Bucheon EcoPark: A Fun Thing To Do With Kids In Korea
Ever on the lookout for parks, gardens and outdoor spaces near Seoul, I drove by Bucheon EcoPark (부천자연생태공원) some time ago as I was on the way to see the beautiful azaleas that cover Wonmisan Mountain in the spring and made sure to mark it on our map for another trip to Bucheon.
Bucheon has some really interesting things to see, with or without kids, like the B39 Art and Culture Space and there’s also an aquarium in Bucheon to check out. For this trip though, we were ready to get outside, see some bugs, some flowers, and enjoy the scenery and the Bucheon EcoPark was great for that.
Looking for some things to do with kids near Seoul? This is one of them. Looking for things to do in Bucheon? This should definitely be on the list.
What to know about Bucheon EcoPark:
How To Get There
Address: 660 Gilju-ro Bucheon-si Gyeonggi-do (경기도 부천시 길주로 660)
Directions: If you’re not driving, you can totally get to this spot via public transportation. Get your T-Money card and hop on the subway and head to Kkachiul Subway Station. Head out of exit 1 and it’s a pretty short walk to the entrance which you’ll find on the right.
Basic Info
Days: Open every day except Mondays.
Hours: March ~ October: 9:30am – 6:00pm; November ~ February: 9:30am – 5:00pm
Admission: There are tickets available for just the botanical garden, the botanical garden and the ecological museum or for the botanical garden, ecological museum and the 3D theater. We did the botanical garden + ecological museum which also includes entrance to the arboretum.
- Botanical Garden: Adults: W2,000/Teenagers: W1,500/ Children: W1,000
- Botanical Garden + Ecological Museum: Adults: W3,500/ Teenagers: W2,500/ Children: W1,700
- Botanical Garden + Ecological Museum + 3D Theater: Adults: W5,000/ Teenagers: W4,000/ Children: W3,500
- NOTE: Children under 3 are free. Bring something for proof of age. Photo on your phone of child’s passport or birth certificate will work.
What To See & Do
The Bucheon Ecopark was a fun little find I came upon while out in the area to see some spring flowers. I put it on the map and remembered to head back out and luckily so. The eco park is made up of a botanic garden, natural ecology museum and arboretum.
When you first walk up, you’ll purchase tickets and head into the peach flower shaped botanic garden greenhouse (부천식물원). The peach flower is the symbol of Bucheon City and the building has five petals and each is a different theme. Start in the general plant garden petal and teach the kiddos about Venus fly traps and sensitive plants… aka the ones that fold up when you touch them.
If you like greenhouses like we do, also check out these beautiful greenhouse cafes that are trending in Seoul too. It’s a beautiful greenhouse and we found very few people meandering around on our visit so we had the spaces to ourselves. FYI, if you love greenhouses don’t miss the amazing one in the Seoul Botanic Park too.
From here, head into the aquatic plant garden and on into the tropical plant garden where you can also see the numerous butterflies that are fluttering here and there. This is where you can find the indoor butterfly garden. There is also one outside.
Check out the succulent plant garden and then the indigenous plant garden. We really enjoyed this greenhouse and took advantage of the cooler air inside before we headed outside to see the arboretum.
The arboretum (무릉도원 수목원) has a lot of features that both children and adults will love. There are trails that lead off into the forests on the sides and paths that lead through the flower gardens and sculptures.
There is a pond with lily pads, a waterfall, a Hanok where children can play traditional games and a great outdoor playground. In the spring, the park is popular to see the tulips. In the summer, there are numerous flowers blooming in the butterfly garden attracting not just butterflies, but our little one was finding a ton of grasshoppers, caterpillars, roly polys and other creepy crawlers to her delight.
After enjoying the arboretum, head into the natural ecology museum (자연생태 박물관). This was probably our little person’s favorite part because she could actually touch some of those big bugs and hold them in her hands. She LOVES bugs. This is no exaggeration. She has brought home worms, dragon flies and continues to ask for more insect pets.
Enter the Natural Ecology Museum an on the first floor you’ll find a river ecology area with various fresh water fish. Head across the hall to the live insects, reptiles and amphibians area. Head upstairs to the second floor to see fossils and a dinosaur exploration hall. This was a great find for us and perfect for the little person that is interested in nature, insects and plants.
If the weather is nice, spend more time outside. If it’s a bit hot, there are plenty of indoor spaces from the greenhouse to the museum to take a shaded rest. This park doesn’t seem to be as popular as some of the others we’ve been too so we’ll definitely be back as there is so much space.
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