The Wandering Whittens
South Korea

Seoul Grand Park Zoo

A few weeks ago, there was a school-free Friday, which meant our friends were free to meet us at Seoul Grand Park Zoo for the day. It also happened to be a BEAUTIFUL 75 degrees, with an AQI of ABOUT 89 – which are both massive improvements from how things had been for the weeks prior. The trip proved to be exhausting and totally worth it at the same time.

Seoul Grand Park Zoo

We visited Seoul Grand Park Zoo back in December (and we froze our butts off). We also knew that we would want to head back at some point. Because, frankly, the zoo is massive and pretty “extra” just like everything else in Korea. We definitely didn’t have enough time to see everything it had to offer (and even if we’d had the time, our toes were so frozen during our December trip that we didn’t really want to stick around any longer). So when my friend Lydia asked if we’d join them on a beautiful, sunny, almost-spring day, I jumped on the opportunity.

This post follows the format of “a picture is worth a thousand words.” I don’t really have a lot of commentary on our trip, but I do have pictures that I want to post so that I can remember them. Plus, at the end, I give some tips on getting to the zoo (because the first time we went, we did it in the most complicated way).

Exploring the zoo with two moms and ten kids was definitely an adventure, to say the least. That being said, I think Lydia and I have been doing this “mom of five” thing for long enough to have pretty realistic expectations. Were there grumpy kids? Sure. Were the moms ever a little cranky? Absolutely. But that’s just part of the parenting experience. The times when I am able to just expect tantrums and fighting and whining go so much smoother than the times when I’m thinking “this is a fun family outing and there should be no tantrums and fighting and whining.” So there’s your advice from a mother-of-five: embrace the chaos and allow your kids to be kids and experience human emotions.

Despite the occasional whining and “why did we even do this” mom moments, we had a really fantastic time at the zoo. It was so fun to go with friends (and my kids are BEGGING to get together with them again) and it was a great distraction from the solo-parenting that we were both undertaking at the time.

’til next time…

Ash

Tips for Visiting Seoul Grand Park Zoo

How to get to Seoul Grand Park Zoo: We pasted 경기 과천시 막계동 324-5 into Naver and it took us to a VERY large parking lot that can be used for anything within Seoul Grand Park (and there is SO MUCH to do at Seoul Grand Park. Eventually we’ll explore the area and I’ll post all about it). From the parking lot, you’ll see a large building (seen in the second picture on this post) that says “Seoul Grand Park” on it. If you parked in one of the first lots, head toward the building and take right. Follow the road around until you find the main entrance for the zoo. The walk was probably about 8-10 minutes long. If you drove through the parking lots a little and parked further in, then take a left at the Seoul Grand Park Building. You’ll go up a gradual incline and around a large pond, past Seoul Land, and then you’ll eventually find a side entrance to the zoo (which you can totally purchase tickets at and enter through), or you can continue on a ways until you reach the main entrance. Whether you go left or right at the large building, you’ll end up at the zoo – but you may cut out some extra walking if you park at the first lot you see and go to the right of the building.

Parking fee: Compact cars cost ₩5,000 to park for the entire day. Large cars cost ₩10,000 for parking.

Admission fee: Admission for the zoo is INCREDIBLY reasonable – especially considering how much zoos typically cost in the States. For adults (19 years old and up) it only costs ₩3,500. For youth (13-18) it is ₩2,100. And for children (6-12) it’s only ₩1,400, with children under 6 being free.

Accessibility: The entire park is very stroller and wheelchair accessible. Everywhere was wide enough to fit my large wagon through without trouble and there were plenty of ramps. If you bring a stroller, however, taking the sky lift to and from the zoo may not be an option.

Sky lift: Conveniently, there is a sky lift that you can take from the zoo to the parking lots. We didn’t take advantage of it because I had a large stroller (because I refused to carry a heavy backpack around the park with me), but this would be a great option for families with young children who don’t need to be in a stroller. The cost is ₩6,000 per adult for a ONE WAY ticket, ₩4,500 for youth age 13-18, and ₩4,000 for children age 6-12. Children under 6 ride for free with paying adults.

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