Visiting “The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page” at the Gold Coast’s Driehaus Museum feels a bit like opening a very elegant jewelry box: beautifully crafted, lovingly arranged and also...surprisingly compact. Tucked away into two rooms on the museum’s top floor, the film-inspired exhibit offers a curated peek behind the yellow brick road—costumes, concept art, early editions of L. Frank Baum’s original book and just enough memorabilia to spark a pleasant jolt of nostalgia.
Open through March 15, 2026, this charming installation spans two small but immersive galleries dedicated to script writing, costume design and production. Curated by memorabilia expert Laura Woolley, the exhibit draws from Richard Driehaus’s private collection and showcases gems like a replica of the Cowardly Lion's medal of courage, a prototype flying monkey costume and a rare early draft of the screenplay.
As someone who dressed up as Dorothy for multiple Halloweens, I arrived ready to be whisked into Oz and learn a thing or two about the film that shaped so many childhoods. Walking through, I found myself charmed in the way one might be charmed by a well-behaved dog donning a sweater: The sight may not be life-changing, but it’s certainly pleasant, and you can tell someone put real effort into the endeavor.
The exhibit's highlights include a replica of Dorothy’s slippers—one of only 20 editions worldwide—and a collection of “movie edition” Wizard of Oz books adjusted to better match the silver-screen adaptation. And if you want a deeper dive, spring for the museum's guide-led tour, which is a mere $5 on top of a general admission ticket. The snippets I overheard went well beyond the information on the exhibit panels.
What struck me most, though, was how thoughtfully the exhibit uses the Driehaus itself as part of the experience. The mansion’s ornate woodwork, florid wallpaper and gilded details lend the memorabilia an added sense of reverence, as if the items were always meant to live in a space that feels a little bit magical. The contrast between the Gilded Age architecture and the bright, Technicolor world of Oz is surprisingly effective; it reminds you just how downright modern the film felt in 1939.
In the end, the Driehaus Museum’s Wizard of Oz exhibit doesn’t attempt to sweep you away in a tornado of spectacle so much as hand you a small, neatly labeled basket of curiosities. Its strength lies in details—like early drafts of the film’s script and a replica of the Cowardly Lion’s courage medal, which was a departure from the book’s bottle of courage the character drank. It’s these little factoids that make the exhibit worth a visit.
While the exhibition may leave devoted Oz scholars wanting more, it offers casual visitors a gentle, concentrated dose of nostalgia within the museum’s ornate surroundings. You may not walk out feeling as though you’ve traveled all the way to the Emerald City, but you will have enjoyed a tidy, thoughtfully assembled layover somewhere between fantasy and reality.
"Land of Oz: Beyond the Page" is on view at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum until March 15, 2026. Tickets are $20 for adults; admission is free for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased here.