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The weather is slowly starting to heat up as June approaches! And for many of us who can’t travel far due to it not being vacation season, it’s great to know that there are many alternative activities in Seoul to try out to fight against the incoming heat. Located in places that are easily accessible to those living in the city, here are some great activities to try out this summer.

Gwangjin-gu, Ttukseom Hangang Park

Hangang River has always been a great getaway for residents of Seoul. Sparkling with the sun’s reflection during the day and glittering with starlight at night, Hangang River is a magnificent sight to behold, even as you’re casually looking out the window of the subway cars crossing over a bridge. Although there are many places along the Hangang River offering water sports and activities, there’s none other like Ttukseom Hangang Park when it comes to having a wide variety of water sport and activities.

Get off Ttukseom Resort Station (Line 7) to access Ttukseom Hangang Park. To enjoy water sports, you must walk some distance along the river to reach the facilities offering such programs. As you get closer, you’ll see people windsurfing in the river. An activity which requires people to use the sail and wind to float across the waters, windsurfing is currently only offered at Ttukseom Hangang Park. For those new to windsurfing, they must take classes with instructors to learn how to do it freely. However, there are also 1-day programs available for those just looking to get their feet wet.  

Jungnang-gu, Youth Experience Forest

Many people aren’t very familiar with Youth Experience Forest . However, many people are very familiar with Jungnang Camping Forest. Once an unused plot of land, Seoul Metropolitan Government redeveloped the site into Jungnang Camping Forest, a natural experience zone and park for locals. In order to preserve the park's natural habitat and ecology, the park was built in a non-invasive method using the minimum of man-made materials, thereby becoming a popular attraction for camping enthusiasts. 

Jungang Adventure Zone (formerly Youth Experience Zone) is the only place in Seoul where visitors can partake in outdoor activities like zipline or natural obstacle courses. Various wire structures and obstacle courses are also constructed between trees. Participants can enjoy this activity by moving across the treetops like Tarzan. At first, participants are taken through a beginner’s course to allow them to get used to the feeling of being several feet above ground. Or visitors can try out the zipline through the park. Jungnang Adventure Zone is open to elementary students, teenagers, and adults. 

Songpa-gu, Kart Experience

Jamsil Sports Complex usually bring to mind Seoul Olympic Stadium or baseball stadiums. Most people don’t even know that there’s also a kart track nearby the area. Starting from the western gate of Jamsil Sports Complex, head towards the direction where Tancheon Stream meets Hangang River to arrive at the kart track. As you arrive to the attraction, it’ll feel as if you found a special hideout.

In front of the tracks, select and put on a helmet from the helmet rack. Visitors are not allowed to ride without a helmet for safety precautions. After putting on a helmet, the staff will assist you by showing you how to drive the cart and explaining the course layout. Because the tracks aren’t that big, it’s hard to put too much speed behind your driving. However, there are various curves and straight courses throughout the track, making it a fun experience for visitors to drive their kart through.

Dongjak-gu, Boramae Park Climbing Wall

There’s a rock-climbing wall located in Boramae Park. In the past, it was pretty hard to access this type of activity, but these days, with various rock-climbing centers popping up all around the city, it has become easier to try out this sport. Boramae Park Climbing Wall is a great place for beginners to try out rock climbing. While there are many methods to rock climb, beginners use a top roping method to climb the walls. Top rope climbing is climbing method in which the climber is securely attached to a rope which then passes up, through an anchor system at the top of the climb, and down to a belayer at the foot of the climb. It's a safe method for visitors wanting to try rock climbing for the first time.

It can be hard to place your feet on the wall for beginners. In fact, using your fingers to support your body weight to climb can be extremely hard. Although climbing is difficult, it can be a thrilling experience for novices to just hang on the wall.

Jongno-gu, Hwanghakjeong (Archery Field)

Hwanghakjeong was built in Gyeonghuigung Palace by Emperor Gojong back in 1899 to revive Korean archery. The field received its name Hwanghakjeong (literally meaning "Golden Crane") due to how the emperor in his imperial golden robe shooting an arrow looked like a crane. Damaged during Japanese imperialism, Hwanghakjeong was relocated in 1922 to an old archery practice field and continues to exist there in the present. Near Hwanghakjeong is Hwanghakjeong Korean Archery Gallery , where historical relics relating to archery are on display.  

Hwanghakjeong Korean Archery Gallery offers visitors many experience programs like bow-making and archery experience. Together with the bow they crafted, visitors are also given arrows made with pheasant feather to take home as a souvenir. Once visitors are finished with making their bow, they can test it out by shooting arrows at the target practice inside the exhibition hall. Aiming and pulling the string isn't an easy thing to do for novices. After taking a deep breath and practicing for some time, visitors are sure to be charmed by how much fun they're having with archery.