[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Get wet — or at least sweaty — this weekend at these trendy summer getaways

K-campus

Published: 12 Jul. 2024, 16:54 Updated: 15 Jul. 2024, 15:57

[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Get wet — or at least sweaty — this weekend at these trendy summer getaways

Flow House Yongin in Yongin, Gyeonggi, is where you can nail the art of balancing in a strong current of 32 to 48 kilometers an hour. [FLOW HOUSE YONGIN]

Officially into the summer vacation phase, tourists and locals are flocking to different parts of Korea to fight off the heat, either by staying indoors or welcoming the heat, sweating under the sun. While there are many things to do to make the most of the season, you may need a fresh eye and some local insights into what's trendy.

Here are four timely recommendations for an active, adrenaline-pumping summer getaway in Korea to enrich your choice of destinations.

Techrun
테크런 건대 1호점

Screen captures of the floor at Techrun in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul [TECHRUN]

Located on the basement floor, Techrun in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, embodies the ultimate real-life demonstration of the "Hell of Indolence" that appeared as the second court in the Korean fantasy film "Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds" (2017). In the scene, people stuck in this particular hell are punished in their afterlife for lives of laziness and are supposed to keep running forever to avoid a massive rock wheel rolling toward them.

The game is pretty simple: Square blocks on the floor change color and challenge you to step on them at certain times and under certain rules.

You should avoid the red blocks and try to step on as many blue blocks as possible. The plot twist is that the blocks change colors in a few seconds, barely allowing the player a break in between. That is presumably why each round lasts as little as 15 minutes, but by the end of the game, all players will likely be profusely sweating and catching their breaths due to the fast pace. You can make a reservation online via the Naver Map app and choose between two, three or four players in a room.

You can visit other branches nationwide, mostly outside Seoul, like Bundang in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Cheonan in South Chungcheong, and Changwon in South Gyeongsang.

149 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul
(서울특별시 광진구 능동로 149, 지하1층)
Operation hours: 10 a.m. to10 p.m.
Phone number: 02-468-7333
Admission fee: 5,000 won ($3.6) per person
Website: https://booking.naver.com/booking/12/bizes/1064141

Flow House Yongin
플로우하우스 용인

Flow House Yongin limits the number of people who can enter the lane for safety issues, assuring a safe ride during the session. [FLOW HOUSE YONGIN]

Gliding through the waves is a dream come true for many people. However, as Rome wasn't built in a day, the magic of smooth surfing takes a lot of time, practice and trips to the sea.

This is where indoor surfing, or flowboarding, comes in handy.

Flow House Yongin in Gyeonggi offers one-on-one lessons for newcomers and free lanes of different levels for skilled surfers. You can rent wetsuits — tops and bottoms are 7,000 won each — and surfboards, or you may bring your own. If you are trying surfing for the first time, a beginner lesson will save you trouble for the cost of 15,000 won. Otherwise, the shortest free session lasts an hour and starts from 35,000 won. If you're tempted to ride the waves longer, you can book two hours, which is 60,000 won.

Each lane has a limit to the number of people it can accommodate to prioritize safety, allowing around 10 to 12 people per lane. Flowrider, the name of the system that creates artificial waves, emits 110,000 tons of water per minute and powers waves that are as speedy as 32 to 48 kilometers (20 to 30 miles) per hour.

The venue is on the second basement floor of Lotte Premium Outlets Giheung Branch, so after a surfing session, you can enjoy the rest of the day indoors under the air conditioner. Online reservations are a must, but you can check the availability via phone if you wish to book a spot on the day of your visit.

@flowhouse_yongin
124 Singomae-ro, Giheung District, Yongin, Gyeonggi
(경기 용인시 기흥구 신고매로 124 롯데프리미엄아울렛기흥점 지하2층)
Operation hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission fee:
Beginner's guide: 15,000 won
One-hour session: 35,000 won
Two-hour session: 60,000 won
Phone number: 031-8036-3042
Website: http://flowhouseyongin.com/

Gapyeong Water Leisure Sports (Ppaji)
가평 빠지체험

Trying out water leisure sports at Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, includes hanging out at the inflated balloon-like playground. [KIM DONG-EUN]

More and more Koreans are diving into the deep end, so to speak, to enjoy some extreme water sports. The Korean term Ppaji — large water playgrounds with inflated attractions and water rides — originated from the English word "barge." The small town of Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, has many such ppaji, making it a popular summer destination among young Koreans.

Nami Island is a well-known tourist spot in Gapyeong, but the town's ppaji area remains an international travel blind spot. These water playground zones are in the river, so the water can get as deep as a few meters — a difference from typical water parks, where water levels are mostly at children-friendly depths. From banana boats to bandwagon rides, the activities' speed and intensity necessitate head gear and life vests, all to be rented at the venue.

Multiple local ppaji companies allow visitors to make reservations online, so make sure to sign up for a spot. A typical day at a Gapyeong ppaji consists of water spots and a barbecue on the balcony of local B&Bs. Visits are usually overnight trips in groups. Some package deals include accommodation suggested by ppaji companies — they sometimes offer transportation between the water park and the place of stay.

Gapyeong, Gyeonggi
(경기도 가평시)

Spark Land
스파크랜드

Spark Land in Jung District, Daegu, offers enjoyment with rides and sports activities, spanning indoor and outdoor sites across Red and Blue Zones. [JOONGANG ILBO]

If you head to Daegu this summer, one of the most intense cities of Korea in terms of heat, you might as well go full-on facing the heat and visit Spark Land, where you can enjoy indoor and outdoor theme park activities to your heart's content.

Located in the heart of Daegu, Sparkland occupies five of the nine stories of Spark, one of the city's landmark buildings.

Sparkland consists of an indoor and an outdoor zone — the blue zone takes the fifth and the sixth floor of the building, covering the indoor spaces, while the red zone dominates outdoor spaces on the seventh, eighth and ninth floors. The theme park's attractions include classic rides like the Ferris wheel, bumper cars and a carousel. However, the indoor space, also dubbed Spark Field, presents a more niche choice of extreme activities like climbing, an extreme drop slide with a slope of 85 degrees and VR games.

You can book a pass for the red or blue zones, respectively, or an all-day pass. The first to fourth floors of the complex have restaurants, shopping malls and some mall attractions, offering visitors entertainment and food options before entering the theme park.

@sparkland.kr
61 Dongseong-ro 6-gil, Jung District, Daegu
(대구 중구 동성로6길 61)
Operation hours: noon to 11 p.m. (Opening and closing hours differ by 30 minutes to an hour per the day of the week, so check the details on the official website.)
Admission fee:
All-day pass (collective): 39,000 won
Red zone all-day pass: 25,000 won
Blue zone all-day pass: 28,000 won
Phone number: 053-230-2010, 2011
Website: https://d-spark.kr/

BY KIM DONG-EUN [kim.dongeun@joongang.co.kr]