Imsil Cheese Theme Park
Many Korean dishes feature cheese in abundance – think dakgalbi and Korean hotdogs. If you love cheese as much as Koreans, Imsil Cheese Theme Park is the perfect spot to add to your itinerary.
Though the theme park is mainly catered to kids, adults can have their fair share of fun too. The best part is that admission is free.
About Imsil Cheese Theme Park
Image credit: @kimjaehaklanscape
Imsil Cheese Theme Park opened its doors in 2004. It was built by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to commemorate the efforts of a Belgian priest, Didier t’Serstevens, who created this cheese and brought the economy back on its feet in the 1960s.
Image credit: @larala02
Imsil Cheese Theme Park sits on a land space of about 32 acres in Imsil, and is designed like a village you would see in Switzerland.
Images adapted from: @snowman631 and 광주반하다
The theme park is also dotted with cute statues all around, with some of them inspired by classic cartoons characters such as The Smurfs.
Images adapted from: @so1_so2__ and @so1_so2__
The most eye-catching building here is the gigantic cheese wheel that is used as an observatory. Inside, you can get a bird’s-eye view of the entire theme park.
Image credit: @songin4803
You can also find other cheese structures around the park.
Images adapted from: @ban_teak_ki and @ban_teak_ki
Come spring, the theme park is filled with colourful blooms in red, yellow and pink – a mesmerising sight indeed.
Image credit: @nayoung.lee.0502 and @dnalswjddk
– What to do in Imsil Cheese Theme Park –
Besides taking pictures with the statues and gaping in awe at the giant cheese wheel, here are some other things you can do at Imsil Cheese Theme Park.
1. Make your very own cheese & pizza at the Experience Center
Image credit: @iamseunghwan
Try your hand at making your very own Mozzarella Imsil cheese in the cheese making program (치즈체험) at the Experience Center. It costs KRW13,000 (~USD11.55) per participant, and you get to take your cheese home too.
Mozzarella cheese making class
Images adapted from: @been.ssue and @been.ssue
You can also choose to go for a pizza making course (피자체험), where you can prepare a pizza for 1, and enjoy it after the class. This course costs KRW12,000 (~USD10.66).
Image credit: @songin4803
To register for either of these courses, click here.
2. Check out the Trick Eye Museum
Images adapted from: @jy5001004 and @shinhoo__
The Trick Eye Museum opens from 10AM-5PM from Tuesdays to Sundays, and is also free for all. The exhibits allow you to be one with famous paintings inspired by Van Gogh, and one exhibit even makes you seem like you’re floating in the air with a bunch of balloons while sitting on a cut of cheese.
Images adapted from: @shinhoo__ and @shinhoo__
3. Relive childhood memories at the playground
Images adapted from: @so1_so2__ and @hwanhee_ee
The kids playgrounds at Imsil Cheese Theme Park may prove too childish for adults, but you can still go on a huge slide located near the giant cheese observatory. It’s probably more than 300m long and that will take you down a hill of flowers.
Image credit: @nayoung.lee.0502
4. Visit the goats in their barns
Image credit: @jianoh
Imsil Cheese Theme Park also has a barn area. Head down there to visit the resident goats here – you can even feed them with the hay placed around the area.
Image credit: @jianoh
5. Fill your tummies at Hwaduk Cook
Imsil Cheese Theme Park has a restaurant called Hwaduk Cook that offers a mix of Western and Korean food. It operates from 11AM-8PM, and they take their last orders at 7PM.
Hwaduk Cook Pizza
Image credit: @ckkim79
Try their signature Hwaduk Cook pizza (KRW26,000, ~USD23.09) and shrimp risotto (KRW16,000, ~USD14.22) – both popular dishes here.
Shrimp risotto
Image credit: @ckkim79
Most customers have commented that Hwaduk Cook is pretty generous with their serving sizes, so if you have a small appetite, make sure you keep in mind not to over order.
Discover more of the restaurant’s offerings here.
Getting to Imsil Cheese Theme Park
Image credit: @hopefulimsil
This theme park is perfect for children and grown-ups alike, and you get to try your hands at making cheese after you go around admiring the sights here too.
Imsil Cheese Theme Park is located in Jeollabuk-do, in the south-western region of South Korea.
How to get here:
- Take the KTX to Imsil Station via the Mugunghwa Train. Do book a ticket for a transfer train on the Korail website. An adult ticket costs KRW34,700 (~USD30.94) and a child ticket (6-12 years old) is KRW17,800 (~USD15.87). The KTX ride from Seoul to Imsil will take about 3 hours.
- After getting off at Imsil Station, hail an orange or silver taxi to get to the theme park. Inform the taxi driver “임실치즈테마공원으로 가주세요” (eem-sheel chee-jeu teh-ma gong-won euh-ro kah-joo-say-yoh), which means “Please take us to Imsil Cheese Theme Park”.
- The taxi fare will be about KRW4,100 (~USD3.66), and it’s roughly a 3-minute ride.
Address: 50 Doin2-gil, Seongsu-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do
Operating hours: Tues – Sun, 9AM-6PM (Closed on Mondays)
Telephone: 0507-1338-9540
Website
Check out more places in Korea:
- Ewha School Uniform: Don the coolest Korean school uniforms and blend in with Korean students
- Cat Lover Garden: A cat lover’s paradise with lots of space and many cats
- Mr. Toilet House: a toilet bowl-shaped museum that advocates clean toilets
- Anyoung Insadong: A new cultural complex in Insadong besides SSamziegil
- Haeundae Blueline Park: A park with beautiful coastal views & fun activities to do
Cover image adapted from: @songin4803 and @hopefulimsil
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