In 1966, North Carolina tourism moguls Grover, Harry, and Spencer Robbins began exploring ways to utilize their new ski facilities atop Beech Mountain during the summer. They brought in their associate Jack Pentes to come up with an idea. As a long-time fan of The Wizard of Oz, Pentes planned and developed the Land of Oz theme park, opening in June 1970. The park did not resemble the famous 1939 MGM movie or the Oz as depicted in L. Frank Baum s book. Instead, Pentes interpreted his own vision of Oz, with a comical Wicked Witch and a wizard who did not turn out to be a fake. The Land of Oz closed after its 1980 operating season and was left to deteriorate. Since 1990, however, its remnants have been secured and restored. The property is now available for special events, and a giant Oz celebration takes place each autumn."
Industry Reviews
Tim Hollis, an Alabama-based writer of books about tourism history, is wrapping up The Land of Oz (Arcadia Press). He says the enduring appeal of the Beech Mountain attraction is tied to what inspired it: "It's based on a well-known property, the L. Frank Baum series of Oz books, but more to the movie," he says. "When the park opened, The Wizard of Oz was only on TV once a year." http: //www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/theme-parks/2016/09/02/land-of-oz-vintage-theme-amusement-parks/89720306/
The magical, merry old land of Oz lives in the imaginations of millions of fans--and at the top of Beech Mountain in North Carolina, where a couple of tourism moguls (and Wizard of Oz fans) built an Oz-themed fantasy park in 1980. The Land of Oz closed after only one season and was left to deteriorate, but has now been restored and reopened for special events, including a massive Oz festival every fall. The weird, wacky tale is told in all its nostalgia-drenched splendor, in Tim Hollis" photo-packed The Land of Oz (Arcadia). http: //parade.com/503335/npond/the-parade-preview-what-to-watch-rent-or-buy-sept-5-sept-11/
"Tim Hollis" "The Land of Oz" is at hand to recreate the journey through the theme park in a full-color edition as part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of Modern America series.
Meticulously researched, Hollis takes readers through The Land of Oz in dozens of photos " many not on public display and held in private collections " as the park appeared from its opening in 1970 to its final season a decade later.
And so, "The Land of Oz" is more than a retelling of a once popular attraction. It is beyond a visit to the Emerald City, in which Hollis so adroitly serves as navigator, that the author crafts a living record of the High Country, including a brief history of the three brothers behind The Land of Oz and so many more projects that continue to whistle through the High Country today." Watauga Democrat
"Meticulously researched, Hollis takes readers through The Land of Oz in dozens of photos " many not on public display and held in private collections " as the park appeared from its opening in 1970 to its final season a decade later."
Avery Journal
