POV: Your first steps in the 1970 Land of Oz #wizardofoz #shorts

On July 3, 1970, the Land of Oz opened on the summit of Beech Mountain, North Carolina, one of the highest peaks in the eastern United States.

Actress Debbie Reynolds cut the ribbon with her young daughter Carrie Fisher at her side. Designed by Jack Pentes and built by the Carolina Caribbean Corporation, the park walked visitors through Dorothy's whole journey: the Kansas farm, a special-effects tornado, more than 44,000 hand-glazed yellow bricks winding across the mountaintop, the costumed Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, the Emerald City and its Magic Moment Show, and a balloon ride built from a modified ski lift.

A small museum displayed real costumes from the 1939 MGM film, including one of Judy Garland's Dorothy dresses. In its first year the park drew hundreds of thousands of visitors and was named the top tourist attraction in the region.

The park closed in 1980, but it never disappeared. Today the Land of Oz reopens seasonally on the mountaintop, returning in 2026 with a Homecoming season and the annual Autumn at Oz festival, where visitors still walk the original Yellow Brick Road.

Documenting Appalachia uses AI to bring hidden history back to life. The people, places, and events in this video are real and documented; the visuals are AI reconstructions.

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Видео POV: Your first steps in the 1970 Land of Oz #wizardofoz #shorts канала Documenting Appalachia