Our first Thanksgiving in South Korea was spent driving across the peninsula to Chuncheon, home of the newly built Legoland Resort Korea. We had wanted to check it out for a while, and a long weekend off of school and work seemed like the perfect time to go. I’ll share information on visiting the park, where we stayed, and what our overall thoughts were!
Legoland Korea Resort in Chuncheon
Since we knew we wouldn’t be able to spend Thanksgiving with our families, we decided to do something completely different, rather than try to mimic a traditional Thanksgiving. As a family of avid Lego fans, we were all excited to explore Legoland and see what it had to offer. We’d heard great things about Legoland California and we couldn’t wait to see South Korea’s take on it!
We arrived at our hotel in the evening on Thanksgiving and planned to go to Legoland the next day. The park didn’t open until 10:00am, so we had time to run to a McDonald’s down the street from the park for breakfast. We parked in one of the many large paid parking lots on the Legoland campus and excitedly headed to entrance.
We waited for a few minutes outside the gate for the park to open. And we were confused why it wasn’t busier. We knew Koreans still had school, but we figured we would see a LOT more Americans there since they were out of school for Thanksgiving. Soon enough, we figured out at least ONE of the reasons the park was so empty. As it turns out, we were there during their “Bricksmas” celebration. Which is great because ya’ll know I love Christmas decorations. But what was not-so-great was that they actually closed half of the park during the Christmas season. And to make matters worse, they closed down the only three lands that our older kids were really excited to see: Lego Castle, Lego Ninjago, and Lego Pirates.
Of course we weren’t going to let something like that ruin our whole day. Besides, as we learned later, the tickets were greatly discounted due to half the park being closed. So really, there wasn’t much harm done. Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t mope around for a little while. As an avid Disney fan, I have the horrible habit of comparing every single amusement park ever to Disneyland or Disney World. And honestly, all the other parks just don’t live up to the Disney standard. But, I digress. The kids, while disappointed that half the park was closed, still managed to enjoy themselves. The 4D movies were really fun, as was the Monkey Climb, and seeing all the Lego creations around the park. Would we go again during the Bricksmas festivities? Absolutely not. Will we try to go again when the whole park is open? Possibly.
Despite some of the disappointments during our trip, it was our first overnight trip since moving here. We booked a hotel, made it to that hotel, and navigated everything just fine – so that felt like a huge win. And even when the disappointments come, getting yourself out of your comfort zone is always something worth celebrating!
’til next time…
Ash
How to visit Legoland Resort Korea
Directions: If you paste 중도동 430-32 into Naver it will take you to the Legoland Resort Pink Parking lot. From there it is just a short walk to the entrance of the park.
Cost:
Park admission
Adults – ₩50,000
Children – ₩40,000
Parking
Pink parking lot – ₩12,000 per day
*Double check all pricing on Legoland Website. Information is true based on what was available at the time of this post. Prices may change at anytime without notice.
Hours: Check the Legoland Resort Korea website for a full description of their operating hours. During late fall, Legoland Korea is closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. It closes for the winter starting on January 1st and opens again on March 22nd. For full details on hours of operation, see the official website for the park.
Tips: Bring strollers for little ones and sunscreen on warm days. Avoid visiting the park in November and December during their “Bricksmas” celebration as they close down half of the park.
Where we stayed in Chuncheon
Directions: We stayed at the Gangchon Sanullim Pension and we pasted 강원도 춘천시 춘천시 노일길 40-8 into Naver to get there.
How to book: I booked the pension through Agoda (similar to hotels.com or similar sites, but Agoda is better for overseas).
