Long before the wizarding world of Harry Potter, there was the Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum’s 1900 book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, inspired the iconic 1939 musical film starring Judy Garland and, decades later, the 2003 Broadway hit Wicked. If you’re among the countless moviegoers who have rooted for Dorothy and Toto to make it to the Emerald City and trembled at the evil cackle of the Wicked Witch of the West, then follow the Yellow Brick Road to Beech Mountain, North Carolina.
A tiny town of fewer than 350 people, Beech Mountain is known for its ski resort, which perches at a peak elevation of 5,506 feet. For three weekends in September, folks flock to this mountain not to ski but to attend the fantastical Autumn at Oz at the Land of Oz theme park. In the late 1960s when Carolina Caribbean Corporation called on Charlotte-based designer Jack Pentes to assist with plans to develop the area as a ski resort, the landscape inspired the idea for the theme park. When Pentes first set eyes on the site, with its tall, emerald-green grass and stands of trees, he remarked that it reminded him of Oz, and the concept for a Wizard of Oz theme park snowballed from there. Wildly popular in its heyday, the Land of Oz opened in 1970 and reigned for ten years, closing in 1980.
Plans to demolish the theme park and develop the land set bulldozers on the site in the mid-80s, but that deal eventually fell through, leaving much of the infrastructure intact. In the early 1990s, a group of former employees and cast members began organizing reunions at the erstwhile Land of Oz. Over time, the number of attendees grew, and news of the reunions spread. In 1991, the landowners held the first public event since the park’s closing. They anticipated a couple of hundred attendees and were shocked when a crowd of 4,000 showed up. That event grew into the Autumn of Oz festival, held annually since 1993.
Today, sellout crowds swell Beech Mountain’s population each September for what Sean Barrett, the event’s artistic director and executive producer, calls “an immersive theatre experience.” The journey begins in Kansas, where farmhands dance, Dorothy sings, and Professor Marvel reads fortunes. Uncle Henry welcomes you into the house, where Auntie Em is in the kitchen cooking. Suddenly, she ushers you into the storm cellar to escape an oncoming tornado. As you descend, you feel the house falling, thanks to a maze and what Barrett describes as “a weird funhouse trick” that makes you feel completely disoriented. The structure, fully restored for the 2022 festival, is “on two fifteen-degree axes, so just when you feel like you’re regaining your balance, it throws you in the other direction. It’s a really simple but effective design.”
From the house, you emerge into Munchkinland, where Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, bids you to follow the Yellow Brick Road. Along the way, you meet the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion before finding yourself at the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West, who is brewing potions with her flying monkeys. After passing the poppy field, planted with 4,000 artificial flowers, you finally reach the Emerald City to catch up with Dorothy after she melts the Wicked Witch.
More than a century after L. Frank Baum’s book was published, his characters still reverberate with audiences. “The story of Oz is based on simple ideals that anybody can relate to,” shares Barrett, who became involved with the park as a teenager when he played the role of the Scarecrow. “The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion are archetypes of what a person wants in their life: to be smart, to find love, to be courageous. No matter what point you are in your life, you can always relate to one of them.”
After all, there’s no place like Oz.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Autumn at Oz, September 9–11, 16–18 & 23–25
Parking at Beech Mountain Ski Resort, 1007 Beech Mountain Pkwy, Beech Mountain, NC. General admission, $55 (free for children age 2 & under); extra fees for Over the Rainbow Observation Deck and the Scenic Lift Ride up to Oz. (844) 307-7469, landofoznc.com
Stay & Eat at Beech Mountain
Stay & Eat at Beech MountainBest Western Mountain Lodge – This well-maintained property in Banner Elk (6.6 miles south of Beech Mountain) offers one hundred air-conditioned rooms with flat-screen TVs and pillowtop beds, plus a complimentary full breakfast. 1615 Tynecastle Hwy, Banner Elk, NC. (828) 898-4571, bestwestern.com
White Wolf Lodge – Choose among cozy cabins and family-friendly chalets at this lofty lodge on Beech Mountain. 3363 Beech Mountain Pkwy, Beech Mountain, NC. (828) 387-4200, whitewolflodge.org
Banner Elk Café – Great for families, the café boasts a large outdoor seating area, an ice-cream shop, and a menu to please even the pickiest eaters. 324 Shawneehaw Ave, Banner Elk, NC. (828) 898-4040, bannerelkcafe.com
Famous Brick Oven Pizzeria – The Accardi family has been serving up a mouth-watering variety of brick-oven-baked pizzas since 1989. 402 Beech Mountain Pkwy, Beech Mountain, NC. (828) 387-4000, famousbrickoven.com
Poppy’s Coffee House – Start the day at this friendly coffee shop with fresh baked goods and a salted caramel mocha. 1103 Beech Mountain Pkwy, Beech Mountain, NC. (828) 390-7330, facebook.com/poppysonthemountain
Sorrento’s Bistro – Three generations of Sicilian family recipes translate into house specialties like rigatoni bolognese and eggplant rollatini. 140 Azalea Circle, Banner Elk, NC. (828) 898-5124, bannerelkvillage.com
Photos provided by Land of Oz, NC
