Dorothy's House/Land Of Oz, Liberal, KS

The Seward County Historical Society was established in 1961 to preserve the history, buildings and artifacts of the area. The premises hold two fictitious places as well, Dorothy's House and the Land of Oz Admission to the two exhibits is free for children under five, children ages six to eighteen are three dollars and fifty cents and adults are five dollars. Senior Citizens that are sixty plus years can get into the exhibits for three dollars and fifty cents.

The summer hours at the museum are from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Monday through Saturday they are open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Winter hours are from Labor Day to Memorial Day. The museum is closed on Monday and opens from Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Sunday hours are from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Dorothy's House was constructed in 1907 and has been donated to the Seward County Historical Society. It took the effort of many volunteers to move the house to its present location. The building has been restored and furnished to look like the house that was used in the 1939 MGM movie the Wizard of Oz. In 1981 the then Governor, John Carlin, declared that this house was Dorothy's official home.

The historical society would like to eventually purchase a life size sculpture of Dorothy and Toto at the home. This sculpture would be placed in the rainbow flower bed close to Dorothy's House. A limited edition of thirteen inch high "There's No Place Like Home'' bronze scale replicas will be for sale. The proceeds of these sales would help to purchase the life size bronze sculpture.

The Land of Oz is a five thousand square foot building that has animated figures. Inside visitors will find the good and bad witches, Munchkins, the talking trees, and several winged monkeys. The main characters such as Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and of course Toto will also be on hand. They have acquired the original model of the house used in the 1939 filming of The Wizard of Oz.

In the month of October there is usually an Oz-Fest. The festival takes place at 657 Cedar in Liberal, Kansas. There has been a welcome of the Munchkins to Dorothy's House. The festival has included original Munchkins from the movie and relatives of the author, L. Frank Baum. One year, a Judy Garland stand in held a dance class where visitors learned how to do the official skip down the Yellow Brick Road. There was also a contest to see who performed the best skip. They have also had a parade as part of the festivities.

There are many motels for guests that want to visit both attractions in Liberal. Some are chain motels such as Budget Host, Super 8, Americas Best Value Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. Local motels include: Liberal Inn, Kansan Motel, Ranch Motel, and the Thunderbird Inn.