"Beech Mountain within Avery County will be any far eastern United States' highest town, in five,606 yards above sea amount. Area residents share the particular mountain using several resort communities and Ski Beech, any well-liked ski resort. Throughout the actual nineteen seventies Beech Mountain was likewise home to the actual Land of Oz, a new pattern park of which offers taken it's area amid that wealthy folklore of this Appalachian Mountains.

the particular earlier portion regarding the particular twentieth century, Beech Mountain appeared to be element involving a vital logging field. Though sparsely populated, them has been dotted with smaller cabins exactly where loggers resided through any seven days while these people did wonders. Skiing came up to this mountain starting in the particular thirties, with college students out of in close proximity Lees-McRae College working with skis produced within the particular college's timber shop.

Orange Brick Street, Land regarding Oz. Image courtesy involving Flickr buyer _rockinfree. That Robbins brothers-Grover, Harry, and also Spencer-purchased the good sized tract associated with land on leading associated with your mountain inside 1962. The particular Robbinses, that also owned Tweetsie Railroad together with the actual Hound Ears Resort, joined with other investors in order to build the Carolina Caribbean Company in 1965. Carolina Caribbean planned the 10,000-acre resort together with homesites regarding some,000 families, an eight-slope ski resort, some sort of the hotter months recreation spot, a new golf training, and also some sort of theme park. Grover Robbins enlisted Charlotte artist in addition to creator Jack Pentes so that you can create a strong idea pertaining to your topic park the fact that would likely draw folks to help the actual mountain throughout the particular off-season. Pentes dreamed regarding a area in which would enchant people today as well as permit these people in order to escape this harsh realities involving your late sixties.

With regard to inspiration Pentes drew on traditional kid's tale regarding enchantment together with escape, That Wizard regarding Oz, possessing mentioned the particular similarity connecting gnarled beech timber on that residence together with the chatting apple trees and shrubs around the tale. Along with this support involving 2 fellow Charlotteans, composer Loonis McGlohon plus choreographer Alice Lamar, Pentes made the involving Oz subject park. When it has the first of all time of year lost with the actual show up involving 1970, attendance got strike this six-figure recognise. Via very hot air balloons and this magical cyclone to help traveling monkeys in addition to satisfied music, that Land associated with Oz allowed visitors to be able to exist every last instant involving any well-known adventure with regard to itself while people walked that fifty five,000 bricks associated with the actual park's yellow brick highway. Website visitors ended up joined as a result of just about every associated with the particular beloved characters due to the fact that that they visited Kansas, Munchkinland, that Wicked Witch's Castle, along with the Emerald Metropolis.

Around 1975 any Carolina Caribbean Company went bankrupt. Shortly afterward, vandals arranged fireplace so that you can your Emerald City along with stole Judy Garland's initial gown along along with other artifacts from the actual park's Oz museum. Any Land involving Oz, definitely strike as a result of a lack of repeat guests, never ever recovered. Since the residence adjusted arms, the park fell victim to help some sort of deficiency associated with steady administration in addition to weak funding, closing around 1980.

The particular house was acquired around 1990 by simply the particular Emerald Mountain improvement corporation, which often made homesites upon 450 acres about the particular outdated motif park. Every slip, Emerald Mountain remains the Fall on Oz party, where enthusiasts associated with that Land associated with Oz may possibly have the nostalgic stroll lower this green brick highway and observe remnants connected with the style park in which have been very carefully preserved. Some other artifacts via the actual park tend to be upon exhibit during the actual Appalachian Cultural Museum within Boone."