Spa and Camping in the Land of Hot Springs | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Asan Gongseri Catholic Church, belonging to the Daejeon Diocese, is located on a hill in Gongseri, Inju-myeon, connecting Asan Bay and Sapgyo Stream. It is where early missionaries first landed at the port and began evangelizing, with the church established in 1894. Initially, a private house in the village was used as a church, but a rectory was built in 1897, and the main church was completed in 1922, becoming the first main church in Chungcheongnam-do. Gongseri served as the parent parish for Gongju, Anseong, Onyang, and Dunpo parishes that were later separated. On the grounds are graves of three martyrs from the Byeongin Persecution. The site includes a 429.75㎡ (130-pyeong) main church, rectory, retreat house, and meeting rooms, surrounded by centuries-old zelkova trees and various forests, creating a beautiful Catholic pilgrimage site. Gongseri was historically a coastal point sending taxes from 39 counties including Asan, Seosan, Hansan, Cheongju, and Okcheon to Gyeongchang in Seoul via transport vessels during the Joseon Dynasty. ◎ Travel info to enjoy the charm of Korean Wave: The church’s red brick Gothic style with a tall spire looks picturesque and was selected in 2005 by the Korea Tourism Organization as one of the most beautiful churches representing Korea. It houses many cultural assets and nationally protected trees, boasting over 130 years of history. Its unique lyrical atmosphere has made it a popular location for many films, dramas, and commercials. It is recommended to visit together with the Gongseri Catholic Church Pilgrimage Museum.

Yeonginsan Natural Recreation Forest is located on Yeonginsan Mountain in Yeongin-myeon, Asan-si, Chungnam. Yeonginsan has long been called so because the mountain is considered sacred. From the mountain peak, visitors can see the blue West Sea, Sapgyo Lake, Asan Bay Barrage, the gently flowing Gokgyocheon stream, and the cityscape of Asan-si at a glance. The recreation forest is equipped with family log houses in a wide and green forest, camping decks, water playground, children's playground, arboretum, hiking trails, and rest areas, providing leisure facilities that people of all ages can enjoy together.

Designated as a health hot spring, 'Paradise Spa DOGO' is a large-scale resort facility opened by the Paradise Group in Asan, Chungnam Province, famous for its hot springs. It was designated as the first National Health Hot Spring in Chungcheong Province by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Covering a total area of 24,622㎡, it can accommodate up to 5,000 people. The facility includes a baden pool for water therapy, a large public bath with saunas enjoying the year-round warm sulfur hot spring water, and various water play facilities. Especially popular are the outdoor event spas with different seasonal themes. In winter, health-promoting baths such as ogapi tang, ginger tang, and tangerine peel tang are operated.

Asan World Flower Botanical Garden is the largest greenhouse botanical garden in Korea, where you can enjoy over 3,000 horticultural species year-round. It began in 1994 as the Asan Flower Farming Cooperative farm. The farm specialized in importing bulbs such as tulips, lilies, and irises from the Netherlands and other countries, producing flowers for domestic sales and exports. However, due to the poor domestic floriculture market and low healthy consumption of flowers and plants, the farm faced management difficulties. As a countermeasure, the cultivation greenhouse was opened to the public starting in 2004, marking the beginning of the World Flower Botanical Garden. The name signifies a place that shows the growth of horticultural plants from around the world, not just an exhibition of rare flowers. The botanical garden displays the entire process from seeds to leaves, flowers, fruiting, and back to seeds. While it may not be a grand flower palace like a one-time festival, it tells the story of plants. Flowers bloom throughout the year, but the garden shows the full growth process, not just the flowers themselves. Though called a botanical garden, it is also a flower farm that directly produces and sells tropical ornamental trees and flowering plants. Additionally, since 2015, the leaf garden center has been open to provide diverse experiences that help flowers become a part of everyday culture, beyond simply viewing them.