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Land of Oz Tea with Dorothy Review

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I recently had the pleasure of attending the Land of Oz Tea with Dorothy in North Carolina! So, I thought I would provide a little review of the experience for other folks planning on attending.

Land of Oz Tea with Dorothy

Land of Oz Tea

For those who don’t know, Land of Oz is a Wizard of Oz theme park located in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. It originally opened in 1970 and continued operations until 1980. Beginning in 1993, the owners started hosting an annual fall event at the theme park. You can only visit the park during that event or another special event, such as this one. I’ve been wanting to visit this theme park for several years now, but couldn’t fit it in my schedule for 2023 or 2024. Then, it was closed in 2025. So, I was excited when this new summer event was announced.

I have been going to teas since I was a little girl. My mom took me to my first one and we’ve enjoyed going to them ever since. So, it seemed like the perfect event for us. A smaller event with tea and access to the park? Count us in!

Tea with Dorothy

We arrived at 1:15 for the 2 o’clock show and there was already a line! They allowed folks to enter the event space to pick seats around 1:30 PM. We chose our seats and then got a picture with Dorothy! We were delighted to see Aunt Em and the boys serving tea and greeting everyone in to the space.

The park never released a menu for the tea, so we weren’t expecting much. We were pleased with the variety of treats available. First, there was a plate with a berry scone and three sandwich wedges: chicken salad, pimento cheese, and cucumber salad. The scone was good albeit a touch dry, but that’s scones! The chicken salad was good, a little basic. The cucumber sandwich was good. My mom doesn’t care for cucumbers, but she still liked this one. My mom refused to even try the pimento cheese, so I ate them both. Haha! I thought it was pretty good.

As for the sweet treats – there was a macaron, mini cupcake, chocolate chip/candy pieces cookie, and a lemon bar. There was some variation for the sweets. We both got chocolate cupcakes, but some folks had vanilla. There were two types of macarons. My mom got chocolate and I gave her my orange one. I ate both of the lemon bar slices. We both liked the cookie.

There was three types of tea to try, all from Twinings. I tried English Breakfast and Lady Grey. The third type wasn’t available near me, so I didn’t get it. Since the performers were the ones serving water for the tea, we didn’t get any more tea once the show started. So, be sure to get your fill before the performance. Although, there aren’t real bathrooms at the park. So, don’t drink too much!

Wizard of Oz Theme Park

Following the tea and show, we rode a literal school bus over to the historic theme park for a guided tour along the Yellow Brick Road! I enjoyed learning about the park from the banners displayed and our tour guide. The park itself is wonderful! The ability to immerse yourself into the Wizard of Oz story is so fun! The house was interesting, especially with the twister and the after effects!

In the park, we were able to meet and take photos with the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch! The Wicked Witch really hammed it up for our photos and I love them! I think it may have been some of my favorite character interactions ever – it reminded me of The Grinch at Universal Orlando.

This event also included access to the Overlook, which they charge extra for during Autumn at Oz. Given that it’s 90+ steps, my mom didn’t go up. However, I went up and enjoyed the view of 5 states. I don’t think I will ever pay extra for that view though. It was nice it was included in this event.

I wish the Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow were at this event. However, I guess that’s what the Autumn at Oz event is for!

Tip for Visiting

  • Sign up for the pre-sale emails – I received a link and code to purchase tickets 24 hours before the general public by signing up for the pre-sale emails! That meant that there was plenty of availability when I went to get tickets.
  • Have dates/times in mind – After waiting in a brief online line, I was able to purchase tickets. There was a choice of two time slots: 10 AM or 2 PM. We didn’t know about the different times, but I had a few dates in mind already. So, be sure to have dates and times in mind when you try to get tickets.
  • Arrive early – They allow you to pick your seat when you arrive. The show takes place in the same space and the actors move around. So, there’s not really a bad seat. However, some of the treats had flavor variations you may prefer. We picked two plates with chocolate cupcakes versus the vanilla. There’s also some Land of Oz merchandise that you can purchase at this time. It’s also a good time to use the restroom.
  • Wear comfortable clothes and shoes – I know that everyone wants to walk the Yellow Brick Road dressed as Dorothy. However, I noticed that some folks had to continually adjust their outfits during our tour. So, I recommend dressing for a day in a theme park. Red tennis shoes perhaps? I wore a simple “There’s no place like home” necklace with red slippers on it.
  • Visit the gift shop – The official Land of Oz gift ship is located down the mountain from the event space/theme park. We visited it after the event to get a couple things. So, don’t feel bad if you don’t have time to look at merch during tea. The gift shop also has a restroom that you can use prior to leaving the mountain.

Is the Land of Oz Tea with Dorothy worth it?

This experience cost $231.42 including taxes and fees for my mom and I to do. So, it’s not a cheap experience. However, my mom and I had a blast! It was a great experience with fabulous character interactions. The park itself is amazing and immersive. The tea was pretty good and the show was fun. This experience is great for people who prefer smaller events. We were told that we were touring the park in groups of ~30 people while the Autumn at Oz welcomes 3,000 guests per weekend! This is a great event for folks who enjoy tea or want a slower pace of visiting. Overall, we enjoyed it immensely and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it for people with the budget who want to visit the park and enjoy tea.

Graystone Lodge Boone Review

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Back in May, my husband and I spent the night at the Graystone Lodge in Boone, North Carolina. Seeing as how there’s not too many reviews on it, I thought I would post one.

Graystone Lodge

Graystone Lodge

When my husband and I visited Tweetsie Railroad back in May, we opted to spend a night at the Graystone Lodge in Boone. It’s a recently refurbished and re-branded hotel in the Choice Hotels chain. It’s a part of their Ascend Hotel Collection, signaling it’s a touch nicer than some of their other hotels.

King Bedroom

We spent the night in one of their King rooms. We loved having a huge bed to spend the night in! I was impressed with the refreshed room. The lighted picture of the mountains on the headboard was a nice touch! It felt authentic to the area.

The room was more than sufficient for our one night stay. The bed was ok, not the best or the worst. The sheets were a little scratchy on my skin, but nothing too bad. I appreciated how quiet the room was, as that’s not always the case in hotels.

The best part was probably the free breakfast! I loved the selection of bagels and donuts from a local bakery! They even had biscuits and gravy! I will often skip a free hotel breakfast, but this one is worthwhile!

Pros

  • Had hot water – Some hotels have just warm water. Not here. You can get legitimately hot water here.
  • Nicely decorated – We enjoyed the subtle decorations about the hotel that really suited the area.
  • Beekman toiletries – I was thrilled to discover the Beekman 1802 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the bathroom. It’s a nicer brand that I was tickled to try and made for a luxuriating experience.
  • Great breakfast – It’s nice when a hotel comes with a free breakfast. This is one of the better ones. I love that they get bagels and breads from a local bakery.
  • Recently refurbished – I didn’t notice anything broken or in dis-repair. Everything looked well done.

Cons

  • Water can get too hot quickly – While I appreciate the hot water, it did get too hot a little quick. So, be careful.
  • Sheets were scratchy – I have sensitive skin and had just shaved my legs that day. I found the sheets to feel a little scratchy on my legs in particular. It may be just me though. Also, it didn’t keep me from sleeping.
  • Small sink counter – If you are someone who needs a big bathroom sink to spread out, that will be a problem here. If you don’t require much space, then you should be good.

Is the Graystone Lodge worth it?

We paid $190.77 for the night we stayed. I think it was totally worth that amount, especially if you think about how much breakfast can cost. I enjoyed my stay here, but I might also look at other options in the area if I visit Tweetsie again. So, have you ever stayed here?

Tweetsie Railroad Guide with Tips for Visiting

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Tweetsie Railroad was the first theme park I ever visited! After 27 years, I finally returned and I’d love to offer a quick overview with tips for others considering a visit.

Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie is a wild west themed park located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Opened in 1957, it features historical steam locomotives and lots of fun for the whole family to enjoy. I think it’s the perfect park for a first time park goer. It’s much simpler and smaller than the parks in Orlando. There’s no pre-planning required for enjoying a day here. There’s not even a skip the line offering here!

The main draw of this park is the train ride. I was pleased to discover that the story on the train ride has been updated in recent years to reflect more modern views. As of May 2025, they appear to be working on the third stop on the train for an additional story update. So, it’s hard to say exactly what story you will witness if you visit.

Park Overview

Tweetsie doesn’t have an app. However, they do have paper maps at the park. There’s four main sections or lands at the park. You enter on Main Street, similar to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. This is where you encounter a small western town and the train depot. It’s also where you board the train ride. There are lots of fun photo opportunities here.

Next up is the Tweetsie Junction section. I highly recommend catching a show at the Tweetsie Palace and grabbing some chocolate treats at Fudge Works here. Next, you can walk over to Country Fair or ride the chair lift (or bus) up to Miners Mountain. You have to ride Mouse Mine in Miners Mountain! It’s an amazing/trippy show about mice loving cheese in a mine! Also, the deer park at the top is a fun little thing to experience as you get to see and feed (for a small price) some animals.

Shows

The park map currently lists four shows, but there’s some fine print I didn’t catch about one not starting until mid-June. So, we caught all of two shows and part of one. We watched all of Diamond Lil’s Can-Can Revue as well as the Tweetsie Magic Show at the Tweetsie Palace. The show times rotate so you can technically visit once and catch both shows. The magic show was really neat to watch.

We also watched a little bit of Hopper and Porter’s Musical Celebration at Miner’s Mountain Theater. This show is great for young children. We watched a few minutes just to see what it was about, but left when they got up and started dancing around. Ha! The Country Clogging Jamboree is also held at this theater, but the park map says it doesn’t start until mid-June. I’m sure it’s fun as I used to enjoy clogging some as a kid.

All of these shows are a great way to get out of the sun and enjoy a break. You can even get some food and sit down to eat at one of the tables at the Tweetsie Palace!

Tips

  • You can visit for more than one day with one ticket – If you enter the park after 3 PM, you can use your ticket to re-enter the park the next day at no charge! So, that’s like 1.5 days at the park for the price of one day! We didn’t do this, but it’s nice they offer it.
  • Do the chair lift early – The chair lift will shut down for high wind and storms. So, if you want to ride it, ride it early in the day. It would actually make good sense to head straight up the mountain to ride stuff before others come up there and then come back down later in the day.
  • Sit on the right-hand side of the train – If you want a good view of the show, then you need to sit on the right side of the train, facing the engine/front. That’s the side the show takes place on. However, the left side can still see the show and gets great views of the trees/nature.
  • Eat food in the Palace – The Tweetsie Palace has tables and chairs. They also sell some food there. So, it would be cool to watch a show while eating your food. We had some BBQ chicken sandwiches when we visited and were happy enough.
  • Grab some fudge or chocolates – The Fudge Works has the best food in the park. You have to try some of the fudge or other chocolate goodies here!
  • A whole pizza can be an affordable way to feed a family – Theme park food is notriously expensive. While we found the prices to be reasonable (compared to other parks), I understand that it can be pricey for people with children. You can get a whole pizza for around $30 and feed several people. So, that’s probably the most economical way to feed a family here.

Should you visit Tweetsie Railroad?

As I said above, I think Tweetsie is the perfect theme park for a first time theme park goer. It has a great assortment of rides that smaller children will enjoy. It’s also good for adults who want a relaxing park day for a change of pace. It is located in between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. So, the location may be a bit of a hinderance to some folks. It’s mostly a locals park, I think. However, it’s a quaint little park that I’m glad I was able to visit again.

Have you ever visited Tweetsie Railroad?