The Magical Wizard Of Oz Themed Festival In South Dakota You Don’t Want To Miss
The iconic Wizard of Oz may take place in Kansas (and in the magical world of Oz, of course!), but did you know that author L. Frank Baum actually lived in South Dakota for a short time? Not only that, but the character of Dorothy is rumored to be based on a young woman who died in a tornado near Aberdeen, which Baum covered during his days as the editor of The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. Crazy, right? Now that you know all of this, it only makes sense to pay homage to the wonderful world of Oz, which is exactly what you can do at this magical South Dakota festival:
Located in Aberdeen is the nostalgic Storybook Land, which is home to the colorful, life-size nursery rhymes you grew up with.
Spanning 210 acres, Storybook Land boasts life-size replicas of your favorite storybook characters, as well as carnival rides and one-of-a-kind photo ops.
Taking place July 19th and 20th (2019), the 14th annual Storybook Land Festival is a totally FREE event that offers everything from character meet-and-greets to book readings to crafts and live entertainment.
In addition to more modern characters like Pete the Cat and Wild Thing, the cast of Wizard of Oz will be at the Storybook Land Festival for photos, and there will also be a special screening of the film on the last night of the festival.
Can't make it to Aberdeen for the festival? No worries, as their fixture Land of Oz (complete with yellow brick road) is open every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
