Land of Oz (theme park)
| Location | Beech Mountain, North Carolina, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°11′07″N 81°52′49″W / 36.1853°N 81.8804°WCoordinates: 36°11′07″N 81°52′49″W / 36.1853°N 81.8804°W |
| Owner |
Emerald Mountain, Inc. Emerald Opportunities, Inc |
| Opened | 1970 |
| Closed | 1980 |
| Operating season | first weekend of October annually |
| Area | 17.82 acres (72,100 m2) |
| Rides | |
| Roller coasters | 0 |
| Water rides | 0 |
Emerald Mountain, Inc.
The Land of Oz is currently a private property located in the resort town of Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA. It was opened in 1970 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. It now opens for Fridays in June for "Journey with Dorothy Tours" and in September for Autumn at Oz - the largest festival in the area. 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 Emerald City consisted of gift shops and an ampi-theater that the Magic Moment Show would be staged on 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 film. These were jointly bought by the park and Debbie Reynolds from MGM.
The musical score sung by the characters on the Yellow Brick Road and at Emerald City was 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).
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.
Land of Oz opened in 1970 with the intention of extending the ski resort to be a 'year-round' attraction by offering an attraction at the pinnacle of Beech Mountain. 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.
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Wikipedia