The historic Southern California resort first opened in February 1888, and entering the landmarked Victorian building feels like stepping into a storybook. I could just imagine why an author as whimsical as Lyman Frank Baum, the man behind The Wizard of Oz series, felt so inspired there. Baum wrote at least three Oz books at "The Del," as it's affectionately known, between 1904 and 1917.