In my last blog post dated 20 August 2017, we have talked about 3 good parks  (namely, the Hangang Park, the World Cup Park and the Olympic Park) in Seoul where you can go to relax and unwind. In this blog post, we will cover 2 more parks (which are called “Forest” instead of “Park” in their names).

Seoul Forest (서울숲)

The Seoul Forest was opened in 2005, but before that, the area had served different functions including royal hunting ground for the kings, military inspection facility, water treatment facility, golf course, horsing racing track and sports park. The eco-friendly Seoul Forest is considered as the Central Park of Seoul.  One interesting thing about it is that you can find wildlife animals like elks and deer inside it. Its total area is about 595,000 square meters and consists of the following 5 parks:

Culture and Arts Park – This Park is located in the heart of the Seoul Forest, and there are many different facilities including the Seoul Forest Square, Ttukseom Family Field, decorative flower beds, a visitor’s center, a skate park, an outdoor stage, a waterside restaurant, an in-forest open space, an in-forest playground and a water play area;

Ecological Forest –  Here you can find wildlife animals like deer, elks, chipmunks, mandarin ducks, mallards, spot-billed ducks and moorhens, and there is also an observatory where you can observe the local wildlife. From March to October, there is also a deer-feeding program which the visitors like very much;

Experiential Learning Park – This is an educational area consisting of an insect botanical garden, a wild flower garden, a themed flower garden, an event ground and a surrounding protective forest;

Wetlands Ecological Field – This area contains a wetlands ecological management office, an ecological playground, an outdoor nature classroom, a bird observatory, a wetlands flower garden and a botanical garden; and

Hangang Riverside Park – This Park contains a waterfront park, a marina and a rest area.

Let’s take a quick walk through the Seoul Forest by watching this video.

Dream Forest (북서울 꿈의 숲)

The Dream Forest was created on the location of the previous Dreamland and is the 4th largest park in Seoul after the World Cup Park, the Olympic Park and the Seoul Forest. It is also the first large-scale green park in the Gangbuk area. Apart from the beautiful natural environment, the Dream Forest also has an art center and the traditional hanok building, Changnyeongwigungjaesa estate, which is a registered cultural heritage of South Korea.

On the other hand you can go up the observatory (where the Korean TV drama “Iris” was filmed) by elevator to enjoy the beautiful view of the city. Let’s have a quick tour of the Dream Forest by clicking this link.

Next time when you visit Seoul, please don’t forget to go to these parks to relax and unwind like the Koreans. Happy relaxing! 🙂

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References:

Seoul Best 100, Seoul Metropolitan Government, December 2016

Seoul: A Fun Vacation for the Whole Family, Seoul Metropolitan Government, December 2016

Seoul: The Special Charms of Seoul, Seoul Metropolitan Government, December 2016