Happy Sunday Funday! This is going to be a new series of articles focusing on things you can do in the daytime to explore Seoul and experience more of the culture that Korea has to offer. Living in and visiting a city are two totally different experiences and after living here for almost a year we have succumbed to the disposition of ‘oh, we can do it anytime’. We haven’t ventured further than a three mile radius of our front doors, although all this is about to change.
Enter: Seoul Forest.
It isn’t just a park. Ok, well it is – but it’s a very nice one at that.
Located at Ttukseom, this family-friendly park is open all year round and admission free. Along with plenty of space to do the obligatory park activities such as lying on the grass, taking leisurely strolls, and playing the classic who-can-spot-the-most-people-wearing-couple-look game, there’s also a whole host of other things to keep you entertained.
There’s a (deep breath) skate park, cultural art park, children’s playground, visitor’s centre, bike path, water playground, splash fountain, woodland children’s playground, and finally a forest glade – not to mention many picturesque forest paths and a multitude of grassy open spaces. But perhaps prettiest of all is the lake, which is most spectacular when looking across at the Galleria Forêt buildings – supposedly the most expensive apartment buildings in Seoul.
If you have some little ’uns then be sure not to miss the children’s library, which is located on the first floor of the Management Office Building. This modern library features a range of books dedicated to nature and the eco-system. Or, if you’d prefer to freak them out instead of educating them, take them to the Insect Garden, which holds a total of 296 insects from 200 different species.
And if, somehow, the above is not enough, you could always have a nice coffee or ice cream at the lakeside cafeteria or instead listen to the live orchestra, which plays on many weekends (depending on season) at the theatre stage. You could even take a peek in the Forest Library to borrow a book of your own for the day from the free-to-borrow book cart.
So what more is there to say other than that you should simply visit Seoul Sup (as it’s said in Korean) for yourself? You’ll be sure to have a sup-er fun time.
(Sorry.)
Directions
Subway: 5 minutes from Ttukseom Station exit 8.
Bus: 2014, 2224, 2412, 2413 buses stop right outside Seoul Forest.
Words and pictures by .
Featured image by .
