Once an abandoned amusement park focused around The Wizard of Oz, the Land of Oz theme park is located in the serene forest of Beech Mountain, North Carolina. The yellow brick road turned jaundiced inside this theme park, and the Emerald City was being taken back by nature.
Any trace of magic vanished, and its dilapidated interior made it appear less like a mythical realm found inside the mind of a rural Kansas youngster and more like the Wicked Witch’s newest real estate purchase. Put simply, it was very unsettling.
The Creepy Land of Oz
It’s possible that Land of Oz was one of the world’s scariest theme parks, and once you were inside, there was no way out except by clicking your ruby slippers together.
Even with its partial restoration, the park’s dark past casts a disturbing aura of mystery about it.
Death and maybe arson marred what was once a joyful location that welcomed thousands of people. Thousands of people go to North Carolina each year to see the park’s attractions, even though it may require lion-sized bravery to pass through the entrance gates.
Formerly, 400,000 people visited the Land of Oz
Over in the mountains of North Carolina, Land of Oz was an ambitious project.
According to reports, the park was constructed with the assistance of local artists and craftspeople in order to stimulate Beech Mountain’s economy by giving the land, which is mostly used as a ski resort, a means of making money in the spring, summer, and fall periods.
Land of Oz’s yellow brick road, which had 44,000 actual yellow bricks, was walked by an astounding 400,000 visitors during the park’s inaugural summer.
Aside from strolling through Munchkinland and the Wicked Witch’s castle, they also investigated a duplicate of the Emerald City. The laughing that filled the walls of the park, however, soon faded.
These days, visitors to Land of Oz are so rare that the park’s proprietors mandate that they park at the neighboring Beech Mountain Resort and allow a shuttle drive them through the twisting roads to the park.
The park’s owner passed away from cancer just prior to its 1970 opening
Death has contaminated Land of Oz since before it ever opened for business in 1970. Grover Robbins was a prosperous businessman who aspired to bring year-round visitors to the resort town of Beech Mountain.
He brought on designer Jack Pentes, who claimed that the trees on the land made him think of the eerie forest in the movie. Their vision was genuinely successful for a few years.
Read Also: Dare to Hike? The Spookiest National Park Trails Known for Hauntings
After the park closed in 1980, thieves and vandals started to target it
Reeling from a disastrous fire and a shift in ownership that led to declining attendance, Land of Oz finally shuttered its doors in 1980 when Dorothy finally tapped her ruby slippers together.
The park was only a shadow of its former self by then. In Dorothy’s Kansas barn, animatronic replicas of the genuine animals took their place.
The yellow brick road needed to be redone, the sound system was breaking during performances, and the original outfit designs were replaced with cheap knockoffs.
The park’s owners eventually decided to close it down due to the high cost of restoration after the previous owners had allowed it to fall into ruin.
For many years, Land of Oz was essentially abandoned. It became a popular target for thieves and vandals. Much of the remaining scenery was returned to nature.
Decrepit trees sculpted to resemble faces rotted along the fading yellow brick road, and the Wicked Witch’s castle loomed eerily in the mountain mist until, at last, a troop of gentle individuals with the courage of the Cowardly Lion and the power of Glinda the Good Witch struggled to restore it.
Read Also: Anoka State Hospital: A Journey into Minnesota’s Haunted Asylum
On the Park, Restoration Started in the 1990s
Emerald Mountain Realty started bringing the park back to its former splendor in the 1990s.
Every year, once the park began to deteriorate, they restored a small portion of it, including objects that had been taken from the premises. It is also said that you could rent out character homes.
However, the land was not reopened as a theme park. They made the decision to open the park once a year for an Autumn in Oz event following the 1994 reunion of the original cast members.
The old theme park has become much more popular, and all proceeds from the events are used to restore Land of Oz.
Read Also: Ghosts and Gravestones: Explore 5 Chillingly Haunted Cemeteries
Every year, thousands of people visit Land of Oz in hopes of catching a glimpse of the fading magic
For the most part of the year, Oz’s doors are closed. Now it opens for a short time in the summer and fall to daring people who don’t mind meandering down a faded and cracked yellow brick road.
When Journey With Dorothy and Autumn in Oz events are held, tickets typically sell out and guests take part in a costume-filled guided tour of the park.
If you dare, you can rent out Oz and have your dream wedding. Even while the public events are hugely popular, the closed theme park nevertheless attracts additional customers.
The Source: ranker.com
Leave a Reply