Growing up, my family didn’t own a color television set, so when the annual showing of The Wizard of Oz aired, my sisters and I would travel the yellow brick road to our grandparents’ house to watch. There was something about the trip across town that added to the excitement and anticipation of watching the movie, something like that first step Dorothy takes out of the farmhouse into the world of rainbow colors after the grey existence on the farm. Okay, maybe not quite that extreme, but still, being able to see colorful Munchkin Land, the yellow brick road, the green wicked witch of the west, Glinda’s sparkly pink dress, and of course those glittery ruby red slippers in full color, filled this little girl with wonder.

I was mesmerized by the movie: never scared by the evil witch, (maybe a little by the flying monkeys), a bit anxious that maybe this time Dorothy wouldn’t be rescued in the nick of time as she raced around the castle towers with the guards on her ruby red heels. Always relieved when the green-black melting of witch finally puddled on the floor, only to be irritated with the Wizard when he tried to back out of his promise, and nervous when Toto took off, seeming to leave Dorothy trapped in the Land of Oz as the balloon and Wizard floated away. Finally, the ‘all’s right with the world’ feeling when Dorothy is surrounded by her loved ones. So many different emotions evoked by a good story.

Like Dorothy, my favorite was the Scarecrow, but I didn’t have her affection for the Cowardly Lion. As much as I enjoyed the movie, I never wanted to be a character for Halloween or collect memorabilia. I’m not sure my sisters and I ever owned a copy of the actual children’s novel. But there was something enticing about opening a door and finding a completely different world.

Then several years ago, I came across a video posted by Urbex–Urban Explorers–about an abandoned theme park in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. The Land of Oz was real!

In July of 1970, work was complete on the mountaintop recreation of The Land of Oz, from the Gale farm in Nebraska, down that famous yellow brick road, ending in the Emerald City. Ray Bolger, the original Scarecrow, was on hand for the ribbon cutting. Debbie Reynolds, who co-owned some of the MGM productions’ original costumes that were on display in the attraction’s museum, was also there with her daughter, Carrie Fisher. Judy Garland was expected to be there, but unfortunately passed away months before.

For three years the park was a huge success, even without several rides, drawing up to 450,000 visitors annually. Apparently even Disney, or one of his designers, attended to see how a park with only one ride could be so attractive. Unfortunately, the park fell onto hard times, beginning with the gas crisis of 1973, bankruptcy, and a fire in 1975. During the fire many of the original movie’s costumes and props went missing, not burned, but gone. There was a brief revival in the 80s, but then left to the elements and vandals and slated for demolition. In 1988, a reunion of former employees sparked renewed interest, and a 1991 one-day walk through open to the public drew 4,000 people to the Emerald City. Autumn at Oz was born in 1993 and in 2017 grew from a one-day event to a three-day event over multiple weekends in the fall.

So, we went! We began in the cornfields of Kansas, a walk through the Gale farmhouse, and out the back door into Munchkin Land. The farmhouse was the first clue we were going to experience what Dorothy did that fateful day when the cyclone hit. We walked along the yellow brick road, interacting with the characters along the way until we reached the Emerald City. It may sound ‘simple’, but the actors make it an experience. Their wit and interaction with young and old had everyone laughing. You could hear the laughter ripple from up head and echo behind. Each character had a moment to shine as we meandered through Munchkin Land, the apple orchard, haunted forest, and the poppy field.

Folks are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Oz inhabitant so there were adorable Dorothys, a couple of cute lions, one or two munchkins, and I saw one little Glinda. Adult women leaned more toward the Wicked Witch of the West. But it wasn’t just adult women who got into character, several men did too. The story has a nostalgic hold and it was evident this place brings out the child in all of us. In the Emerald City there’s a final performance with the full cast. The lady sitting next to me said one of her earliest memories was coming to the park back in the 70s. She was 4 years-old and she came with her grandma. She’d wanted to return with her ever since the park re-opened, but it wasn’t until this year she was finally able to get tickets. (They sell out quickly.) Grandma sat beside her.

As I mentioned before, the actors make the attraction. They respond in character no matter what you say to them, which leads to some hilarious exchanges. They obviously love what they’re doing. The Wicked Witch of the West was especially good, having the cackle down to the perfect pitch and reverberation. The costumes also added to the experience. Austin Scarlett from Project Runway updated the costumes for this season, bringing back their original look, texture, and richness. I missed taking a photo of one of my favorites, one of the Emerald City hosts. It was fabulous with a broad brimmed hat, fitted jacket.

One would think there’d be stalls upon stalls of Oz trinkets: ruby slipper key chains, flying monkey masks, brooms with burnt ends, and other souvenirs. There aren’t. Same for food booths. There’s one near the Gale farm and one in the Emerald City. I hope the park keeps it that way and not taint the fantasy with commercialism.

As we left the Emerald City, we made the climb to Dorothy’s Over the Rainbow observation deck.

A more detailed history and more pictures – and ticket information – can be found at Land of Oz.