Your Guide to North Carolina’s Land of Oz Amusement Park
We’re off to see the Wizard…in North Carolina, no less! Let me transport you to Land of Oz, a Wizard of Oz theme park complete with the yellow brick road, Munchkinland, and Emerald City. Located in Beech Mountain, North Carolina, Land of Oz only opens it’s doors each fall for Autumn at Oz.
In this guide to North Carolina’s Land of Oz amusement park, I’m sharing all the details so you can plan your own trip to Oz including ticket prices, the parking situation, how to get there, and what the experience entails, as well as my tips for visiting! There might be “no place like home,” but there’s certainly no place like Land of Oz, either!
Quick Takeaways:
- Location: Beech Mountain, North Carolina
- Open: seasonally — only select weekends in September for Autumn at Oz
- Where to stay: Best Western in nearby Banner Elk
- Cost: $60 + taxes and fees (advanced tickets necessary)
The History of Land of Oz
Land of Oz opened in 1970 to a season of 400,000 guests and was quickly named the number one tourist attraction! The amusement park was a high-quality walk through experience that took visitors through Oz complete with a hot air balloon ride and was based on the Oz books and MGM movie.
The corporation that built and operated the park went bankrupt in 1975, and the park suffered a fire and theft. The 1976-1980 seasons saw poor maintenance and management and in order to fix up the park, the new management company would have needed to pay $3 million. Instead, the park was closed through the 80s until 1988 when a small reunion of the original park employees sparked a new interest in the park.
In 1991, Land of Oz was opened for one day only and by 1993, the limited openings became known as Autumn at Oz.
Autumn at Oz Festival now is annual event where the park reopens for weekends in September!
Is Land of Oz abandoned or haunted?
One of the most popular aspects of the park is its rumors of being haunted and abandoned. This stems from some old creepy photos of the park between its shut down and revamp.
The park is not abandoned…no official word if it’s haunted. You can decide for yourself!
Where even is Land of Oz?
Land of Oz is located in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. Here’s a handy map!
The actual address is 1 Yellow Brick Road, Beech Mountain, NC (isn’t that the cutest address?).
Parking is located at the Beech Mountain Ski Resort at 1007 Beech Mountain Pkwy, Beech Mountain, NC.
How to Get There
Directions can be a bit complicated depending on where you’re coming from, only because it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere (away from big cities). I recommend downloading your Google Map offline just in case you lose service.
From Asheville, North Carolina, take 26-W to Hwy 173 to Unicoi Rd., turning left onto TN-107 E, then left onto TN-173 E to US-19 E, and finally NC-194 N. It takes about 2 hours from Asheville.
From Knoxville, Tennessee take I-40 E to I-81 N to I-26 E to TN-67 E to eventually US-19 E. You’ll need to navigate through Johnson City (or stop there for a bit, because it’s the cutest town with an award winning Tesla coil!). Land of Oz is 2.5 hours from Knoxville.
How to Visit Land of Oz Amusement Park
The only way to visit Oz is to go during Autumn at Oz, where the park opens for select weekends in September.
Tickets for all weekends go live at once during June each year. When that happens, you’ll want to jump on tickets as soon as possible because tickets sell out every year.
In 2024, the available dates were September 6-8, 13-15, 20-22.
Note that the park will be closed in 2025. They are assessing the safety and condition of the park in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Tickets and Add-Ons
Tickets for Autumn at Oz are $60 per person where kids 2 and under are free. Plus, a hefty $15 in taxes and fees (boo).
The base ticket includes a full walkthrough of the experience, character meet and greets, and shows. It also includes free parking and a shuttle between the parking lot and the theme park.
In addition to general admission tickets, you can also add on a $6.50 ticket to the Over the Rainbow: Observation Deck. In the past, they’ve also offered a $17 chair lift ticket, which allows you to take the ski lift up to the park instead of the shuttles. However, in 2024 at the time of updating this post, I don’t see the option. It may be something you do in person now or has been phased out.
What to do in this Wizard of Oz park
The premise of the park is that it’s a walkthrough rendition of the Wizard of Oz complete with multiple interactive sets, performances, meet and greets, and lots of photo ops!
Before you start the walkthrough, you’ll proceed through an entrance path that has some great signs with fun facts, the park’s history, and the Judy Garland Memorial Overlook, which has incredible views of the North Carolina mountains.
You’ll start at the Gale Farm where you’ll meet Dorothy and Toto, but soon need to take shelter in their home because a tornado comes!* When you make your way through the tornado, you’ll be in Oz where you’re greeted by Glinda and the mayor of Munchkinland.
*Note that the tornado area has flashing strobe effects and can be a bit disorienting.
The first performance in Oz is the Scarecrow, then Tin Man, then Cowardly Lion, just like the movie. I recommend waiting to see the Scarecrow perform, then follow Dorothy as she travels down the yellow brick road to catch the next performances.
You’ll also see the Wicked Witch and her flying monkeys, the original hot air balloon ride (no longer in operation), and the poppy field.
Soon, you’ll be at the gates to Emerald City. It’s fun to see the 4 main characters try to knock and ring the bell just as in the movie, so if you beat them there, I recommend waiting.
Emerald City is actually an entire exit lobby area. There’s a performance in a tented theatre, but there’s also a gift shop, the entrance to the Over the Rainbow Observation Deck, vendors with crafts and antiques, and food and drink stations.
Tips for Visiting Land of Oz in Beech Mountain, NC
1. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and rain gear
Land of Oz is an entirely outdoor experience, so come prepared for all weather. I recommend a full water bottle (there’s no refill stations), snacks (there’s only food stations at the beginning and end of the experience), and sunscreen. Because you’re up on a mountain in direct sun, you can get burned easily, so don’t forget to protect yourself with sunscreen.
2. For photo ops, be patient
Since this event only opens for 3 weekends out of the whole year, Autumn at Oz gets crowded. That means the yellow brick road and photo ops can also get quite crowded.
I recommend taking the experience slowly so that you can take photos at your leisure between groups of crowds catching the performances. Specifically, wait for Dorothy to come to the Scarecrow, then follow her down the yellow brick road to see Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. After that though, be patient and let the crowds go ahead so you can hang back and snap some photos on the yellow brick road alone.
I found the best spots to be adjacent to the Wicked Witch and the Poppy Field.
3. To avoid crowds, take the first time slot
Another way to avoid crowds is a crowd favorite…go early. Your ticket is a timed entry so the first time slot will allow you first access to the yellow brick road and photo ops.
4. Dress up!
Yes, you can dress up in costume! It really adds to the fun to see Dorothy’s and Glinda’s running around and they welcome it, so enjoy!
5. Ski lift tickets
One miscommunication in my opinion was in regards to the ski lift. The chair lift is operated by Beech Mountain Ski Resort (not Land of Oz), so to ride it up to Land of Oz, you need to purchase tickets in person with the Resort. That was all well and good.
However, you can only purchase these tickets at the bottom of the mountain. They don’t sell the tickets at the top, so you can’t take it one way down.
So, even if you want to take the bus up and the chair lift down (as you should because the views are gorgeous!), be sure to get tickets at the bottom before you take the bus up to Land of Oz. There’s no backtracking or re-entry.
6. Allow 2-3 hours
I was told that the whole experience was about an hour, however, I found that to be a significant underestimation. Given all the photo ops and desire to get photos on the yellow brick road without huge crowds, you have to stagger your walkthrough.
For example, after you see the Scarecrow perform, he moves aside for photo ops. You can either wait in line to take photos with him OR follow Dorothy down the road to Tin Man. You can’t really follow Dorothy and then back track for all the individual character photos. Because of that, if you want character photos with everyone individually and you want to see all the performances, which are 10-15 minutes apart, you really need a good 2-3 hours to do it all!
TLDR: Give yourself 2-3 hours to get all the photos and see all the performances.
7. How to see all performances
Like I just mentioned, it can be tricky to catch all the performances if you keep stopping and waiting for photo ops with each character. I personally think it’s easiest to follow Dorothy down the yellow brick road in one go to see the Scarecrow, then Tin Man, then Cowardly Lion in sequence. Next is the Wicked Witch, then Emerald City door, then the Wizard and finale. There is a final photo op with the main characters after the finale performance.
So, in order to most easily catch all the performances, I recommend skipping the individual photo ops, following Dorothy down the road, then capitalizing on that final photo op.
If you miss one, you can always hangout and wait the 10-15 minutes for the next one.
8. Is Land of Oz wheelchair accessible?
Unfortunately, no. It’s not really handicap accessible at all, although that depends on your mobility. There are stairs and the yellow brick road is quite uneven. They do say that they can make some accommodations, so I’d reach out to them directly.
9. Is the Over the Rainbow Observation Deck worth the extra price?
I’ma be straight with you. I don’t personally think so and here’s why.
The stairs up to the deck are significant and crowded (not a fun combo). Plus, the view of the surrounding mountains is not dissimilar from the (free) view you get at the Judy Garland Memorial Overlook.
Finally, a more dynamic view of the mountains in my opinion would be the chair lift to and from Land of Oz. It’s a private seat without crowds and the lazy way to enjoy it!
10. Can you backtrack?
No. Once you make your way through once, you can’t do it again or go backwards. So, make it count and take your time.
That means if you see a photo spot you like on the yellow brick road that’s crowded, it’s better to wait it out because you can’t backtrack and return to that spot later if you continue down the way.
11. Are there restrooms on site?
At Beech Mountain Ski Resort where you park and check in, there are portable restrooms for use.
During the Land of Oz experience walkthrough there are no restrooms until you come to Emerald City where you’ll find more portable restrooms. There are also some at the start before the walkthrough experience begins (around the Judy Garland Memorial).
12. Can you ride the historic hot air balloon ride?
Unfortunately, it is not operational anymore. You can still walk by it and get a glimpse of what it used to do.
There is a hot air balloon photo op in Emerald City, though!
Thank you to Land of Oz for hosting me for the day at their park! As always, all opinions are my own.
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