Bring the Movies to Life for Kids at This Town in Kansas

If your family travel takes you to the town of Wamego, Kansas, your children can step into the world of Dorothy and her dog Toto. One of the largest collections of items related to the book and film The Wizard of Oz and the Broadway show Wicked sit in Oz Museum, a green building with flying monkeys on its façade.

Inside are original props and costumes, including the Munchkin jacket and Flying Monkey miniatures used in the1939 MGM film, as well as stage props from the Broadway musical Wicked.

Along with the more than 2,000 artifacts are displays with a 10-foot Tin Woodman and a life-sized Cowardly Lion kids can pose with. Kids can also walk through the spooky Haunted Forest. And, if you’ve forgotten any of the story, the small theater shows the 1939 movie continuously.

Your visit to Oz doesn’t end with the museum. Wamego is a typical prairie town — much like a town a real-life Dorothy would grow up in. The museum inspired the town to build a yellow brick road leading through the town and marked by colorful murals of scenes from the story (stop at the gate for a family photo). You can have lunch at Toto’s TacOz!, an Oz-themed restaurant, and look for Toto statues.

Kids will want to find all 18 of the Totos Around Town, some dressed in gingham, wrapped in a flag or covered in red poppies or tulips (Wamego has a Tulip Festival in spring). You can get a map of their locations at the Information Center on Lincoln Street.

Parents will enjoy browsing in Wamego’s antique shops and have some Oz fun of their own at  Oz Winery, tasting wines with names like Squished Witch and Emerald City Lights.