The next stop on our road trip across the US was the OZ Museum in Wamego, Kansas.  Another little gem I found by googling i70 tourist attractions!  Who doesn’t like The Wizard of OZ?

The Wizard of OZ is my sisters all time favorite movie – so I couldn’t resist face timing her while standing in front of the OZ Museum, anxiously waiting for her to answer so I could brag where we were and show her around.  I don’t think you’re ever too old to tease your sisters amirite?  🙂  Unfortunately she never answered so she will just have to be happy reading this blog post (HI!) and watching the videos I took!

The main street in Wamego, KS was filled with Toto statues that were each painted a different pattern – I LOVED THEM!!

Toto

more Totos!

Continuing down the street you can not miss the museum.  It is painted a vibrant shade of emerald green.  Giant gold letters spell out OZ Museum above the entrance and there are lovely murals of the characters on the outside walls.

When you walk in the doors you are in a gift shop with all things OZ from sunglasses, pens, books, figurines, t-shirts, cups and everything else you can imagine.  You pay the fee to enter next to a giant statue of the Tin Man.  There is a brief explanation of the museum from the ticket collector before you enter the main part of the museum through a replica front door of the Gale family house.

Auntie Em isn’t home, but there are wax figures of all the characters set up around display cases which hold memorabilia from and about the movie.  At one point you come to a theater which was playing the movie – I am betting it loops all day long.  No popcorn though so we didn’t watch the whole thing.  There was also a replica of the Wizard’s hot air balloon basket – which my Dad couldn’t resist posing for a silly picture in!

🙂 Dad in the Wizard’s balloon

TOTO!

I can hear the Lion saying this…

When you are done looking at the memorabilia, you exit back into the gift shop.  I read online that there was a replica yellow brick road and we found it across the street from the museum.  We went over to it and…well…followed the yellow brick road to the end.  It wasn’t very long, but it was still fun to wander down the winding pathway.

Not gonna lie, Dad caught me doing the skip they do from the movie which I learned when I was in our local community play version YEARS AGO.  Side note – Dad was in it too.  He was basically talked into volunteering because we lived in a small town and needed more actors.  Also he drove me to rehearsal since I couldn’t drive, so the director put him to work.  He played an emerald city guard as well as a guard in the Wicked Witch’s castle and can “Oh-weee-oh, YOOOOoooh with the best of them!  Which, by the way, was more lines than I had because I was a background citizen of OZ and on the stage crew.  🙂

We stopped by the OZ Winery on the way back to the car.  I couldn’t resist sampling a sweet red wine called Squished Witch!  It was excellent!  There is also a place called Toto’s Tacos, but it wasn’t open when we were there.

Are you a fan of The Wizard of OZ?  Have you been here or will you put this on your list of places to visit?