I’m going to put a little disclaimer in here, lest anyone make the mistake of thinking that all of our family outings are filled with only smiles. This adventure was ROUGH. Incredible? Absolutely. Were we glad we went? Definitely. But it was so STUPID freezing and somehow we STILL haven’t figured out how to keep all of our toes from going completely numb (4 pairs of socks ain’t doing it). And as an added bonus, our children are incapable of seeing snow and NOT immediately putting their hands in it, so that resulted in some very cold fingers (because water-proof gloves for children are apparently impossible to find?). So there was a lot of whining and complaining and crying. For the last hour we were there (which was spent slowly working our way back to the car so we could still catch the lights) our three youngest kids were just so miserable that I was questioning every single choice I’d ever made in my entire life. And so, while the pictures show smiling faces and beautiful ice: just know that we had our rough moments… and that’s totally normal and okay!
Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival
I’d heard of the ice festival on Facebook when a friend posted about it (thanks, Alissa!). As soon as I saw the pictures of these INCREDIBLE ice fountains, I knew that we needed to check it out. And when I found out it was less than an hour and a half away – I was MEGA sold. So we woke up on a Saturday morning, tidied up the house, and then headed out after lunch. We knew we wanted to see the ice fountains after dark, but we also knew it was going to be COLD, so we decided to arrive late afternoon so we wouldn’t freeze for AS LONG. When we arrived, we purchased our wristbands (for sight-seeing only) and headed inside.
Inside the festival they had ice caves and tunnels to go through, igloos, and sculptures of cartoon characters (Pokémon and Anna and Elsa and Olaf), as well as a sculpture of a Geobukseon (also sometimes spelled Kobukson) or “turtle ship” as they are sometimes called. We learned about the turtle ships on our visit to Hyeonchungsa Shrine and were excited to see a depiction of one again at the Seoul Lantern Festival in Gwanghwamun Square.
At 6 o’clock the ice fountains lit up in color-changing lights that were INCREDIBLE! My only regret: I wish we had stuck it out for just 30 more minutes until it got REALLY dark so we could have seen them in their full glory. But it was so cold and by the time the lights turned on all of the kids were so miserable – it just wasn’t worth it. And so on our way out of the festival we got to appreciate the lights, and dream of later days when we don’t have two screaming toddlers (although we sure do love those screaming toddlers).
Although it was way too cold for comfort, I’m so grateful that we got to experience this amazing ice festival. I’ve never been very good at getting out of the house when it’s cold out, but we’ve been doing so much better this winter. Of course, living in a foreign country and wanting to experience ALL the things makes it just a TAD bit easier to WANT to venture out, instead of staying at home curled up under a blanket.
’til next time…
Ash
How to visit the Ice Fountain Festival in Cheongyang:
When: The festival goes from December (usually mid-December) until mid-February the following year. Daytime hours are 09:00-18:00, with nighttime hours from 18:00-22:00. If you purchase general admission wristbands and leave the festival, you CANNOT get back in after 18:00. I recommend showing up late afternoon and walking around the festival until the lights come on at 18:00.
Directions: The festival is held at Alps Village every year. We copied 알프스마을 into Naver and it took us right to the festival. Because we went on a Saturday, there was a long line of cars waiting to park in one of three decent-sized parking lots. Parking is free, but be prepared to wait if you want a parking spot that is close (I recommend waiting in the line if you have small children like we do, rather than parking along the road and walking).
Cost: Admittance is ₩8,000 per person (children under 36 months are free) just to go in and look at the sculptures and fountains. A sledding pass is ₩20,000 per person – which I BELIEVE includes all of the activities including sledding, bobsledding, and cross-country sledding (for kids). There is also a zipline that you could ride for an additional charge.
Food: Inside the festival there was a small restaurant that sold different street-foods like corndogs, sausages, grilled cheese sticks, and others. Right outside of the festival entrance there seemed to be other places to purchase food, although we didn’t stick around long enough to see.
