Follow the yellow brick road to Wamego, Kansas

In the movie “The Wizard of Oz,” we never really know Dorothy Gale’s hometown. All we know is that she’s from Kansas. Well, apparently, those ruby slippers at the end of the movie took her home to Wamego, Kansas. Or, at least that’s the story Wamego city residents might tell you.

Wamego is home to the OZ Museum, a collection of more than 2,000 artifacts related to the book series and movie. The city has embraced being Dorothy’s hometown. You’ll find places like Toto’s Tacoz and Oz Winery. There’s even a yellow brick road that you can follow downtown.

But, Wamego is more than just the world of Oz. The Columbian Theatre is more than 100 years old. It’s home to about 20 oil paintings that once appeared at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Local businessman J.C. Rogers purchased the paintings at the end of the fair, named the World’s Columbian Exposition.

The city park has a few attractions, including a windmill and a history village.

But, Wamego’s main attraction is the OZ Museum. It started after Tod Machin used the story as a thesis for a Kansas State University class. He started collecting memorabilia and artifacts related to the book series and movie series. Several years later, he donated the items to the new museum. Opened in 2004, the museum quickly caught the attention of “OZ” fans.

Downtown Wamego, a small city of about 5,000 people, looks like any other Midwestern downtown, except for a brightly painted green and yellow storefront. A large sign tells you that you’re at the OZ Museum.

As you enter the lobby, you know you’re in the Land of Oz. Figurines featuring characters from the book and movie line a wall. A giant-sized Tin Man model stands near the gift shop.

As you enter the museum’s exhibits, you notice immediately that the collection tends to follow the story’s timeline.  It starts with Dorothy and Toto standing among the Munchkins’ homes. Across from it, a pair of legs lay under Dorothy’s farm house.

Then, the OZ collection takes you away for an interesting look at the world of OZ. L. Frank Baum wrote a series of books based on OZ. The books are part of the collection.

Baum wrote several books. “Aunt Jane’s Nieces” were written by Baum under the alias Edith Van Dyne. The popular book series focused on teenage girls.

Most people know the OZ story through the 1939 movie. “The Wizard of OZ” movie collection includes costumes, props and other memorabilia.

After spending a couple of hours at the OZ Museum, you’re likely to have worked up an appetite. I suggest stepping next door and grabbing some unique Mexican food at Toto’s Tacoz. As you walk in, you may think you’re in a Florida or southern California taco shop; colorful umbrellas tower over tables and palm trees create the line to stand in to order your food.

The menu offers Mexican dishes with names like Toto’s Tacoz, Yellow Brick Burrito, Munchkin Taco or Burrito, Auntie Em’s Nachos or Dorothy Quesadilla. The portions are huge. The food is delicious. If you like Mexican food, you’ll love Toto’s Tacoz.

After stuffing our faces (and unable to finish the abundant servings), we needed to walk off lunch. So, we took the one-minute jaunt to The Columbian Theatre. In use today as a 288-seat live performance theater, The Columbian served a variety of roles during its lifespan. It once hosted Vaudeville shows, then dances. Silent films shown at The Columbian gave way to “talkies.” During the Depression beginning in 1929 through World War II, it was the city’s community center.

The theater featured six large oil paintings that Rogers brought back from the World’s Fair in 1893. The paintings are impressive in appearance and size. The immaculately painted works are 11 feet tall and 16 feet wide. Each represents a section of America or its history.

The Columbian closed in 1950 and sat empty for four decades. A furniture store on the first floor kept the building from being destroyed. In the 1990s, a group of residents formed a company to buy and restore the theater. In checking out the building, people discovered 14 paintings that had been stored under the stage. They were saved from destruction.

The Columbian’s first floor has a gallery featuring items from the Chicago fair, as well as guest art projects.

A short walk from downtown, the city park features an array of attractions. A small lake in the shape of a whale was once a public swimming pool. Statues from the World’s Fair are located throughout the park, including one in the lake.

The Schonhoff Dutch Mill may be the peak non-Oz attraction in town. The mill, built in the 1870s, was used to grind grain on a farm outside of Wamego. It was relocated to the city in 1924.

Next door is the Wamego Museum. The historical museum includes a living history town. Walter Chrysler, who started the Chrysler automobile company, was born in Wamego.

Wamego’s park has a beautiful veterans memorial. The display honors the men and women who have served – including those who gave their lives for the United States – with a statue of a soldier kneeling in front of a marble block displaying the five branches of the military – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy.

We finished our visit with a stop at the Oz Winery. Wines feature names such as A Witch Gone Good, Curl Your Stockings, Flying Monkey, Aunt Em’s Prairie Rose and Lion’s Courage. Visitors can try a couple free samples or purchase a variety of wine flights. The winery seems to be a popular stop for visitors.

The Wamego area offers additional attractions, including the Oregon Trail. For additional information on the area’s attractions, please visit www.visitwamego.com.