Outdoors, but make it indoors: Five eco-friendly attractions to enjoy this summer

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Outdoors, but make it indoors: Five eco-friendly attractions to enjoy this summer

Published: 19 Aug. 2025, 13:49 Updated: 19 Aug. 2025, 19:11

YOON SEUNG-JIN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Cave Arts Center at Gwangmyeong Cave in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi [GWANGMYEONG CAVE]

Owing to the capricious summer weather of August, many individuals may retreat to indoor spots like movie theaters, cafes and shopping malls. However, at such enclosed spots, some people might find themselves feeling cooped up, deprived of the freedom and freshness that only outdoor venues can offer.

For those who still want to enjoy the open-air atmosphere while staying safe from the unpredictable weather — be it a sweltering heat wave or an unexpected downpour — here are five places the Korea JoongAng Daily recommends.

Gwangmyeong Cave
광명동굴

The word “cave” might conjure images of hidden hollows deep in the forest, waiting to be explored by daring adventurers.
Gwangmyeong Cave, however, offers a different kind of wonder — a blend of natural features and modern media art — where visitors can enjoy multimedia shows, sculptures and light effects.

Once abandoned nearly 40 years after its closure in 1972, the cave was transformed and reopened in 2011 as a tourist attraction.

Gwangmyeong Cave greets visitors with a media art zone where light installations illuminate the walls and ceilings in various patterns. The wonder is later followed by performances and media facade shows, heightening the spectacle and setting the tone for what lies ahead.

Deeper inside, visitors encounter the Modern History Museum, spaces that recall Korea’s mining history and the hardships endured during the Japanese colonial period. History galleries in this area document miners’ working conditions and the cave’s industrial past, providing further insight into the cave’s history.

The cave also features an underground aquarium, home to a variety of fish, as well as the Golden Waterfalls, an illuminated cascade enhanced with unique lighting effects.

Visitors’ one-hour journey ends at the cave’s wine cellar, which stores and sells more than 170 varieties of Korean wine. According to the operators of the cave, the cave boasts the optimal conditions for wine preservation, thanks to the cave’s steady temperature between 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) and 13 degrees Celsius.

If you’re a wine lover, don’t miss your chance to try a sip of the wine.

142 Gahak-ro 85beon-gil, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi
경기 광명시 가학로85번길 142
Operating hours: 9:00 – 6 p.m. (last entry at 5 p.m.), closed every Monday
Admission fees: 10,000 won ($7.22) for adults, 5,000 won for teenagers and 3,000 won for children
Phone number: 070-4277-8902
Website: https://www.gmuc.co.kr/user/conn/caveIntro.do

Zoolung Zoolung Animal Theme Park in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul [ZOOLUNG ZOOLUNG ANIMAL THEME PARK]

Zoolung Zoolung Animal Theme Park (Yeongdeungpo branch)
주렁주렁 동물원

For animal enthusiasts in Korea, safaris and outdoor zoos may seem like the only options to see wildlife. But at Zoolung Zoolung Animal Theme Park, visitors can meet furry and feathered beings indoors, right in the heart of Seoul.

Built around the theme of “interaction without fences,” Zoolung Zoolung allows guests to get up close with about 50 different species. At this animal-themed spot, visitors can feed, pet and observe animals as they walk through themed zones, each designed with a different concept that recreates the animals’ natural habitats while offering immersive settings.

At Mingo’s Pond, the atmosphere evokes a tropical wetland, where cotton-top tamarins swing through branches and scarlet ibises add vivid colors. Baba’s Hot Spring zone offers a warm environment with capybaras soaking in the water, joined by meerkats, ring-tailed lemurs and tree porcupines.

Red Canyon is designed after a desert landscape, home to fennec foxes, prairie dogs and Patagonian maras. Other sections include interactive play zones where children can learn about animal behaviors, feeding habits and conservation in engaging ways.

Zoolung Zoolung currently operates four branches in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District, Gyeonggi's Hanam and Dongtan areas and Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang.

Each location offers its own mix of animals and themed zones, so animal lovers may want to explore more than one to experience the full variety.

15, Yeongjung-ro, Yeongdeungpo Disctrict, western Seoul
서울시 영등포구 영중로 15
Operating hours: 12:00 - 20:00 during weekdays (last entry 18:30), 10:30 - 20:30 during weekends and holidays (last entry 19:00), closed on the first and third Mondays of every month
Admission fees: 29,000 won (4-hour time limit on the weekend and holidays)
Phone number: 1644-2153
Website: https://www.zoolungzoolung.com/home

A visitor feeds fish to a walrus at Aqua Planet's Ilsan branch. [AQUA PLANET]

Aqua Planet (Ilsan branch)
아쿠아 플라넷 일산

Though it mainly serves as an aquarium, Aqua Planet features more than just sea animals.

The venue includes three sections: Aqua, Jungle and Sky Farm.

In the Aqua zone, visitors can see water animals such as stingrays, sharks and jellyfish. On the second floor of the venue, where the main tank is, visitors can ride in a transparent boat through which they can look straight down at marine organisms and even feed them.

On the floor above, mammals like walruses and beavers as well as penguins await the visitors, often featured in live observation programs through which visitors can learn about marine ecosystems, animal habitats and the importance of human–nature coexistence by interacting with animals firsthand.

Past the aquarium, the jungle zone recreates the ecosystem of a tropical rain forest, where animals like parrots, monkeys and capybaras live. Meanwhile, while Sky Farm, a ranch-themed area on the roof of the venue, features farm animals like sheep, goats and donkeys.

Aqua Planet is also currently running a special exhibition which features reptiles and insects.

282 Hallyu world-ro, Ilsanseo District, Goyang, Gyeonggi
경기 고양시 일산서구 한류월드로 282
Operating hours: 10:00 - 6 p.m. (last entry 17:00)
Admission fees: 39,000 won (with a discounted price of 31,000 won for offline purchases on weekdays)
Phone number: 1833-7001
Website: https://m.aquaplanet.co.kr/ilsan/index.do

Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo District, western Seoul [JOONGANG ILBO]

Seoul Botanic Park
서울식물원

Launched in 2019 in western Seoul, Seoul Botanic Park is a hybrid of a park and a botanic garden, serving as a rest area as well as an educational botanic garden.

Seoul Botanic Park’s greenhouse houses more than 1,000 plant species from 12 cities in the tropics and around the Mediterranean Sea. Visitors can see unique plants, trees and flowers while enjoying the horticulture of different climate zones within the concave, plate-shaped greenhouse.

The Tropics area exhibits plants from four cities — Jakarta in Indonesia, Hanoi, Sao Paulo and Bogotá in Colombia — with a tropical climate, recreating the landscape of tropical forests with hot, humid conditions. The Mediterranean Sea area boasts sections themed around eight cities with mild Mediterranean climates, including Spain’s Barcelona, Rome and Greece’s Athens.

Also featured at the botanic park are the Seed Library, Plant Library and Garden Research Center. The Seed Library displays about 500 plant species and exhibitions featuring plant seeds. It also features miniature drawings, photographs and specimens as well as a program through which visitors can plant seeds firsthand.

Plant Library houses a collection of more than 9,000 books related to plants, ecology, gardens and landscapes. The materials provide visitors with the necessary information that they can use to better appreciate plants and horticulture.

Garden Research Center shares the culture of gardening and offers consultation on gardening, as well as the latest information about gardening and relevant tips.

161 Magokdong-ro, Gangseo District, western Seoul
서울특별시 강서구 마곡동로 161
Operating hours: 09:30 - 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.), closes an hour earlier from November through February
Admission fees: 5,000 for adults, 3,000 for teenagers
Phone number: 02-2104-9716
Website: https://botanicpark.seoul.go.kr/front/main.do

Gwacheon National Science Museum in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi [GWACHEON NATIONAL SCIENCE MUSEUM]

Gwacheon National Science Museum
국립과천과학관

Gwacheon National Science Museum offers a wide range of hands-on experience zones and exhibition halls, allowing visitors to explore the wonders of the ecosystem, stars, space and more.

Designed in the shape of a spaceship, the museum features observatories equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and a variety of themed exhibition halls.

The Natural History Hall presents the history of life on Earth through displays of fossils, dinosaur skeletons and exhibits on biodiversity and geological changes. The Korea Science & Civilization Hall focuses on the development of science in Korea, including traditional inventions and progress in science.

The museum also houses an astronomical observatory, where visitors can observe stars through high-powered telescopes, and a planetarium offering immersive shows about constellations, planets and galaxies.

For educational enrichment, the museum provides live commentary explaining constellations and other astronomical phenomena, blending real-life observation with expert insights.

110 Sanghabeol-ro, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi
(경기도 과천시 상하벌로 110)
Operating hours: 9:30 – 5:30 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.), closed every Monday
Admission fees: 4,000 won for adults, 2,000 won for teenagers
Phone number: 02-3677-1500
Website: https://www.sciencecenter.go.kr/scipia/?lang=en

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [[email protected]]