Cherry Blossoms at Daewangam Park, South Korea

Some may agree that seeing cherry blossoms (벚꽃) is the most coveted experience in South Korea. And rightly so because the cherry blossoms lasted only 2.5 weeks this season! My family and I were lucky to experience 한국 (Korean) cherry blossoms at Daewangam (대왕암) park in Ulsan. The park is breathtaking because it is actually a small forest filled with 15,000 pine trees next to the ocean. Cherry blossom trees line a paved trail in the forest, and are nestled within the pine trees. There were also some really big cherry blossom trees! At the entrance of the park is a plaza with convenience stores and restaurants. There is also an impressive children’s playground that boasts a massive and colorful dragon play structure with a slide. Just past the playground, in the forest, is a kids ropes course hanging from the pine trees. The trails at the park all led to a stunning rock formation in the ocean. Legend has it that Queen Jaui, wife of King Munmu of Silla, became a guardian dragon and placed herself under the rock formation to protect Korea and its people. A bridge was built so people can walk to the rock formation — and there’s even an outdoor restaurant right before the bridge, serving fresh seafood caught by Haenyeo (해녀) aka female free divers. We spent about 2.5 hours at Daewangam before deciding to leave for lunch. On our way to the restaurant we walked passed Ilsan Beach. Had it been Summer time, I would have jumped right in! Our chosen lunch spot was a Korean BBQ joint specializing in ribs called Yukhyang. The food was fantastic and the decor was delightful! To my readers - visiting Daewangam was part of a family 2 night 3 day trip to Ulsan. We took the train from Seoul and also visited Gampo. Daewangam was my favorite part of the trip. It honestly reminded me of Half Moon Bay in California. We were so impressed with Ulsan that 우리는 여덟월에 부산에 가려고 해요 (we are going to Busan in August)! Busan is just south of Ulsan and also right on the coast. I hope you enjoyed this post and 고마워요 (thank you) for stopping by!