Tulips, Daffodils, Lupines – Oh my! Okay, so that’s a totally lame beginning to this post. But spring is in FULL BLOOM on the Peninsula and I cannot contain how happy it makes me. I wanted to go somewhere to see ALL the flowers. So naturally, when I heard about the 2023 Pyeongtaek Flower Festival going on at Pyeongtaek Agro-Ecological Park, we skipped homeschooling to head there on a beautiful, warm, sunny Monday morning.
Pyeongtaek Agro-Ecological Park
We visited Pyeongtaek Agro-Ecological Park when we were brand new to Korea. We went on a cultural tour of Pyeongtaek and that was one of the locations they took us. Honestly, by the time we got to the park, we were tired, cranky, and super done with following somebody else’s schedule. And so we left the park and didn’t really think about it again. That is, until I heard about the Flower Festival going on. I knew it was tulip season and figured we’d give it a go if the weather was nice (because it can’t seem to make up its mind these days). One Monday morning, the weather was sunny and warm so I packed up the kids and we drove the 20 minutes to the park. We were met with glorious fields of tulips and beautiful flower displays that were SO up to the Korean standard of “extra” which made the trip 150% worth it – even by myself with five kids.
And, while the kids DID enjoy seeing all the flowers (H in particular was yelling “smell” constantly and running over to smell every flower she possibly could), their favorite part was the playground (which will surprise exactly nobody). The playground at the park is fantastic with only one exception: it has sand. Bleck. I hate sand. HATE it. But the kids LOVE it which means they were absolutely content for a very long time playing while I sat and relaxed. So, we’re going to call that a win!
Next to the playground there is an enclosure where they have chickens, roosters, peacocks, peahens, and other birds. There was also a white peacock – which I have never seen before in my life – that kept on squawking and the kids LOVED it. H especially kept yelling at the bird and trying to mimic it’s noises which was both hilarious and adorable, but I might just be a little biased.
Pyeongtaek Agro-Ecological Park is a great place for a relaxing park day – especially if you live in Pyeongtaek. It’s easy to get to, has a HUGE parking lot (which is ALWAYS a win in Korea) and provides beautiful views of gorgeous plants. In the fall it was chrysanthemums and cosmos and currently it’s tulips, daffodils, lupines, (and many other varieties of flowers that I don’t know the names of). It’s worth a trip if you’re looking for a way to enjoy this beautiful weather!
’til next time…
Ash
How to Visit Pyeongtaek Agro-Ecological Park
Directions: Paste the address 경기도 평택시 오성면 숙성리 83-2 into Naver and it will take you right to the large parking lot. It was busy when we went because of the Flower Festival and there were STILL plenty of parking spots open. The parking spots are a decent size too – large enough that I was able to park my Kia Grand Carnival without any issue.
Cost: The park is free to visit, as is parking in the lot. There are flowers available to purchase at one of the buildings, as well as a small grocery store with fresh produce in the other building. During the Flower Festival there are vendors set up around the large field selling a variety of different produce and products. We walked around and there wasn’t much in the way of “street food” (our plan had been to get lunch there), so come prepared if you’re hoping to eat at the park.
How to get to the playground: This might seem like a silly category, but the first time we visited the park, we didn’t even realize there WAS a playground until about ten minutes before our bus left. Once you’ve parked, you’ll see two large buildings. If you walk between those buildings, you’ll enter the park itself. There is a large grass field to the left with a performance stage, and to the right there are fields of whatever flowers are blooming at the time. Directly in front of you will be a hill (which will also likely be littered with flowers). If you walk up the paths and steps that lead up the hill, you’ll see the playground from the top. They recently put in some slides that start at the top of the hill and end at the playground, as well as some steps and a ramp you can take down as an alternative. You can also walk around the hill to get to the playground, but then you’ll miss out on some really great photo opportunities IN the flowers (assuming you go when SOMETHING is in bloom).
