Looking for a diversion with some educational merit? Then look no further than the Gwacheon National Science Museum at Seoul Grand Park. Otherwise known as the Scientorium the museum offers a full scale immersion into science and technology for children as well as adults.
Inside the main building there are nine main halls. First, the basic science hall, offers a tour de force of physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology along with several hands on exhibits. Second, the children’s hall, we skipped (sorry, but it looked like fun if you’re five). Third, the hall of fame, features notable contributors to science. Fourth, the research and achievement hall, exhibits current endeavors in science. Fifth, the advanced science and technology hall, presents an avalanche of information on life sciences, robotics, nano tech, and environmental science with exhibits that will allow your to lift interactive objects on a projection with only your mind!.
The Special Exhibition Hall, sixth, featured an exhibit on Dokdo and the lone man who lives there. The remaining halls cover Natural History, and Korean traditional science. There’s also so many interactive exhibits that you’ll never get to all of them. They include an earthquake simulator, typhoon simulator, space travel theater, space camp, airplane simulator, brainwave experience, dynamic earth, and a 3-D theater.
They have a breakdown of the particular age groups that can participate in each exhibit. Sorry, grown folk, but if you’re over 18 you only have the basic science hall, natural history hall, advanced science and technology hall, and the Korean traditional hall. Of course you could try acting really immature if you don’t have a baby face to fool them.
Out on the grounds the activities continue. The planetarium offers 50 minute sessions four times per day. The show portrays various celestial events such as auroras, black holes, and meteors as well as an explanation of the constellations. There is also an insectarium with over 48 exhibits, a science sculpture park, an eco-park with pond and arboretum, an outdoor exhibition area, and an astronomical observatory with telescopes.
The Good:
Get your planetarium experience on!
There are a ton of interactive exhibits
It’s science!
The Bad:
Some of the experience programs have age restrictions! Boo!
The Weird:
In the advanced Science and Technology hall there is a make up counter hawking the makeup of the future!
Hours: 9:30 to 5:30 (closed on Mondays, the day after national holidays, Jan 1, Lunar New Year’s holidays, Chuseok Holidays)
Planetarium: Four daily sessions call
Fee: Exhibitions: 4,000 Adults, 2,000 Children
Planetarium – 2,000 adults, 1,000 children
Observatory – 1,00 won
Directions: Seoul Grand Park Station exit 5
Address: 110 Sanghabeol-ro, Gwacheon-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Phone: 82-2-3677-1500
Watch The Video BELOW.
This is also a place where hyperactive students like to yell "Hello" to the waygukin.
And then they runaway only to return five minutes later with another Hello!