The Agricultural Museum: A FREE Thing To Do In Seoul
We are always on the hunt for awesome things to do with kids in Seoul so we pretty much have every museum, small or large, on our list to check out. Doesn’t matter what subject the museum is devoted to, we are there to learn something new and inevitably do.
Right downtown near Seodaemun Subway Station is the small but interesting Agricultural Museum (농업박물관) and on top of being a learning opportunity, it’s great for the budget because it’s FREE! There isn’t a lot of English information, but there is enough to get by and if you have some knowledge of agriculture yourself, you’ll be able to help the kiddos get something out of the trip.
What to know before you go:
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How To Get There
Address: 16 Saemunan-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 중구 새문안로 16)
By Subway: Head to Seodaemun Subway Station, exit 5. Walk straight and the Agricultural Museum is just on the right.
You will easily spot the museum just a few minutes outside of the subway because the exterior is quite vibrant with plants in the summer months. We visited in the monsoon rains so didn’t spent time checking it out much, but you can spot it easily with the outdoor exhibition area.
Basic Info
Days: Open every day except Mondays, January 1st, Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok
Hours: March ~ October: 9:30am – 6:00pm; November ~ February: 9:30am – 5:30pm
Admission: Free
Website: http://www.agrimuseum.or.kr/
What To See
The museum was founded in 1987 to help urbanites and youngsters understand the importance of agriculture and Korea’s traditional farming practices. There are over 5,000 historical agricultural relics on rotation with currently 2,000 on display for public viewing.
There are various dioramas and by various I mean, a ton of awesome dioramas. I LOVE dioramas and remember making them as a child. Want some inspiration for your own projects at home, you’ll certainly find it here. There are also hands-on and immersive learning areas to take advantage of too.
On the first floor is the “History of Agriculture” where visitors can learn about Korea’s agricultural history from prehistoric times to the modern period. Head upstairs to the second floor to see the “Life of Agriculture” to see some pretty spectacular dioramas.
From the second floor, head all the way down to the basement to visit the “Agricultural Cooperatives Promotion Hall” to learn about modern practices and some common food found here in Korea. There is a lot of information from the past to the modern day covered here.
Our little one especially enjoyed the rice paddy floor that is topped with glass so as you walk you can see what it would be like walking through rice paddies. There are (fake) creatures hidden inside so she was trying to spot them underfoot.
It’s not a huge museum by any means so let the kids take it slow and just see every little thing there is to see. The docents and staff on hand are really friendly and seemed quite proud of their museum when we went. Let them help you if they can.
If you have an early riser and want something to do, a kiddo you want to teach about farming, or just want to broaden some horizons, this is a great stop that is easy to find in downtown Seoul. We went on a weekend and it wasn’t busy at all which also makes it nice as a little break from people and opportunity to learn and discuss farms and farm life.
Also, if you’re interested in other budget friendly things to do in Seoul, check out this guide to the best free things to do in Seoul.
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