, much of the old theme park was restored and is now opened once a year in October when Beech Mountain holds their annual "Autumn at Oz" festival. Although the balloon rides and the Emerald City are long gone, visitors can once again stroll down the Yellow Brick Road and see some of their old "friends" again.

A video and display on The Land of Oz is on exhibit in the museum at Appalachian State University in Boone.

[edit] References

Bengal, Rebecca. "In Search of Emerald City". Eye. Posted at AlterNet on 1 April 2000. Accessed 11 December 2006.
Wuckovich, Tom. "Here & There". AAA Going Places Magazine, September/October 2006. Accessed 11 December 2006.
Land of Oz Theme Park, Appalachian Cultural Museum exhibit, Appalachian State University.