The Many Lives of North Carolina's Land of Oz
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- Опубліковано 22 вер 2024
- In the summer of 1975, the Land of Oz amusement park was doing pretty well for itself. The Wizard of Oz themed attraction turned a nice little profit while entertaining over 120,000 guests. Yet just a few months later the park would be forced to closed before being ransacked and set on fire. It wasn’t a tornado, but it was still a pretty rough time for Oz.
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I actually went to the Land of Oz as a young child! It was a lot of fun, and I fondly remember it. I had to hold Dorothy’s hand and my sister’s, because she was afraid to hold her hand herself. We bought some Mego Wizard of Oz figures there that would be worth a decent amount if we had kept them pristine.
dont feel bad. You gave those things the life they were intended for! There's something truly magical about a well loved toy! i have so many things that would be monetarily valuable today if i only kept them in mint condition but honestly i'd rather have the memories!!
That is tooo awesome. I was born in Virginia and wish i knew about this. I now live in Oregon and it's neat the guy mentioned Debbie Reynolds when she came here for Halloweentown and i live not too far from the house she used. 😭
I’ve been *obsessed* with this theme park for years now. Always thought it would be a cool place to shoot a low-budget horror movie. So cool to hear you talk about it.
That would be the place to film it!
I’m a local to Boone, the town right next to Beech and this park is a bit of an urban legend among us all. We all think it’s haunted 😂
Im not far from Beech Mountain but I still haven't taken the time to go see this legendary place.
i’m a student at appalachian and all of my friends and i talk about going there all the time but we always chicken out because we think it’s haunted too haha
I went there as a small child. Honestly, it used to sort of freak me out!
@@Thiccolo86 Tweetsie is haunted? I went there a lot growing up. Loved Tweetsie!
Me, my mom, and my sister all went up to see it a while ago. Was awesome
I somehow missed this video when it came out. I love the way you wrote the ending. Beautiful.
My Mom was from Elizabethton Tennessee. We went there for a visit in 1974, as my Great Aunt was still living at the old farm/homestead. As a part of that trip, we went to the Land of Oz, as it is just on the other side of the mountain from my Mom's childhood home. It was a very vague memory for me, until I stumbled upon this video. Both my parents, and all my Aunts and Uncles have passed away. However, you put a huge smile on my face as seeing this brought back fun memories with them I had all but forgotten! I can't thank you enough for this video!
I've been there for a few Autumn of Oz celebrations and I always had a lot of fun. The first time we went I dressed up as Dorothy and my younger brothers dressed up as the Tinman and the Lion. I remember walking through the house and my mind being blown that it had been ransacked from the tornado when we left. There are a lot of good memories there and hopefully, we'll get to return soon.
It makes me really happy to see that it still opens up every now and then. It looks like a sweet little afternoon experience
I used to spend summers on Beech Mountain in the 80's. as a kid/teen The first time we climbed the slopes and found Land of Oz (abandoned) was magical. Many a summer was spent exploring the park with my brothers. I have returned since they started doing the festivals and am glad to see it restored to its former glory.
As someone who went to this park as a kid annually, thanks for this perfect commentary on LAND OF OZ. I'm SO grateful that those who could... held on to it and gave it a chance to become exactly what it should be. There's something kind of perfect about the fact that The Land of Oz is mostly left alone. We're just lucky that for a few days a year, we may visit.
Anyone else feel kinda sad when Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher were mentioned? Just me?
Me for sure. Hits soo hard that i live in Portland where Debbie visited for Halloweentown and i live not too far from the house she used when i use to live in Virginia. Also, 36th like and I'm 36. 😂🤣 every month since August last year i have been going to that house to keep sane.
Oh my gosh!!!! My family goes here every summer for their select days. Our family has a house on Beech Mountain, we go there every summer and some winters. One time my uncle got a drone and put it into Oz and filmed! We really enjoy going to Beech every year!
That got me surprisingly emotional at the end. Wonderful work Rob, thank you for your videos, they really are a joy.
I feel like the Wizard of Oz *is* a popular enough story to carry a small park. Maybe the lack of home media made the movie less accessible in the 70s, but it's not some dusty old forgotten story.
I think so. While the movie is well loved Oz is a series of books first and was beloved before the MGM movie.
I AM SO HAPPY that you went back to the original bumper music you had!!!! HALLELUJAH! I wish I knew the name to that tune! Makes me smile everytime I hear it!
You should do an episode on MagiQuest! A lot of great history there with a still active community on discord.
Wow that game is such a blast from the past, I remember thinking it was so cool and fun when I played- thanks for the reminder!
MY FAMILY WENT TO " THE LAND OF OZ" IN 1974 . WE LOVED IT . I REMEMBER ALSO GOING TO "TWEETSY RAIL ROAD " . GREAT MEMORIES ! 🏴☠️
I didn't know that anything like this existed, but it reminds me quite a bit of Rock City located near Chattanooga. If I recall correctly, it's a mountain trail that eventually leads to vividly colored dioramas portraying fairy tales up in the mountains. It's a weird and surreal place that seems to give off the same vibe of Oz.
so youre telling me Dorothy's original dress is sitting in a closet somewhere in Norht Carolina
I love when the algorithm recommends videos about theme parks local to me! It's so exciting, and I find a new channel to love!
Awesome video! I am from the area and while getting my bachelors in public history at Appalachian State I took a class on the Land of Oz. Our professor had been the curator of the University's museum which had closed. He was very interested in the Land of Oz and had an exhibit with pieces from the park including some of the yellow brick road that you got to walk on. The one prop my professor wanted to save was the scarecrow's house. It was still standing and in good condition. However, he was given one day to retrieve the house but could not find a crew and truck to take it off the mountain, it was demolished the next day. I learned some very interesting things about the park that I would like to share. Pentes wanted the park designed after the book and not the movie, this is the reason the costumes look very different. They were designed and made by a company that usually worked with Broadway. The costumes were lost in the fire so in the final years the costumes looked more like cheap movie reproductions. There is a picture of Carrie Fisher sitting with Jack Pentes and her mother, I'll leave a link in the end of this. One sad part of the story is things were taken from the park over the years it was closed. Bricks from the road and some of the small Munchkin houses and toadstools disappeared. My professor said he spotted a Munchkin house sitting on the porch of a house rented by a fraternity. He wrote them a little note pointing out that was stolen property and he would have no problem calling the police. It disappeared from the porch. He also said that the frame of one of the "hot air balloons" laid in a field for a long time. He wished he had gotten it for the museum. Another theme park started by the Robbins brothers was Tweetsie Railroad. Small piece of trivia, because Tweetsie's success they built another train based park in Tennessee, Rebel Railroad. We now know it as Dollywood. There is a small semi dark ride called the Mouse Mine at Tweetsie that was designed by Jack Pentes as well. If you're ever interested, the story of Tweetsie and it's success leading to Rebel Railroad is very interesting. I have actually worked with a lady in Boone who was a Dorothy at Land of Oz when she was in college. Sorry for the long message but I had to share some of the information I learned. I have always wished I could have visited the park. One small last thing, my dad said years ago he and some friends played poker in the lion's cave. It wasn't a real big area so I don't know how true that is, but it's a fun story. Here's that link for the picture. It's a news article. www.wataugademocrat.com/community/reynolds-fisher-at-1970-land-of-oz-opening/article_e758638d-888d-5c5c-b6ec-167161d96740.html
Lots of these mountain theme parts are now shuttered. We frequent Maggie valley and there is one there called ghost town in the sky it was neat in its hay day a western themed park with shoot outs rides and such
He needs to do Ghost Town next!
Never did go to Ghost Town..always wanted to! Went to Land of Oz several times and Tweetsie Railroad quite a few times.
@@BradChristianTV He did talk about Ghost Town in the beginning of his video called Florida's Wild West Amusement Park That Is No More.
Thank you for this! I grew up in NC and my family visited the park before I was born and we have many old photos from the park. I never was able to visit the park but remember it fondly from advertisements and family testimonials.
Always nice to see Land of Oz get some love
Where I live we have a place called Storybook Land which is basically a walk through playground type place with slides and a few small rides patterned after nursery rhymes. But the largest part of the park is our Land of Oz. You start out on the farm (which includes a small petting zoo), then you walk into Aunt Em & Uncle Henry’s farmhouse and go through the walk through tornado (which is awesome on a hot summer day). You exit out of the back of the house into Munchkin Land and then it’s. Lot like this park. You walk the yellow brick road past the houses of the characters. And we have our own “hot air balloon” ride.
Ironic talking about a theme park with a movie that's 40 years old, while Disney just opened star wars land, with star wars being over 40 years old.
I know, there's more to it than that, but the irony is still funny. Great post. I would love to see this great looking park. Thank you.
The conclusion of this video was such a nice wrap-up :)
One correction to the video - Jack Pentes wasn't a local western North Carolina designer. He was a Charlotte designer, whose work includes the original logo for UNC Charlotte, the athletics logo, and the original design for the university's mascot. His other major claim to fame was he was the first person to design and produce small-scale ball pit play areas for fast food restaurants. Following his experience with the Land of Oz, he expanded his design company into playground design which led to his work with companies like Burger King and MacDonald's. If you ever played in a fast food playground as a kid, you probably played in a playground designed by Jack Pentes.
As a NC native in his early 50s, I vaguely remember visiting this park in the mid 1970s. Amazing research and storytelling here, Rob. Great video!!
You don't meet many people named Grover anymore.
Love the Great Movie Ride clip at the very end!
One of my favorite videos you've ever done Rob! Excellent job!
My grandparents have a video of my mom and aunts going here.
Going in July ... so excited..
i think this park is really cute, i like that it uses the natural mountain landscape
sad that not there any more.
An excellent video as always Rob! Now, If I may add a bit more information to the "Land Of Oz" Mythos, "Land of Oz" was not the first theme park venture the Robbins tackled. Their first theme park was "Tweetsie Railroad" in Blowing Rock, NC, which is still in operation today, and still under the ownership of the Robbins Family. They also created "Rebel Railroad" in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which, through a number of changes in ownership, eventually became what is today known as Dollywood. One of the sections of Tweetsie, called "Miner's Mountain", was also designed by Jack Pentes, and a small Tin Man figure can be found there in a flower bed, as a nod to Jack Pentes and Land of Oz.
Debbie Reynolds had a pair of the Ruby slippers too. Although there’s a debate which version of the slippers she had. There’s video of her wearing them when she put them up for auction.
Awesome video. Thank you for this.
I think this park is great. Would love to visit myself. Would have loved as a kid. Great video. Thanks. 😁
Great job & so excited to see this one, Rob! I hope to be able to visit Oz at some point since we are within easy driving distance...sounds and looks like such a cool, kitchsy spot.
What a great story. I'll bet in the mid-1970s it was would have been pretty awesome for families. I'm glad it exists to this day. Thanks Rob.
Loved the Great Movie Ride clip in the credits! Land of Oz has fascinated me for a few years now. Thanks for doing a video on it!
We not going speak on UA-cam the scared crow actually look scary lol
I’ve never heard of this place and I live in Raleigh
My sister, her husband, their daughter, and our mom went to Land of Oz in NC and had a blast.
I want to go here. I love the movie.
I never heard of this place. I always wanted to go to a place like this to actually walk down the yellow brick road. Looks fun.
I live in NC and I may make a trip to visit it one fall. Great video!
Great documentary! Never knew about this place. That fire sounds VERY suspicious 🤔
A niche' market to be sure, yet an interesting one! Other attractions could have been added like a ride on a tornado. So many other possibilities. A back story of the witch. You know Disneyland was to have Land of OZ. Flash forward to 1989, rest is history, sort of. Rob, I still have a 1990 book by Jeff Ulmer (Amusement Parks of America) maybe you have it. Page 113 is all about this attraction. No pix though. Sadly, many parks in the book by the time I wrote them letters had become defunct. Gas Light Village was one of them. Great video!
Half of me wishes I could've gone there and half of me is terrified by the character costumes. 😅
I went there several times when I was growing up. The costumes were sort of disturbing and the whole thing was pretty freaky!
I would have loved to experience this
When your favorite channel talks about attractions near you
The great movie ride clip at the end😥
Dorothy's Dress was just found!!!!!!
Always a good day when I get a notification for a MtMS video upload
I didn't even know this had existed! Thanks for another super interesting, well researched video!
Could you do a video on Dogpatch USA in Arkansas?????
That score to end to end this video wow 👏🏻
I recall learning of this in the late 90s... so fascinating!
...and when it's time to do the dishes, where's Ray Bolger? I'll tell you! Ray Bolger is looking out for Ray Bolger!
I’m from NC, I’ve always wanted to go up there, just never gotten the chance
Me too!
My grandmother grew up on the original farm. Her name is/was written on a door frame. Her name was Dorothy.
Love these videos. Can you do one about the time a developer wanted a Texas themed Disneyland? Six Flags Over something or other?
I liked the park much more when they were more based off of the books than the MGM movie
10:15 that's the issue here, Oz is a series of books and not just one movie. Maybe if they had been bold enough to adapt parts of the other books like Tiktok
Wizard Of Oz seems to be cursed when it comes to theme parks. This, The Great Movie Ride and the MGM Grand are all gone.
Very interesting!! 1st time I've ever hear of this park!! How about a video in the same vein as this, the 1960's amusement/theme parks near Lake George, NY - Gaslight Village, Frontier Town, Storybook (or town) Village, Santa's Workshop. I remember when visiting these parks, when you got back to your car, you found that they had affixed a glue-less Bumper Sticker to your back bumper with metal wires!!!
There is still a Wizard of Oz museum in Liberal Kansas.
I liked your Phoenix metaphor. 😂
Wow i didn't know we used to have a Land of Oz here in NC. Thats pretty cool. :)
I know! The only theme park most folks know about in our home state is Carowinds
Missing costume? I bet Backdoor Disney knows where it went 😁
Follow the yellow brick road
Follow the yellow brick road
They could be open April thru oct and make. Lots of cash
Who played Dorothy(the best)in 1971? Thank you.
Never been even though it’s less than 2 hours from me.
Great intro
Rip great movie ride why disney smh why,
i wanna go there who's coming with
0:21 it was set on fire? Did they piss off the mob or flipped at a priest?
Isn't there some kind of fight going on now about that dress ?
Chapter 10 is _municipal_ bankruptcy. Doesn't apply to private entities.
Chapter 10 was corporate bankruptcy up until the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Dorothy dress skirt is a wee bit scandalously short.
Well Christ on a stick I guess there is a park for everything
So, someone still has the dress?
And what about the wagon?
Dude your eyes are so glazed
Allergy season fun
I click so fast
I don't know why I'm answering your questions if I know you can't listen to me XD
First