North Carolina’s ‘Land of Oz’ Theme Park Is About To Reopen

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north carolina land of ozNorth Carolina’s legendary “Land of Oz” theme park in Beech Mountain is about to bring back all the old characters and reopen all the attractions for a limited time this coming June.

The old park will is now planning on opening every Thursday and Friday in June (June 1st, June 8th, June 15th, June 22nd, June 29th), and for the first time this year, they will be opening for one Wednesday on June 26th, as well as Friday July 5th, according to the new organizers.

You’ll be able to follow Dorothy through a classic story-line. Escape the ‘cyclone’ and run to the storm cellar and enter into the magic Land of Oz.

Walk through the tilted house or the old witches castle. The park features hundreds of oz-themed props, buildings, and actives for visitors of all ages.

This video from a few years ago gives a little more insight into the historic rise and downfall of ‘The Land of Oz’;

The unique theme park was originally built by developmental team of Grover and Harry Robbins of Carolina Caribbean Corporation (CCC) starting in 1968. According to their website, “The two had built other local attractions in Western North Carolina such as Tweetsie Railroad and other resorts, and were in search of a way to utilize their newest acquisition: Beech Mountain. Skiing would be the main attraction during the winter months, but they were in search of a way to utilize the property during the spring, summer, and early fall seasons.”

The park saw almost 10 years of success before Grover Robbins died from cancer and several major acts of vandalism began to occur. In 1976, a new management team bought Oz and saw declining success and continued vandalism. The new owners, Tri South “decided to close the park at the end of the 1980 season. There were hopes of re-opening Oz through 1983, and even rebuilding the park with Pentes’s designs in Tennessee. Unfortunately, these dreams never came to fruition,” according to the website.Over the next few years, The Land of Oz would be left to survive the harsh environmental elements, vandals, and looters. By 1985, the Emerald City, character houses, and some other buildings were demolished due to decay and vandalism.”

Over the past few years, the park has been slowly rebuilding and tickets for their annual ‘Journey with Dorothy’ in June and the ‘Autumn at Oz Festival’ in September continue to sell out.

Have you ever been to The Land of Oz?

What are your thoughts on North Carolina’s most unique theme park?

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