Chittenango, east of Syracuse, is a small village in Upstate New York that most would simply pass by without a second thought. However, someone tipped me off to its claim to fame: L. Frank Baum, the writer of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (and the rest of the series), was born there. And its residents have taken this extremely seriously.

I was visiting Albany and decided to go through Chittenango on my way there. I found a yellow brick sidewalk lining the main street, sundry Oz-themed stores (including Ruby Red’s Diner and the Emerald City Grill) and even an Oz museum, which unfortunately was closed when I was there since it is currently moving to its new location in the soon-to-be-renovated library (I was told this when I stopped in at the Village Hall). Anyway, nothing theme-park-like here, but certainly a pleasant place to stretch your legs.