KMK: Seoul Land

Spring is here and with the coming of newly sprouting buds and green grass comes another major springtime phenomenon: the amusement park. Though I should say that I don’t even know for sure if the amusement parks close for the winter. I know I wouldn’t be out there in the frigid weather on a roller coaster screaming my face off only to have the expression frozen due to the minus wind chill factor.

Those worries flew out the door as my friend Hyungsung and I took a few Saturdays ago to Seoul Land, one of the top three amusement parks in Seoul. The other two being Lotte World and Everland.
The first thing you should remember when you show up at Seoul Land is that you can get a discount depending on what atm/debit/credit card you use. We got two for one with my Shin Han card and I must say at least this one time Shin Han didn’t suck. Though I still prefer KEB.

The second thing you should know is that once you step inside Seoul Land you realize that it’s an amusement park primarily devoted to kids and not adults. No, I don’t mean I was expecting a triple x adult experience theme park with Jenna Jamieson and team of gay porn stars. Nope, I just mean that if you’re looking for a death defying roller-coaster that makes your mouth drop and your legs cross with the need to pee from the sheer fright of it all then you may want to go to Everland.

But I urge you to give Seoul Land a chance. If your need to plummet from thousand foot drops can be put off then you’ll find that Seoul Land offers a fun time for everyone.

For me the bumper cars was the highlight. Jumping in and racing around slamming into other cars was great fun. The park worker managing the ride came up with the bad idea of turning it into a soccer match with a huge rubber ball. The only problem being that it took him ten minutes to explain the rules. Meanwhile everyone twitching in their seats ready to rumble.

I’d advise avoiding the fun house though. I’ve never had my childhood nostalgia of something so cherished and beloved so thoroughly stomped by reality. How I ever thought of the fun house as an exciting time shocks my socks off. I tried to go with it, I really did but you know you’re getting old when the uneven floor only serves to highlight the virtues of a properly trained carpenter. The maze of mirrors left me grating my teeth in frustration as a little boy seemed to zip on through with ease while I kept stumbling into dead ends.

Over half the rides at Seoul Land seemed designed for little kids but if you put your best smile on I’m sure the operators will let you slide. Especially if you go on a day like we did where the weather was overcast and cloudy and just threatening enough to keep the crowds and thus the ques of people at home. We barely had to wait more than a couple minutes for any ride.

Now there are roller coasters at Seoul Land. And once you find the two big ones don’t get in the Que with out sized expectations. I mean despite the lack of height, loops, curls and spins I’m sure the ride can be just as enjoyable as anything Everland has to offer if you do it back to back several times.

I will say that the food and drinks were much more reasonable here. At Everland you can expect to fork over a week’s pay to eat lunch. Seoul Land gives you a few options under 10,000Won so you don’t have to try and sneak in a McDonald’s bag.

The best part of Seoul Land is that its at Grand Park Station. This means that if it doesn’t live up to expectations you can still go to the zoo or the National Modern Art Museum. How can you go wrong with that?