We’re not in Kansas anymore. Actually, we’re in Beech Mountain, North Carolina, home to the famous Land of Oz theme park.

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Based on the iconic 1939 fantasy/adventure film, The Wizard of Oz, the Beech Mountain attraction park has a fascinating story of its own to tell. Scroll through the slideshow to learn five interesting details about Land of Oz and find out when you can visit North Carolina’s Emerald City.

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When Land of Oz first opened, it was expected to be a top attraction in the Southeast

Photo courtesy of Facebook/Autumnatoz

The Land of Oz project started in the 1960s with brothers Harry and Grover Robbins of the Carolina Carribean Corporation. The brothers were looking for a way to turn the ski-resort town of Beech Mountain into a destination for tourists all year round. Once the idea of a Wizard of Oz park was set into motion, it took two years of work and 44,000 yellow bricks before the park was ready to open in 1970.

At the time, newspapers around the country began calling it one of the top attractions to visit in the Southeast. Actress Debbie Reynolds cut the ribbon on opening day and the park welcomed over 400,000 visitors in its first year of operation.

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