Enjoy Autumn at Oz

Fans of the Wizard of Oz don’t have to travel over the rainbow, they can experience the wonderful land of Oz every year at Beech Mountain’s Autumn at Oz festival. The two-day event celebrates the old Land of Oz theme park, which operated from 1970 to 1980 on Beech Mountain. Attendees ride the ski chairlift or take a motorcoach to the mountaintop to meet Dorothy, visit a small Oz museum, tour Dorothy’s house, and experience a one-of-a-kind stroll on a yellow brick road comprised of 44,000 bricks. All the characters in the Wizard of Oz are at the festival, which also includes music, food and crafts. The yellow brick road encircles the two pinnacles of Beech Mountain at elevations up to 5,506 feet. The theme park closed in 1980 and the area is now part of a residential development and Beech Mountain Resort. Fans can also rent Dorothy’s cottage as a vacation property and enjoy group tours of the Oz site throughout the year.