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Aqua Planet: Sea Life, A Petting Zoo & More
Aqua Planet (아쿠아플라넷) is a aquarium brand you can find all over South Korea. We first visited the Aqua Planet in Ilsan, Korea, but you can find them in Gwanggyo, the 63 Building on Yeouido Island in Seoul, Jeju, and Yeosu. I had initially expected this to be just an aquarium, meaning sea life, sea creatures and the like, but was pleasantly surprised to find birds, a petting zoo with farm animals and just so much more. If you have kids in Korea and want to introduce them to sea life, Aqua Planet in Korea is a great place to go. There are a number of amazing aquariums in Korea,…
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The S(e)oul Derby: Sign Up Now!
Come for some fun. With clues in hand, teams will race to find as many locations as possible from cultural hot spots to traditional architecture and even some friendly local eateries too. The event will be a cross between scavenger hunt searches and amazing race-esque missions. How much do you know about Seoul? Come test your knowledge with some great people and if you have the stuff, you can even win some fabulous prizes. There are more than W1,000,000 in prizes! The event will kick-off near Hapjeong Station and will culminate at 3 Alley a local expat owned pub in Itaewon where we will tally the points while you sit…
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The OTB Lounge in Walkerhill Has Hit Its Stride
A new no-limit off track betting lounge run by the Korea Racing Association (KRA), was recently opened in the Sheraton Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul, Korea and boy is it chic. This lounge specifically caters to foreign customers and allows them to bet more than the maximum per race bet limits that are enforced at the race courses and at other existing OTBs. This is one of thirty-two OTBs that are operated around Korea in addition to the actual race courses in Seoul, Busan and Jeju. Not only is the lounge chic, but the hotel itself is beautiful so you could make a weekend of it, and have a grand…
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The Top Summer Festivals to Hit In Korea
It’s summer in Korea! It’s finally here with the hot gusts of wind followed by the cool breezes sweeping down from the mountains and in from the shores. Sandals, t-shirts and clothing with very little there has suddenly been whipped out of closets. Here’s what to look forward to this summer in Korea from sunny beach fun to townie food based get-togethers. When it comes to summer festivals, there are a lot to enjoy in South Korea. Find one near or far and go have fun! Get ready for summer festivals in Korea: (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I will…
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Learning Korean In Korea: Noisy Salesmen Are Great Teachers
When I first got to Korea, I did not speak Korean. Not a lick and that was cause for quite a few humorous assumptions. Assumptions aren’t always bad. It depends what you do after making assumptions that can be bad. Luckily for me, after awhile, I fell into a group of Koreans that were quick to show me the err in my ways or just to educate the silly foreigner. The education has proven immeasurable and also has given me many funny stories along the way. Today, I’m going to share a couple of those funny tales. Wonder why learning Korean when living in Korea is useful? I’ve got some…
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The Soul of Seoul Tours: Hanboks, Tea & Gold Recap
This past weekend, The Soul of Seoul Tours held our Hanboks, Tea & Gold event and boy was it fun, not to mention beautiful! The group started at a Hanbok rental shop at 10:00am and was dressed head, and some, to toe in traditional Korean clothing. Each person chose from a selection of brightly colored skirts and tops, changed and then had their hair done. They had the option to carry a provided purse as well so the whole outfit could be in the style of traditional Korea. After the group was dressed and good to go, we headed to Unhyeongung Palace or royal residence. The residence provided a chance…
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Sea LaLa Water Park: Indoor Family Fun In Mullae-dong
Looking for an indoor water park in Seoul, Korea? I’ve got one to tell you about that is very kid-friendly and parent-friendly too! Sea Lala (씨랄라 워터파크) sits in the area of Mullae-dong which is more popular for the street art and iron works among most expats in Korea, but there are some cool hidden gems there for families living in Korea. If you’re ready to get wet and wild with your kids in Seoul, put this fun spot on your list of places to go. (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I will get a percentage of the transaction at no cost…
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Unhyeongung Palace: Perfect For Traditional Photos In Seoul
Unhyeongung Palace or Royal Residence (운현궁) sits quietly along the road just south of the touristy and popular Bukchon Hanok Village. This quaint and more rustic collection of historic Hanoks is easily accessible and if you want beautiful photos with Hanok buildings sans crowds, you should definitely visit Unyeongung Royal Residence. With five palaces in Seoul to choose from when visiting the capital of South Korea, it’s easy to head to the biggest and grandest of them all, Gyeongbukgung Palace, and call it a day. I often recommend the palace to tourists saying that if they’ve only a short time, it is a must see. That isn’t to say that…
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Noryangjin Fish Market: A Guide For What To See & What To Order
Noryangjin Fish Market (노량진수산물도매시장) is one of top things to see in Seoul. It is the BIGGEST fisheries market in Seoul. Centrally located, Seoul’s most popular fish market is a great spot to check out for lunch or dinner and is great on an itinerary for Seoul but make sure you know what you’re getting into. Get ready to visit the Noryangjin Fish Market with the names of fish in Korean, the tours to take, and more. There’s a lot to know about Noryangjin Market. Here’s what to know: (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I will get a percentage of…
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Scavenging For S(e)oul: Recap
At the end of last month The Soul of Seoul Tours hosted our first event under the title of Scavenging For S(e)oul. Teams raced from Gwanghwamun through Jongno along the Cheonggyecheon into Bukchon and Gwangjang Market, down to Dongdaemun and eventually turned up at 3 Alley in Itaewon. The teams were provided with 40 clues that took them to specific locations as well as asked them to look for matchy matchy couples, dyed dogs and ajjussis in hiking gear. From culture and tradition to history and fads, everything was covered. As this was our very first event, initially we were just hoping to get 60 people, or just 15 teams.…
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A Guide to the Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival: Everything To Know
The 2024 Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival in celebration of Buddha’s birthday is back! This spring festival takes place over a few days with events around downtown Seoul from morning into the evening. Colorful lanterns have been strung up around the city in anticipation of the event and then over 100,000 more lanterns will be lit and paraded down the main streets of the capital. The excitement, hope, and love is palpable at this event and all are welcome to attend whether Buddhist or not. This is one of the most beautiful events to see each spring in Korea. Check out my nifty guide to the 2024 Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival…
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Seonyudo Park: One Of The Best Kept Secrets In Seoul
Seonyudo Park sits on an island on the Han River in Seoul, Korea between Hapjeong and Dangsan and is one of the best kept secrets in Seoul. The island, only accessible by foot bridge, walking, or bus, used to house a water treatment plant but in the effort to bring green space back to Seoul, it was released back to nature. Just south of the popular art and live music district known as Hongdae sits Seonyudo Island. There are only a few islands on the Han River that are accessible and this park is one cool one to find. Crossing the bridge from Hapjeong Station to Dangsan Station, I’ve seen…
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Gastro Tour Seoul @ The K-Style Hub
This past week, I was invited by the founder of Gastro Tour Seoul, Veronica Tae-Ahn Kang, to attend a tour at the new K-Style Hub. I’ve of course heard about Gastro for a few years but just hadn’t had the chance to go on a tour so I jumped at the invitation. The K-Style Hub is the new tourist information center downtown and is really modern and chic inside, a great step up from the previous location. The three floors that make up the hub are split into a floor for all the info a tourist could possibly need from culture and history to medical tourism as well. Not only…
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Ansan Mountain In Seoul Is A Cherry Blossom Best Kept Secret
If you’re looking for a beautiful cherry blossom spot in Seoul you might not have heard about, here it is: Ansan Mountain. When the cherry blossoms begin to bloom in Seoul, the city awakens from the winter and it is gorgeous. There are some really popular cherry blossom hot spots to find like Yeouido Island, Seokchon Lake or Namsan Mountain where Namsan Tower/N Seoul Tower sits, but there are also just cherry blossoms cherry blossoms cherry blossoms everywhere you look. It’s actually really common for people to walk out their front doors only to realize that their street was lined with cherry blossom trees all year but they didn’t realize…
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An Amazing Bamboo Forest on Geoje Island
On a recent trip to Geoje Island in Korea for a business meeting, my host took me to a bamboo theme park or the Maengjongjuk Theme Park (맹종죽테마파크). I was pleasantly surprised when we came upon the natural 90,000 square meter bamboo forest on the side of a hill. If you’re looking to enjoy the beautiful nature of Geoje Island, definitely check out this bamboo forest. Get ready to find this bamboo forest on Geoje Island in Korea: (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. Thank you for your support.) Basic Info Address: 700 Geojebuk-ro, Geoje-si, Gyeongsangnam-do…
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Painting With Babies: Art Exploration
At this point with the little one we’ve realized that almost anything will undoubtedly now be a messy endeavor which has caused me to step out of a very clean box I put myself in awhile back. It can be anything really; eating, sitting, sleeping, reading. It doesn’t matter. There’s pee, drool, poo, crumbs, food from breakfast, lunch or/and dinner inevitably stashed away in some fold, crease or in the hair… it never ends. Because everything is already messy, when faced with the prospect of doing an art project I was both excited and daunted. Luckily, a friend who teaches art to little ones made her way over and really…
