Gwacheon National Science Museum has been on my list for a while, but I was waiting for a painfully hot day to take my kids. We invited some friends and headed out, hoping to give the kids an air-conditioned place to play in (and, ya know, maybe learn a thing or two). And if there is one word I could use to describe this museum it would be OVERWHELMING – but in the best possible way!

Visiting the Gwacheon National Science Museum in Seoul Grand Park

There is SO MUCH to do and see at this museum – not all of which the kids were interested in. Still, we slowly made our way through the exhibits, and there was definitely something for everyone. The kids were really interested in the AI and VR exhibits (which who can blame them – since they are basically video games) and it was fun for my kids to “build” their own helium molecules – since we had just learned about how two hydrogen atoms combine to make helium in our homeschool lesson about stars. And no, I’m not a chemist or even someone who is super good at or interested in science. Still, it was fun to see something that we had learned about the day before showing up in our adventure for the day.

The kids also got really excited when we entered the exhibit with life-sized statues of some of our favorite Avengers (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and even Spiderman). I’m not at all sure what the Avengers really have to do with a science museum, but the kids (especially Paige’s boys) were all about those super heroes!

The star of the show was the hands-on room located just to the right of the “Kid’s Playground” area (see the bottom of post for information on that) on the first floor of the museum. The room was HUGE and had so many different experiments for kids of all ages. The activities were separated into four categories: earth, water, air, and light. We kept an eye on the younger kids, but the older kids were free to move from station to station freely. Sure, they couldn’t read any of the plaques because they were all in Korean (occasionally with some English translations), but MAYBE they learned something. But even if they didn’t, they got out of the house, experienced things with their hands, and had a great time.

The favorites (read: the things the kids fought over most) were the earthquake tables, the black hole exhibit (which showed the pressure differences between a neutron star and a black hole – really the kids were just interested in the balls that went along with the exhibit), and the pendulum. Still, the contention was mostly mild and there was plenty for each of the kids to do.

Since there was so much to do and see at the museum, we opted not to visit the Planetarium on this visit – although I fully plan to take my kids back as we are finishing up our Space unit in homeschool. We did, however, venture outside for a short while to take a look at the Dinosaur Park with its giant dinosaurs. And although Paige’s youngest was initially very excited about seeing the dinosaurs, the roars and growls that were playing over an intercom proved to be just a little too frightening for him. That, and the blistering heat, meant our time spent outside was short-lived. And we were ALL okay with that.

Still, the Dinosaur Park is really cool, and when we go back for the Planetarium, we’ll likely hit up the Dinos again – although perhaps we’ll visit on a cooler day. After exiting the museum, we stopped at the emart24 just outside and got some treats – which we all desperately needed. It was fun to let the kids just chill and fill up on sugar (ha!) while Paige and I had a chance to rest from chasing 8 kids around the museum.

We didn’t see even close to everything that there is to see at the museum after spending three hours there. I doubt we even covered half of it. But one thing we LOVED about this museum is that it’s affordable enough that we didn’t feel like we HAD to see all of it in one go. If we want to come back (and we do!) then we could do that on another day without feeling like we have to sell our left leg to do it.

It was a perfect day spent with friends. Korea knows how to do museums and this one was no exception! So do yourself a favor and pay a visit to the Gwacheon National Science Museum. It’s the perfect place to beat the heat (or get out of the cold), learn some really cool stuff, and get out of the house!

’til next time…

Ash

How to visit Gwacheon National Science Museum

Directions & Parking: There are multiple parking lots within Seoul Grand Park, and you can park in any of them. We pasted 경기 과천시 상하벌로 110 into Naver which got us to a parking lot (Parking Lot 1) just a short walk from the museum entrance. You can do the same or use this link to get to the Gwacheon National Science Museum Parking Lot 1. From there it’s less than a 5-minute walk to the entrance of the museum.

Cost:
*Parking
₩5,000 flat rate
*Parking is paid as you enter the parking lot, not as you are leaving. They did not accept my AMEX credit card, but cash won was accepted, and likely they would have accepted my VISA. Parking is cheaper for small or compact vehicles.
*Museum admission – Permanent exhibits only
Adults – ₩4,000
Children (age 7-19) – ₩2,000
Children under 7 – FREE
Adults age 65 and older – FREE
Planetarium admission
Adults – ₩2,000
Children (age 7-19) – ₩1,000
Children under 7 – FREE
Adults age 65 and older -₩1,000
*Special rates apply for groups. Please visit the Gwacheon National Science Museum website for more information on group discounts.

Hours:
CLOSED MONDAYS
Tuesday – Sunday: 9:30am – 5:30pm

Accessibility: The entire museum is accessible to both wheelchairs and strollers.

Amenities: Bathrooms are plentiful – located in the parking lot, outside the main museum entrance, and on every floor inside of the museum.

Food: There is a café on the first floor of the museum. In addition, there is an emart24 just outside of the main entrance, and another convenience store just out the back door (toward the Planetarium). On the second floor of the museum are many different “fast-food” style restaurants serving a variety of foods. There are water fountains (with little paper cups) on the first floor of the museum.

Additional know before you go:

There is a “Kid’s Playground” area on the first floor of the museum. This play area is reserved for children ages 3-7 and requires reservations made ahead of time. It is free to use, but you must have a reservation. You can make a reservation by visiting the Gwacheon National Science Museum Reservation Portal.  Use times are 60-80 minutes long and only ONE adult per child is admitted into the Kid’s Playground.