Hot summer, rural areas are buzzing: Top 5 'Village Vacation' experience programs

Warm Gudeul Sauna, Hoengseong Yedawon in Gangwon

At Hoengseong Yedawon in Gonggeun-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do, visitors can enjoy tea ceremony experiences and traditional Korean cuisine culture activities.

Pungsuwon Cathedral and Hoengseong Lake Road offer beautiful drive and walking paths.

A purchase agreement for rice has been made with nearby farms.

Since the farm owner is both a etiquette education instructor and a tea researcher, they can learn tea ceremony and refine their mind and body.

The point is that there is a heated sauna and hot steam room where you can warm your body thoroughly.

The operation period is year-round (1 night, 2 days), allowing participants to experience tea making (製茶) and create traditional seasonal dishes.

The company describes it as being located at an altitude of 300 meters, making it perfect for contemplation and relaxation.

At "Songal Songal Mountain Village," you can experience harvesting king oyster mushrooms. ⓒ Gyeongbuk Gimcheon "Songal Songal Mountain Village" How to Play page

Natural Dyeing, Gyeongbuk Gimcheon 'Songal Songal Mountain Village Story'

'Songal Songal Mountain Village Story' located in Jeungsan-myeon, Gimcheon-si, Gyeongbuk, the farm owner returns to the countryside to deliver happiness to visitors tired of city life.

It is located at a high elevation, so it remains cool even in midsummer.

You can enjoy Cheongamsa, the local representative temple where Queen Inhyeon briefly stayed, and Yongchu Waterfall.

A mushroom experience farm located at an altitude of 500 meters where you can walk through the forest and try harvesting king oyster mushrooms.

Dinner with pork belly eaten with mushrooms is also a delicacy.

There is a healing experience called 'Starry and Various Forms' as part of the experiential program. It includes making natural-dyed scarves in the shape of leaves, a walk connected to Sudosan Birch Forest, Cheongam Temple, and Yongchu Waterfall.

You can enjoy the beautiful colors derived from natural materials by dyeing old or faded clothes, or slightly discolored white T-shirts, with natural dyes.

Pottery Experience, Andong, Gyeongbuk 'Toralto Dak'

At 'ToraKtoDak' in Nammu-myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongbuk, you can experience hands-on learning, agricultural food tours, horticultural therapy, and pottery experiences.

There are tourist attractions such as Hahoe Village and Byeongsan Seowon within a 15-minute drive from the farm.

It is characterized by the opportunity to relax while touching pottery clay. You can experience pottery craft by making your own plate, and also enjoy prehistoric cultural activities using clay.

There are local resources such as the Andong Maae Seonsa Historic Site and the Nakdong River Grand Tour Bicycle Path.

You can also enjoy dinner with the farm owner’s homemade Andong Hanwoo bulgogi accompanied by fresh leafy greens picked from the vegetable garden.

At night, you can enjoy chatting around the apple tree firewood bonfire.

'Yegreen' offers an experience to make apple popcorn using apples. ⓒ Chungbuk Chungju 'Yegreen' Play Guide page

A 100-year-old hanok and apple popcorn, Yegeurin in Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do

'Yegreen' located in Sinni-myeon, Chungju-si, Chungbuk, allows you to enjoy making popcorn, pizza, and salad together using apples.

A 100-year-old traditional Korean house coexists with a newly built accommodation from 2021. There is a lawn and a large experiential area.

As expected from the apple region of Chungju, you can make apple popcorn using apples.

Enzymes made from apples fallen due to the typhoon are added to popcorn, making it less greasy and unique.

Yegreen explains that they developed apple popcorn and also gave a lecture at 'Sebasi'.

If you make a reservation in advance, you can pick lettuce from the vegetable garden and enjoy a dinner barbecue party in the bungalow.

Breakfast includes toast, apple fermentation liquid, and boiled eggs.

Vacationers are enjoying the Ganjin Puso experience. ⓒGanjin County

Gangjin County's flagship tourist product 'Chonkangse Fu-SO (FU-SO)'

Fuso (fu-so) is an abbreviation for 'Feeling-UP, Stress-Off.' It is a tourism product first introduced by Gangjin County in May 2015 as a rural experiential tourism program primarily for students.

Ganjin County in South Jeolla Province has launched the 'Village Vacation Fuso Experience,' allowing visitors to enjoy summer holidays in a quiet rural area, continuing from last year. It will be operated from the 20th of this month until August 10th, as they begin recruiting tourists for the peak vacation season.

The program has expanded to include general public Fuso, a one-week stay in Gangjin, Gangjin Fuso City Tour, and civil servant integrity Fuso. It has established itself as a representative tourist attraction of Gangjin and Namdo Exploration First Place.

'Fuso' is characterized by women taking a leading role due to its nature as a stay-type guesthouse.

Fuso farm operators have been running the Fuso Experience Research Association since 2015 and established the Gangjin Fuso Cooperative at the end of 2021. As of last year, out of 94 Fuso members, 75 were women, and out of 13 directors, 11 were women.

The 'Gangjin Fuso' website is full of various information such as an introduction to Fuso, application methods, fees, experience guides for ceramics, food, tea ceremonies, rural areas, folk paintings, and zip track, as well as reviews of experiences.

The Rural Development Administration will operate an exhibition hall at the '2024 Rural Summer Vacation Festival' held at the AT Center in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, from July 5 to 6, to promote 10 rural travel destinations tailored for women in their 40s to 60s, healing villages and farms, and beautiful rural landscapes.