Land of Oz was and still is a themed amusement park based on 1939's The Wizard of Oz centered around Beech Mountain, North Carolina which opened in 1970 but officially closed in 1980. Many sites around the park such as Dorothy's house are still maintained by a group of people who open up the park once again during certain periods of the year mostly in Summer and Fall. However, private tours are available anytime of the year as well.
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 vistors 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 disgunted 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 renovationing 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 inquried 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 (2016 dates are September 9th, 10th, and 11th). Also there has been brand new summer events called "Journey with Dorothy" which first occured every Friday in June 2016.
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.