Random Things About Creepy Land Of Oz (10 items)

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  (#1) Land Of Oz Once Attracted 400,000 Visitors

  Land of Oz was a grand endeavor in the North Carolina mountains. The park was reportedly built using local craftsmen and entertainers to help boost Beech Mountain's economy, providing a way to capitalize on the property - primarily a ski resort - during the spring, summer, and fall.

  During the park's first summer, a whopping 400,000 visitors walked Land of Oz's yellow brick road, which contained 44,000 real yellow bricks. They explored a replica of the Emerald City and took a stroll through Munchkinland and the Wicked Witch's castle. But the laughter that permeated the park's walls quickly faded.

  Today, Land of Oz is so infrequently visited that the owners require guests to park at the nearby Beech Mountain Resort and let a shuttle navigate the winding roads to the park's location.
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  (#2) The Park's Owner Died Of Cancer Right Before It Opened In 1970

  Land of Oz has been tainted with death since before it even opened its doors in 1970. Grover Robbins was a successful entrepreneur who wanted to attract tourists to the resort town of Beech Mountain all year round. He hired designer Jack Pentes, who said the trees on the property reminded him of the film's haunted forest. For a few years, their vision was truly successful.

  Robbins had previous success in operating theme parks; he was the man behind Tweetsie Railroad, a Wild West theme park in North Carolina, which is still in operation. Unfortunately, Land of Oz never saw the same level of lasting success. Mere months before the park's grand opening, Robbins died of cancer. Some believe his demise led to the park's eventual decline. 
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  (#3) Debbie Reynolds Brought 13-Year-Old Carrie Fisher To The Park's Opening

  Debbie Reynolds, who rose to fame in Singin' in the Rain and scored a 1964 Oscar nomination for The Unsinkable Molly Brown, cut the ribbon at Land of Oz's opening on June 15, 1970. The actress was a partner in the business and brought along her then-unknown teenage daughter, Carrie Fisher, to enjoy the event.

  Throughout her life, Reynolds amassed a vibrant collection of famed Hollywood memorabilia. Her collection contained none other than one pair of Dorothy's famed ruby slippers, which were reportedly bought at auction for $510,000 in 2011. Reynolds helped with the park create its collection of Wizard of Oz props and costumes.
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  (#4) A 1975 Fire Destroyed The Emerald City, And Judy Garland's 'Wizard Of Oz' Dresses Were Stolen

  The park had only one ride, a ski lift made up to resemble hot air balloons that gave visitors an aerial view of the park's unique scenery. Most of the park consisted of character houses and a replica of the Emerald City, which suffered a fate worse than abandonment.

  In 1975, the Emerald City was destroyed in a mysterious fire, which crippled the park. No one knows what started the fire, but it destroyed the amphitheater, nearby shops, and a restaurant. On top of that, thieves broke into the park's museum and stole numerous original film costumes, including Judy Garland's coveted gingham dress.

  Coupled with a drop in tourism from the gas crisis in the 1970s, the park never fully recovered.
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  (#5) The Park Closed In 1980 And Became A Target For Thieves And Vandals

  In 1980, reeling from a devastating fire and a change in ownership that resulted in dwindling attendance, Dorothy finally tapped her ruby slippers together, and Land of Oz closed its doors.

  By that time, the park had become a shell of its former self. The real animals in Dorothy's Kansas barn were replaced with animatronic copies. Original costume designs were replaced with cheap imitations, the yellow brick road needed to be replaced, and the sound system kept breaking in the middle of performances. New ownership had let the place fall into disrepair, and the exorbitant price of restoration is what eventually made the park's proprietors pull the plug.

  Land of Oz was more or less abandoned for decades. It became a major target for vandals and thieves. Nature reclaimed much of the other scenery. The Wicked Witch's castle loomed eerily in the mountain mist as decrepit trees carved to look like faces rotted along the fading yellow brick road - until, finally, a group of kind souls with the courage of the Cowardly Lion and the magic of Glinda the Good Witch fought to restore it.
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  (#6) In The '90s, Restoration Began On The Park

  In the 1990s, Emerald Mountain Realty began to restore the park to its original glory. Each year, they added a piece back to the park, including items that were stolen from the grounds after the park fell into disrepair. You could reportedly even rent out character houses.

  But the property wasn't reopened as an amusement park. After a 1994 reunion of the original cast members, they decided to open the park once a year for an Autumn in Oz event. Public demand to see the old them park soared, and all money from the events goes back into restoring Land of Oz.
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  (#7) Staying In 'Dorothy's House' Was Even Creepier Than The Flying Monkeys

  Every kid remembers that moment of fear when they saw the Wicked Witch's flying monkeys for the first time. Imagine that feeling multiplied by 10, and you've basically experienced what it was like to stay at Land of Oz in the '90s.

  According to Kelsey Garcia, a writer who spent a childhood vacation in Dorothy's house, everything about Land of Oz was eerie and run down even after it was restored:

  It was old and creaky in a way that was almost comically creepy. The furniture definitely had that antique thing going for it, and there was a painting of a stoic, haunting woman on the wall. We inexplicably named her Rebecca, I guess to just make light of it all... Toward the close of our trip, my sisters decided to take a look at what was in the basement, the uncharted territory of the cabin that still gives me the creeps over a decade later. The owners of the old park had long ago decided to mysteriously store many of the park's old rides and decorations in the basement of the very cabin that was being rented out to my unassuming family. There it all was: an animatronic Wicked Witch of the West, carts belonging to amusement rides, a winding yellow ramp that led somewhere else underground. And no, we did not care to find out where that might have been.
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  (#8) At Midnight, The Clocks Played An Eerie Rendition Of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'

  Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is one of the most memorable parts of The Wizard of Oz. It was also one of the most memorable parts of Land of Oz, but not for the right reasons.

  According to Kelsey Garcia, the clocks in Land of Oz played the famed song every night at midnight, but it wasn't sweet. It was straight-up terrifying.

  We all started noticing these quirks that we, well, didn't appreciate. At midnight every night, a little tune — "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — would float down the hallway from an old cuckoo clock. Except it was so old that the song sounded distorted and unbelievably eerie; it was like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on Xanax.

  Just imagine a random, out-of-tune rendition floating about your antique cabin in the middle of a forest ravaged by fire. There's no way Land of Oz wasn't terrifying.
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  (#9) Thousands Of Visitors Still Gather At Land Of Oz Every Year To Catch A Glimpse Of The Fading Magic

  Oz's doors are closed for most of the year. It now opens briefly in summer and fall for those brave souls who don't mind wandering a cracked and fading yellow-brick road. Tickets to the Journey With Dorothy and Autumn at Oz events usually sell out, and visitors participate in a guided tour through the park, complete with actors in costume.
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  (#10) You Can Rent Out Oz And Have Your Fairytale Wedding (If You Dare)

  Though the public events are extremely popular, the abandoned theme park gets other business as well. The park has become a bizarre backdrop for destination weddings — maybe the kind you don't want to put on Pinterest. Nothing says romance like climbing a burned down mountainside while carved, haunted-looking trees stare at you.

  If you want to see the fading glory of the Land of Oz, you can rent out the park. Members of your party can reportedly even play the roles of Dorothy's friends by renting costumes. Just be careful where you step; thieves are still stealing bricks from the yellow brick road.

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