THE GARDEN OF MORNING CALM, GAPYEONG, KOREA

아침고요수목원 . アチムゴヨ樹木園(朝の静かな樹木園) . 晨静树木园

We were just in time to catch The Garden of Morning Calm 아침고요수목원 Lighting Festival, which was ending in 1 week's time.

We reached the garden earlier than planned, and there were very few visitors. I generally don't like gardens and parks very much, but this garden was quite nice.

I was immediately drawn to the suspension bridge when I entered!

Aunty LX led the way in exploring the garden.

Mom said to cover the difficult parts first, so we walked uphill to see the Herb Garden 허브정원.

And I finally got to cross the "Cloud Bridge 구름 다리".

I used to be very afraid of suspension bridges but not anymore!

One side ...

And from the other side

We walked around for a while more until it got too cold, and we warmed up in the Good Morning Coffee 굿모닝커피 café.

Millennium Juniper tree

Miniature Garden Rail @ 침엽수정원

Operational from Apr - Nov at specific timings (from 1200 - 1600 hours)

The café was warm and nice, and we shared a delicious strawberry and banana waffle!

View from the café window

₩15,000

Organic Lavender Tea, using the actual lavender as the tea bag ₩6000

 

Outside the café

After the tea break, we walked further into the garden, and Mom said that the Pond Garden 서화연 was the prettiest part of the garden.

Sunken Garden 하경정원

J's Cottage Garden J의 오두막 정원

Get the pine nuts here!

Beauty from every angle

Korean tea house

Korean Garden 한국정원

It was starting to get chilly, and we still needed to wait for the sky to get dark before the lights came on. So we returned to the café to wait.

At 6pm, the lights came on!

As it became darker, the lights transformed the garden into another place!

Mom said that it would have been very beautiful once when it was really dark, but we had to catch the bus back to the train station. Until the next time ...

Mom's Notes

• A beautiful park to visit, and worth a second or third visit during a different season to witness the different foliage colours
• Taking the Gapyeong City Tour Bus 가평 시티투어 버스 is the best way to visit the park; the bus stop is very near the entrance of the park. If you wish to linger longer at the park and will miss the last bus service, taxis are an affordable option to consider
• Do check out The Garden Shop gift shop near the entrance for its range of organic herbal products. The whole shop was wonderfully scented!
• MUST buy - pine nuts sold at the gift shop 기념품판매장 in the park, which are harvested daily from the pine trees grown in the park; 100 grams going for ₩10,000, and there is larger pack as well
• Recommended time required: 3-5 hours at a leisurely pace; we would have stayed on longer if it wasn't so cold as it got dark
• It was a nice surprise to discover upon arrival that the popular 2016 Korean drama "Moonlight Drawn by the Clouds 구르미 그린 달빛" had filmed one of its scenes here (and so did other dramas)!

     Address:     경기도 가평군 상면 수목원로 432 (상면)

     Tel:            +82 1544-6703

     Directions:  Click here

     Opening Hours:  0830 - 2100 (Dec - Mar only for the Lighting Festival)

     Admission Fees: Adults ₩9000 / Child ₩5500

                             (Use the discount coupon to pay only Adults ₩7000 / Child ₩5000)