Not by a tornado, but by Jetta. And it took four and a half hours to get there ...
Okay, so, it's not the REAL Oz ... because it's super hard to get over the rainbow in a car. I went to the next best place: Autumn at Oz on Beech Mountain in Boone, North Carolina. It's a recreation of the magical land from the movie "The Wizard of Oz" which we all know was based on a book that no one probably read because nowadays everyone waits for the movie. Anyway ...
Autumn at Oz only happens once a year, and by the time I heard about it last year, it had sold out. So,
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| I think one of my friends knows this actress playing the witch. |
Oh, yes I did.
Hey, a trip to Oz is serious business and very much worth the price of admission - which includes the busride to the top of Beech Mountain where the the magic from the Wizard of Oz is recreated through a nostalgic journey on foot that includes all the characters from the Land of Oz - from Auntie Em and Uncle Henry to the other characters including the Munchkins, Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy - along the yellow brick road in the many costumes used over the years.
Which was a little unsettling as far as the costumes were concerned. The cowardly lion went from being super realistic to a cheap Halloween costume you'd get for your kids and that was a little creepy to see. But all the characters were were super nice; one 'actress' has been with the park since it opened in 1971 - she was the first Dorothy and now her daughter is one of the many incarnations of Dorothy.
Did I have fun? Yes. Would I do this again? Absolutely not. Does my daughter feel the same? Yes.
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| She started with the park as Dorothy. |
It's really too cold to enjoy the park. Although it's fall, it felt like winter - in the 40s and super windy. Our fingers and toes were frozen through our boots and gloves.
There is a minimum one hour wait to start the tour. You have to wait outside and it's miserably cold. Even though I bought the 2 p.m. tickets, we didn't start until 3 p.m.
I don't carry cash and they don't take a card at the food, drink and handwarmer stands. At least, that's what I was told when I asked. That's not mentioned on the web site.
Everyone singing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" on the busride to the entrance of the park. Acapella. Off key.
Once you're on the yellow brick road, the tour lasts 30-45 minutes. That's because you're in a line behind other people who are taking a bazillion pictures with each character in every possible pose, and with every single camera they own.
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| She's the daughter of the original Dorothy of the park. |
I can def mark this off my bucket list and file it under 'was neato, but will probably not go back unless it is very unseasonably warm.' However, there were a lot of people who dress up to go to the event every year. It was like walking into a Star Trek convention only everyone was dressed like Dorothy, Glinda or the Scarecrow. And there was one Rainbow Brite complete with multi colored braids. Almost got a picture of that, but my fingers were too cold to move fast enough.
If anyone is interested in going, remember to dress like winter, carry cash, be ready to wait and stand around a lot. Also, maybe make other plans in town and go for a weekend. I made the trip in one day and was literally chanting, "there's no place like home" the entire way home.
In all, it was great to spend a day with my daughter and get her photos with all the characters along the Yellow Brick Road. Because you know I made her stop at every photo op to preserve the memory of the only time we will ever be in the Land of Oz.
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Yup, those costumes are just a little terrifying. Compared to these: |
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