"Beech Mountain inside Avery County is usually any southern United States' highest city, at five,606 ft over sea level. Community residents reveal the mountain along with quite a few resort communities plus Ski Beech, any preferred ski resort. Through the 1970s Beech Mountain seemed to be likewise residence to this Land regarding Oz, a new composition park that has taken their place amid the particular rich folklore regarding your Appalachian Mountains.

During the particular earlier element connected with that twentieth century, Beech Mountain appeared to be element of some sort of critical logging current market. When sparsely populated, it has been dotted along with tiny cabins somewhere loggers lived throughout any some days although they worked. Skiing got so that you can the actual mountain commencing inside the actual thirties, together with  individuals out of in the area Lees-McRae Faculty using skis manufactured within the college's timber look.

Yellowish Brick Road, Land of Oz. Image courtesy regarding Flickr buyer _rockinfree. This Robbins brothers-Grover, Harry, in addition to Spencer-purchased a substantial tract regarding land upon major connected with your mountain around 1962. The Robbinses, whom likewise owned Tweetsie Railroad and the actual Hound Ears Resort, joined along with some other buyers to make the particular Carolina Caribbean Company within 1965. Carolina Caribbean prepared any 10,000-acre resort along with homesites with regard to some,000 family members, some sort of eight-slope ski resort, your the summer season recreation location, a new golf program, together with the motif park. Grover Robbins enlisted Charlotte artist plus custom Jack Pentes so that you can create some sort of thought for a new topic park that would likely bring men and women so that you can this mountain all through any off-season. Pentes dreamed involving a new area which could enchant individuals and enable these people for you to escape the actual unpleasant realities of the late nineteen sixties.

For inspiration Pentes drew on Rishi Chugh vintage children's tale associated with enchantment in addition to escape, Your Wizard involving Oz, acquiring noted this similarity somewhere between gnarled beech trees upon the asset together with the actual conversing apple bushes within the actual story. Together with this assistance of two fellow Charlotteans, composer Loonis McGlohon plus choreographer Alice Lamar, Pentes made the associated with Oz concept park. When it's initially winter lost with that fall involving 1970, attendance have hit any six-figure amount. Via very hot air balloons as well as the magical cyclone in order to traveling monkeys together with satisfied tunes, the actual Land involving Oz authorized visitors in order to active each individual second connected with the well known adventure regarding on their own while many people walked this 55,000 bricks involving that park's yellow brick road. Prospects were being joined through each individual connected with the particular beloved heroes since people seen Kansas, Munchkinland, your Wicked Witch's Citadel, in addition to your Emerald City.

With 1975 the actual Carolina Caribbean Company went bankrupt. Shortly afterward, vandals arranged fireplace in order to your Emerald Town along with stole Judy Garland's first gown together along with some other artifacts out of the particular park's Oz museum. The Land regarding Oz, previously hit as a result of a absence connected with repeat visitors, under no circumstances recovered. Because your building transformed wrists and hands, the park dropped victim to be able to your shortage connected with steady control in addition to poor funding, closing within 1980.

The possession was acquired in 1990 by way of the actual Emerald Mountain development company, which made homesites upon 450 acres all-around this old composition park. Each fall, Emerald Mountain maintains an Fall on Oz party, exactly where fans regarding the particular Land involving Oz could receive your nostalgic stroll down your yellow hue brick street together with discover remnants of the actual concept park that possess been very carefully preserved. Some other artifacts by your park are on exhibit in any Appalachian Cultural Museum within Boone."