Many of us know about Disneyland, Legoland or even Universal Studios. These are popular amusement theme parks among tourists, especially children. But, have you heard Everland is located in South Korea? If you have never heard about it, this post will give you an idea of what to expect in the Everland theme park.
Listed in CNN’s top 25 most popular amusement parks around the world, Everland is the largest amusement theme park with an integrated zoo in South Korea. Known as Yongin Farmland back in 1976, this theme park was bought over by Samsung 6 years later. Under Samsung’s management, Everland grew tremendously in visitors’ attendance. In 2015, Everland had a total of 7.3 million visitors.
This summer in Korea, my family and I decided to visit Everland for the first time. Driving for more than an hour from Suwon to Everland, the traffic was smooth. Upon reaching Everland, searching for a parking lot could be a problem in the crowded car park. Fortunately, there are many parking attendants around to give us directions to empty parking lots.
After spending a full day in Everland, here are my experiences and what you can expect in this theme park.
Shopping Paradise In Global Fair
Upon walking into the main entrance of Everland, the first theme zone which you will visit is called the Global Fair. Stepping into this zone, you will get to hear Everland’s very own composed music playing through the speakers. Like a beautiful painting, the buildings are designed with influences of Victorian, Oriental, India and much more.
In Global Fair, the most iconic structure is the colourful Giant Magic Tree. There are two key attractions in this area, namely Live Hologram Theater and Pororo 3D Adventure. With up to 21 shops available, do not miss the LINE Friends Store and Pororo Shop as they offer many unique merchandises.
Stroller rental is only available in Global Fair theme zone. Based on first come first served basis, a single stroller is 5000 WON ($6 SGD) and double stroller is 10,000 WON ($12 SGD). I would strongly advise parents to rent the strollers as Everland is extremely huge.
Back To The 1960s In The American Adventure
After Global Fair, you will visit the second theme zone called the American Adventure. There are ten fantastic attractions such as Double Rock Spin, Hurricane and Columbus Adventure, which most of them are more suitable for young teens to adults. You might want to consider taking the Sky Cruise and travel up to the fourth theme zone, European Adventure. The Sky Cruise is free of charge but does expect to queue during peak hours.
There is a Baby Service Kizcovery located here where missing children will be protected. Parents can also do diaper changing and baby feeding in this centre.
Step Into The Land Of Fables Called Magic Land
The Magic Land is the third theme zone with a total of 23 attractions for all ages to have fun. Built on a theme based on Aesop’s fairy tales, children can step into the world of fantasy where only beautiful stories are told.
Do check out Aesop’s Fountain of Wisdom and Magic Cookie House, a house decorated with cookies and sweets. There are three special exhibition areas in this zone. They are Aesop’s House & Fable Garden, Music Garden and Butterfly Garden.
World’s Steepest Roller Coaster Made Of Wood Is In European Adventure
The European Adventure is the most beautiful theme zone in Everland. Filled with colourful flowers, the Rose Garden and Four Seasons Garden are a must to visit. There are 15 restaurants in this area that serve Italian, Chinese and Western dishes. The main attractions in European Adventure are THOMAS & FRIENDS Festival Train ride, VR Adventure and T Express.
Made out of wood, the T Express is the “World’s Steepest Roller Coaster” with a top speed of 104km/h. This roller coaster is also featured in Korea’s most famous variety show, the Running Man. As everyone wants to scream their hearts out in T Express, you will expect a long waiting time for the ride. Unfortunately, reservations are only allowed in Everland until 3 pm. So, are you daring enough to take this ride down?
Integrated With Wildlife Experience, Zoo Topia
Zoo Topia is the fifth theme zone and is very popular among families. There are two must-try adventures to complete the experiences in Zoo Topia. They are Safari World and Lost Valley Adventure. Step into the Safari World by taking a ride in the safari bus. With caged windows, visitors can get close to wildlife animals such as white tigers, tigers and bears in their contained habitat.
For Lost Valley Adventure, you will get to touch and feed animals such as giraffes, goats and sheep. In total, there are over 200 unique species in Zoo Topia.
The duration for each ride is about 10 minutes, but the waiting time could be as long as 40 minutes. Therefore, I would strongly recommend families to visit Zoo Topia first when entering Everland.
There are other highlights in Zoo Topia which are worth visiting. There are the Panda World, Friendly Ranch and Bird Paradise. The pandas are given by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, as a symbol of friendship between China and Korea. During Everland’s 40th anniversary this year, the pandas made their first appearance to the public.
Final Thoughts About Everland In South Korea
Everland lives up to its name for being one of the most popular theme park attractions in the world. Exclusively in South Korea, this theme park has a good balance of activities and attractions for children and adults.
To experience Samsung’s Everland, I would recommend a full day visit and renting strollers for children is recommended due to lots of walking. Finally, remember to enjoy Everland’s soft-serve ice cream. It is always nice to enjoy ice cream during the summer season in Korea.
For One Day Ticket will be 52,000 WON ($63 SGD) for an adult and 41,000 ($50 SGD) for a child. Two Day ticket will be 81,000 WON ($100 SGD) for an adult and 64,000 WON ($78 SGD) for a child.
Address
Everland (에버랜드)
199 Everland-ro, Pogog-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Time: 10am to 10pm
Web: http://www.everland.com/web/multi/english/everland/main.html
