You Won't Be In Kansas Anymore At This Unique Tourist Spot Dedicated To Dorothy And The Gang

They say, "There's no place like home," but that's not necessarily true when you're a traveler. You can find all kinds of unexpected places around the world that can inspire a bit of nostalgia and a sense of "home." And if you're a fan of the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz," that place is at the popular Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas. It's the ultimate destination for those who love Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, and you don't need to follow a yellow brick road to get there.

Wamego is located off of US Highway 24 in northeastern Kansas. The small town is only 20 minutes away from Manhattan, Kansas, home to Kansas State University, and 40 minutes from the capital of Topeka. It's also only about an hour and a half from the vibrant Kansas City, the so-called "Paris of the Plains," where you can enjoy the food, nightlife, and historic jazz scene that's still alive today. The town of Wamego is not only known for the Oz Museum, but also for its historic downtown theater, its beautiful city park, and various other things for "Oz" fans to see. 

The Oz Museum is devoted to collecting and exhibiting a massive assembly of over 2,000 collectibles, memorabilia, and other artifacts associated with the beloved film starring Judy Garland as well as the original book by L. Frank Baum. The museum operates on volunteer time, grants, and private donations from fans around the globe, and attracts droves of international and domestic visitors every year. The museum also hosts events and keeps up to date on social media, so visitors can always see what's going on at the museum before they visit. The museum recently noted that it will be undergoing renovations in early 2025 and will be relocated to the nearby Columbian Theater during this time, so make sure to plan ahead.

The Oz Museum is home to numerous artifacts from the original film production, including production notes, costume pieces, and even a signed death certificate by the "Munchkin Coroner," the character played by Meinhardt Raabe, one of the last surviving Munchkin actors from the film who passed away in 2010. In addition, fans can marvel at some rare illustrations from the book, and hundreds of manufactured pieces of memorabilia, including ruby slippers that were hand-jeweled with 3,500 Swarovski crystals. The museum is open most days of the year. Tickets cost upward of $10 depending on your age and military status, but prices are always subject to change. Plus, the museum is dog-friendly.

The museum isn't the only Oz-themed thing to do in Wamego. The town is known for its various "Totos," small statues of Dorothy's dog Toto with different decorations on them scattered across the town. Fans can also walk the "Yellow Brick Road," an alley off the main street with a painted walkway, and enjoy a glass of wine at the Oz Winery, where all the wine names are Oz-themed. And if you're hungry, there's even a "Wizard of Oz"-themed taco place called Toto's TacOZ.

The Oz-filled town is also a great stop if you're going on a longer getaway in the Midwest, with many stunning and storied routes nearby for the perfect U.S. road trip. Beyond Wamego, there are lots of other unique small towns in Kansas that are worth visiting, like Lindsborg, otherwise known as America's Little Sweden, for its European charm, or Atchison, the birthplace of Amelia Earhart.