Dongtan indoor zoo with a third grader: 7-feed full set at Artis

Artis Theme Park at a glance

Artis Theme Park (아르티스테마파크) is an indoor zoo on the 9th floor of Sinyu Medi Plaza, 10 Dongtan-daero 19-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. It is open 13:00–19:00 on weekdays and 12:00–19:00 on weekends and holidays, with last entry at 18:00.

• Parking: building basement levels 1–3 / up to 3 hours free
• Booking: Naver booking available / groups inquire separately
• Visiting with kids: recommended
• Activities: feeding, interaction, live ecology talks, etc.
• Groups: daycare centers, kindergartens, etc. can book
• Facilities: nursing room, lockers, etc.
• Pets: not allowed

How to get to Artis Theme Park and where to park

Park easily in the basement of Sinyu Medi Plaza, then ride the elevator up to the 9th floor, whoosh!!!

The moment the elevator doors open, Artis Theme Park is right there, haha. My 3rd-grade son loved places like this when he was little. I was a bit worried he'd be too grown up and unimpressed, but the second he saw the fish and tanks, his interest shot up. ♡

Tickets: how much is the 7-feed full set?

When you buy tickets at the Artis Theme Park counter, they give you a wristband and a name tag. Haha. We also signed up for the 7-type feeding full set (₩6,900).

Then you get a waiting text message, and after a short wait you go in.

Packing your own feed lunchbox

At Artis Theme Park, you watch a video and then pack each type of feed into your lunchbox yourself, haha. The containers are numbered, and it's all written out how much of each feed to put in.

First zone: touching reptiles, snails and pill bugs

Feed lunchbox in hand, the experience begins! We started happily at the spot where you can touch reptiles, snails, pill bugs and more, haha. My son isn't scared of this stuff, so he interacted and petted them gently. There were lots of other reptiles, turtles and so on, and he was thrilled. Heh.

So many things to try! 😀

Snake-necked turtles, basilisks and other animals he'd seen in books as a little kid started appearing, and his excitement kept climbing 😃

I took the turtle food out of the feed lunchbox we'd packed earlier and sprinkled it in. 🙂

Looking at all these different reptiles, I finally understood people who keep reptiles for the first time. They're really pretty and so gentle that there were moments I thought they were cute. 😊

Second zone: feeding tortoises, meerkats and carp

The second area had more animals, including land tortoises, meerkats and carp to feed. 😄

Cute meerkats, haha. That blank, staring expression is pure charm 😉

Again we took out the feed lunchbox and fed the carp. There were guinea pigs too, and we handed out carrots as food. There was also a rabbit, quite big but cute. 😊

Touching horseshoe crabs, plus doctor fish and starfish

In the next area, there were horseshoe crabs right at the entrance. My son had been very interested in horseshoe crabs, so seeing them in real life was amazing for him.

There was a horseshoe crab touching experience too, so my son tried it. 🫢 A real-life meeting with the horseshoe crab, also called a living fossil.

We also tried Dr. Fish (fish that nibble your skin) and the starfish touching experience. 😊

They said you get a badge if you collect all the stamps, so we stamped diligently whenever we spotted one ☺️

From feeding rays to seals, armadillos and otters

In the next area, we did the ray feeding experience too. We met a hugely oversized turtle 😉 and there was a pirarucu as well.

We met a seal, and it was so pretty. The way it looked at me seemed a little sad and it hurt my heart. Or maybe it's just my mood...

We also met an armadillo, which I'd only ever seen in books. ☺️

We watched another kid do the otter experience, and the otter even brings you a pebble as a gift. So cute 🥰

There was a pelican too. As expected, the beak is enormous, heh. And we did the parrot feeding experience 😆

Last zone: the fish a third grader loved most

The next area had all kinds of fish, my son's favorite. We enjoyed looking around. 😊

There was a remora too. I'd always wondered what the sucker pad on its underside looks like, and so that's what it looks like, haha.

Seeing this unique fish was the last stop and the tour ended. There were far more kinds of creatures than I expected, so even my 3rd-grade son had a really good time. 🥰

Is Artis Theme Park worth it for elementary schoolers? Verdict

A Dongtan indoor zoo for any weather

Artis Theme Park in Dongtan was an indoor hands-on theme park where you can meet a wide variety of creatures, built around a concept of five oceans and six continents. You can visit regardless of the weather, so it's a good indoor outing to take kids to in Dongtan on rainy or cold days.

Hands-on fun beyond just looking at animals

Instead of just looking at animals like at an ordinary zoo, there were many programs to take part in, such as feeding, interaction and interactive experiences. Kids could see animals up close and experience them directly, so they never got bored while looking around.

Ecology talks led by the zookeepers

There were live ecology talks led by professional keepers and aquarists, so you naturally learn about the animals' traits and habitats. It doesn't end with simply looking at animals; it was also a good educational experience that gets kids interested in life and nature.

Feeding a wide range of animals yourself

At Artis Theme Park you could feed animals directly using feed prepared for each one. Kids especially like seeing animals take food at close range, and it let us observe animals that are hard to encounter day to day much more closely.

Animal encounters kids love

Beyond feeding, there were programs for interacting directly with some animals, so the range of experiences was wide. By observing and touching animals under a keeper's guidance, kids can feel close to animals and naturally learn how precious life is.

A great half-day indoor outing with kids in Dongtan

You can enjoy animal viewing and experience programs together, so it was a great way to spend time with a child. There is an underground car park, and visitors get up to 3 hours of free parking, so it was convenient to come by car. If you're looking for a special indoor outing with your kid, it's worth a visit at least once.