Hidden healing spots in Sejong strange yet familiar | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Bear Tree Park, located in Sejong Special Self-Governing City, opened in May 2009. It was developed from plants and animals nurtured for over 50 years by founder Lee Jae-yeon, growing into the current Bear Tree Park. On a 330,000㎡ (100,000 pyeong) site, more than 1,000 species and about 400,000 flowers and trees coexist with koi, moon bears, and spotted deer. Starting with the colorful pond inhabited by over 100 koi, visitors can directly see hundreds of moon bears and brown bears playing. There is an observatory providing a panoramic view of the park, Bear Tree Garden blooming all year round, and a petting zoo exhibiting baby moon bears, deer, peacocks, mandarin ducks, and more. The park also includes Songbaekwon, a pine garden collecting rare pine trees; Hagyegjeongwon, a summer garden harmonizing dead trees and incense trees; a rose garden with thousands of roses; a wildflower hill featuring native wildflowers; a bonsai garden with various bonsai trees; a tropical greenhouse garden gathering rare tropical plants found in Korea; Mangyeongbiwon, full of cacti, succulents, and petrified wood; Hyangnudongsan, a cedar grove with over 100-year-old incense trees; and Songpawwon, a European-style garden shaped like a map of Korea with an 800-year-old zelkova tree. Over 1,000 koi, previously scattered across several outdoor ponds, gather in one place to survive the warm winter, creating a spectacular sight. Visitors can witness a whirlwind of koi gathering when food is scattered.

공원변에 광장과 이화여대 미술대 강태성 교수가 조성한 야외조각공원이 있어 방문객들에게 또 하나의 볼거리를 제공해 주고 있다. 특히 야외수영장이 개장하는 여름방학시기에 많은 사람들이 찾아온다. 중간지점에 있는 '민락정'에서 내려다보는 경관이 일품이며, 벚꽃 필 무렵의 고복자연공원은 아는 사람만 아는 숨겨진 명소이다.

Kong Daebak, a farmhouse restaurant in Sejong City, is a compound word of the local name 'Daebakgol' and 'Kong' meaning beans used to make tofu. It is a carefully prepared farmhouse meal hoping for a long and healthy life through abundant consumption of healthy beans. Additionally, in Daebakgol, just as rare peaches and nutritious beans grow abundantly in a paradise enjoyed by immortals, it is said to wish great success in the affairs of all visitors to Kong Daebak. It is a specialty restaurant for tofu and vegetable dishes made with homegrown agricultural products and eco-friendly local food, offering a traditional and healthy meal. It is an excellent place to experience Korean cuisine, a representative of slow food. Since the dishes are made fresh daily, reservation one day in advance is required. The restaurant is located in a countryside house harmonized with quiet rural scenery, serving dishes that taste like a mother's cooking.

금강자연휴양림은 자연 그대로의 모습을 많이 간직하고 있고 수종은 주로 활엽수이다. 숲에 들어가면 유유히 흐르는 충남의 젖줄인 금강이 내려다 보이며 바람소리가 시원하다. 그 외 이곳의 볼거리로는 산림박물관, 수목원, 온실, 동물마을, 야생화원, 연못, 팔각정 등이 있어, 중부권 최대의 산림휴양문화공간 및 자연학습교육장으로 손색이 없다.