Dongtan indoor theme park: otter pet rock for kids aged 6 and 3, Artis

On a seriously hot weekend I went looking for an indoor place to take the kids, and we found a really good one! My sons, 6 and 3, played happily for almost 3 hours! Today I'm introducing Artis Theme Park in Dongtan! As the only indoor ecology experience theme park in Korea, it has loads to see and do! Let me start my honest visit review!

Artis Theme Park in Dongtan: location and admission

Artis Theme Park is on the 9th floor of Sinyu Medi Plaza in Dongtan. You see it the moment you step out of the elevator! You just show your booking, get a ticket wristband, and go in!

It's cheaper to book in advance on Naver. Once your booking is confirmed, they give you a wristband and a name tag!

The kids wear the ticket wristband on their arm and you stick the name tag on their clothes! Adults have to wear one too!

Before you go in: restrooms, food rules and lockers

There are no restrooms inside Artis Theme Park, so be sure to go before you enter. It helps to read the preparation list before going in!

• No restroom inside, so go beforehand (there are places to wash hands here and there inside)
• No outside food allowed!
• Leave strollers, bags and jackets in the lockers

Also, the nursing room is outside the park! It has a diaper-changing table and they even had diapers ready, haha. Great thinking!

Entry goes by number ticket

At Artis Theme Park you get a number ticket at the entrance and go in in order. Once you're ready, you wait at the entrance for a moment. They give you a ticket and a number, and when your number is called, you can go in!

Packing your own snack basket

First you have to get the snacks for the animals! They give you a small container, and you pack the snacks that match your number and put them in the basket!

Usually at this kind of experience, everything is already in the container, right? At Artis Theme Park the kids can pick the snacks themselves from the start, so they loved it! Haha!

The basket holds the snack container, tongs, carrots, a stamp tour card, an experience pass and more! Everyone takes a basket and walks in, and you're all set!

Touching the animals up close

The first zone of Artis Theme Park is where you can touch giant snails, hermit crabs and rhinoceros beetles by hand. In this first area you can watch all kinds of creatures up close and connect with them by touching!

Seeing creatures they don't usually get to see, the kids' eyes sparkled, and they even put the touchable ones on their hands! (Mom was scared, though...)

There's also sand play on one side, with a media screen where the picture moves every time you shovel sand, so the kids had a blast!

Animal feeding: the 6- and 3-year-old's favorite part

Now a string of feeding zones begins! Turtles, carp, guinea pigs and more. This is when you give them the snacks you packed at the start!

As expected, feeding was the kids' favorite! They could feed real animals up close while their mouths were wide open, and they thought it was amazing!

Sea creatures, starfish and Dr. Fish

Artis Theme Park also has a space where you can see a real crocodile, but it was still being prepared when we went! Instead, we saw lots and lots of alligator gar, the fish that looks like a crocodile, haha.

They put their hands in for the Dr. Fish experience, and the starfish can be touched, so my oldest carefully picked one up and kept touching and studying it, haha.

Freshwater rays, pirarucu, alligator snapping turtles and so many other creatures you don't normally see, all in one place. It felt like a really meaningful experience!

We also saw a cute seal! Getting this close to a seal! The kids kept chasing after it to watch it, haha.

Getting a pet rock from the otter (extra fee)

Artis Theme Park has an otter who's a famous star with 300 million views on Instagram! We paid a separate experience fee and got to receive a pet rock from the otter, haha.

When the otter hands over the pet rock, you give it a snack as thanks! Haha. The otter's toes look just like my younger son's hand, lol! So cute!

I heard that making little houses for pet rocks and decorating them was a trend for a while? We brought our pet rock home too, and the kids built it a house out of blocks, lol.

Last stop: the kids' café and a free drink

One of the best things about Artis Theme Park is the last stop, which has a big jungle gym like a kids' café and free drinks, so parents can rest comfortably!

But there's a 120cm height limit, so only little kids can play there! My boys played right to the end, sweating and having a great time, haha!

Each adult gets one free drink, so we picked 2 drinks that the kids could share too, and enjoyed them! Kids' drinks are sold separately as well!

There's also a small gift shop selling plushies and key rings of the creatures you saw at Artis Theme Park. If your kids love them, they'd make a nice souvenir, haha!

Artis Theme Park: 3 frequently asked questions

Do babies under 18 months pay admission?

Children under 18 months get in free if you bring proof of age, so make sure to pack documents like a resident registration copy or a health insurance card before you visit.

Can you eat inside Artis Theme Park?

Sadly, outside food isn't allowed, so I recommend having a light meal before or after your visit. (We had lunch at a pork cutlet place 10 minutes away by car and then went to Artis Theme Park!)

How long does a visit to Artis Theme Park take?

It depends on your kids' mood and ages, but with a 6- and 3-year-old, seeing everything and finishing all the experiences took about 2 to 3 hours.

Verdict: Artis Theme Park with kids aged 6 and 3

I've been to lots of experience places, but Artis Theme Park, which I visited for the first time this time, was so satisfying because kids really get to connect with the creatures themselves! From packing their own snacks before entering, to looking at creatures along the way, to playing hard at the kids' café at the end, the boys had such a good time that they asked to come again, haha.

If you've been looking for things to do with kids in Dongtan during school vacation or on a weekend, try the cool, indoor Artis Theme Park! You'll make good memories!