Everland, South Korea's largest theme park, is located about an hour south of Seoul. Since its opening in 1976, Everland has continuously developed and innovated, establishing itself as a representative tourist destination in Korea. Attracting millions of visitors annually, it has evolved beyond a simple amusement park into a complex entertainment space where diverse cultures, nature, and cutting-edge technology harmoniously coexist.
Everland's charm begins with its spectacular seasonal landscapes. In spring, the Tulip Festival adorns the park with over a million tulips. This festival runs from mid-March to late April, featuring various tulip varieties imported directly from the Netherlands, delighting visitors' eyes. During the festival, photo zones decorated with various spring flowers and special spring-themed performances offer abundant attractions. Summer brings refreshing water attractions and dazzling night parades that captivate visitors. Particularly, 'Caribbean Bay', a large water park located near Everland, is perfect for beating the summer heat. Caribbean Bay features both indoor and outdoor water facilities, enjoyable regardless of weather conditions, with various slides, wave pools, and children's pools suitable for all age groups.
In autumn, the Halloween festival creates an eerie yet fun atmosphere. This festival usually runs from mid-September to late October, with the entire park decorated in Halloween themes. Specially designed haunted houses, horror mazes, and surprise appearances by zombie-costumed actors offer thrilling experiences to visitors. Halloween costume contests and other events also provide opportunities for visitors to participate directly. Winter unfolds a fantastic illumination festival blending snow and lights. Called the 'Christmas Fantasy' festival, this winter celebration usually continues from late November to early next year. Decorated with millions of LED lights, Everland creates a fantastic atmosphere reminiscent of a fairy tale world. Large Christmas trees, Santa parades, and snow sledding areas operate to fully experience the charm of a winter wonderland.
Thrilling Attractions
Everland's signature attraction is the wooden roller coaster 'T Express'. Boasting a top speed of 104km/h (65mph) and a maximum drop angle of 77 degrees, this roller coaster is rated as Asia's best wooden coaster. T Express is 1,784m (5,853ft) long, offering extreme thrills to riders with steep ascents, descents, and turns over about 3 minutes. Especially, the first drop from a height of 62m (203ft) at a nearly vertical angle is remembered by many as a highlight moment. 'Double Rock Spin' is a 360-degree rotating ride popular among thrill-seekers. This attraction lifts riders into the air and rotates 360 degrees, giving them a dizzying experience as if floating in mid-air. The momentary pause during rotation is particularly thrilling and unforgettable for many. Water attractions like 'Thunder Falls' are popular among family visitors, especially in summer. Thunder Falls is a rapids ride 18m (59ft) high and 525m (1,722ft) long, where visitors ride 6-seater boats down winding waterways. Passing through rapids and waterfalls, visitors can cool off with refreshing water sprays, making it especially loved by summer visitors.
Additionally, various thrill attractions like the spinning ride 'Hurricane' and the gyro drop tower 'Let's Twist' are available, satisfying visitors' desires for various levels of excitement. There's also a special area called 'Kidzville' for children, allowing visitors of all ages to enjoy attractions suited to them.
Special Encounters with Animals
Everland goes beyond being just an amusement park, also functioning as a zoo. In the zoo area called 'Zootopia', visitors can meet various animals. This area is designed as an educational space where visitors can learn about animal ecology and the importance of conservation, beyond just viewing animals. Zootopia houses about 150 species and 2,000 animals, including endangered rare species, reminding visitors of the importance of preserving biodiversity. Especially in the 'Lost Valley' area, visitors can closely observe giraffes, elephants, lions, and other animals in an environment recreating the African savanna.
'Safari World' offers a special experience where visitors can observe predators like tigers, lions, and bears up close while riding in a vehicle. This safari consists of a 3.5km (2.17 mile) course and takes about 40 minutes. Visitors ride in specially designed safari buses, safely observing animals roaming freely in environments similar to their natural habitats. The opportunity to see rare animals like white tigers and ligers is particularly popular among visitors.
Moreover, Panda World, where giant pandas from China can be seen, is greatly loved by visitors. A pair of pandas, 'Le Bao' and 'Ai Bao', leased from China in 2016, live here. In 2020, they successfully bred naturally for the first time in Korea, giving birth to a baby panda named 'Fu Bao', which became a hot topic. Panda World is created to recreate the natural habitat of pandas in Sichuan, China, and also provides information about panda ecology and conservation efforts. Zootopia offers various experience programs beyond simply viewing animals. For example, through the 'Animal Feeding Experience', visitors can directly feed giraffes or elephants, and the 'Animal Interaction Program' provides opportunities to interact with friendly animals. Additionally, there are sessions for conversations with animal keepers, offering chances to learn more about the ecology and habits of the animals.
World Cultural Experiences
Everland offers experiences beyond just riding attractions. In the 'Global Fair' area, visitors can explore buildings, foods, and products themed after cultures from around the world. This area gives the feeling of visiting a small global village, providing a unique space to experience diverse national cultures in one place. The Global Fair is largely divided into European, American, and Asian zones. In the European zone, visitors can encounter buildings that evoke the atmosphere of Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and other European countries. The Italian zone, in particular, features impressive architecture inspired by Venice's St. Mark's Square. Here, visitors can taste traditional Italian foods like pizza and pasta, and purchase souvenirs such as distinctive Venetian masks.
The American zone offers a nostalgic 1950s U.S. atmosphere with buildings from that era, along with American-style fast food like hamburgers and hot dogs. The '50's Castle' restaurant in this area faithfully recreates a 1950s American diner, giving visitors the feeling of time travel. In the Asian zone, visitors can experience cultures from countries like China, Japan, and India. Chinese and Japanese gardens are created to convey an Oriental ambiance, and there are areas where visitors can try on traditional costumes from various countries. Restaurants serving representative dishes from different Asian countries are also located here, allowing visitors to enjoy a culinary world tour.
The Global Fair offers programs for direct cultural experiences beyond mere observation. For example, there are regular workshops for making traditional crafts from different countries and programs for learning traditional musical instruments. On weekends and during special periods, traditional performances from various countries are held, providing richer cultural experiences. The Global Fair also hosts special seasonal events. For instance, in October, a beer festival inspired by Germany's Oktoberfest is held, and in December, there's an event recreating European Christmas markets. Through these, visitors can experience world cultures more vividly.
Thus, Everland's Global Fair is not just part of a theme park but a special space that compresses world travel into one location. This allows visitors to experience diverse national cultures, taste foods from around the world, and develop a global perspective, all in one place.
Spectacular Shows and Parades
Another charm of Everland lies in its various performances and parades. These shows provide visitors with rich entertainment experiences beyond simple ride attractions. The daily 'Moonlight Parade' is a fantastic show blending dazzling lights, music, and dance, creating unforgettable memories for visitors. This parade usually starts after sunset and runs for about 30 minutes. Large, elaborately decorated parade floats appear with special lighting, each with a different theme, offering diverse spectacles. Performers in the parade wear colorful costumes, showcasing dances and songs while interacting with the audience to elevate the atmosphere.
'Lenny's Wonderful Magic Show' is a magic performance featuring Everland's mascot character, Lenny. This show uses special effects and illusions to create a spectacular magic show enjoyable for audiences of all ages, from children to adults. The show is performed several times a day and lasts about 20 minutes. 'Herb's Magic House' is another popular performance at Everland. This show is a 3D hologram spectacle presented on a specially designed stage, showcasing fantastic visual effects using cutting-edge technology. The performance runs for about 15 minutes, with audience members wearing special glasses to view seemingly three-dimensional images.
There are also specially themed performances for each season. Spring features the 'Bloom Bloom Parade' showcasing a beautiful array of spring flowers, while summer brings the 'Summer Splash Parade' with cool water streams. Autumn hosts the Halloween-themed 'Horror Halloween Parade', and winter presents the 'Christmas Magic Parade', offering unique spectacles for each season. In the 'Four Seasons Garden', small-scale performances are held against the backdrop of gardens decorated with different themes for each season. Spring offers ballet performances themed around flowers, summer features cool music concerts, autumn brings jazz performances, and winter hosts classical music concerts, providing visitors with diverse cultural experiences.
Everland also regularly holds events where visitors can participate directly. Participatory events like 'Dance Battles' and 'Singing Contests' give visitors the chance to take the stage themselves, which is especially popular among younger visitors. On special days, concerts by famous singers are also held. Large-scale outdoor concerts utilizing Everland's spacious grounds are popular with many fans and are frequently held, especially during the summer season.
These diverse performances and parades are crucial elements that transform Everland from a simple amusement park into a comprehensive entertainment space. Beyond enjoying thrilling rides, visitors can have rich cultural experiences through these shows, which is one of the main reasons people return to Everland.
