Dongtan theme park with sand play and fish drawing: Artis Theme Park

I was trying to figure out where to take my baby when I ended up visiting Artis, a theme park in Dongtan. Artis isn't just a place to look at animals — it's a hands-on theme park where you actually experience and learn things — so I went with Roti. Roti just turned 14 months and has started recognizing animals and enjoying the fun of feeding them or trying activities herself, so this visit was way more fun than I expected 💛 I loved that there was such a variety of hands-on content to try!

The main program is a docent tour. Artis's flagship program combines docent-style education with life-science exploration activities. There's a discount promotion running right now, so instead of paying full price on the spot, I'd recommend booking through Naver Reservation.

Where is Artis Theme Park, and where do you park?

Artis Theme Park is on the 9th floor of Sinyu Medi Plaza at 10 Dongtandae-ro 19-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. It's between Lotte Department Store and Traders, and about a 3-minute walk from Dongtan Station, so it's really easy to get to.

Operating hours are weekdays 13:00–19:00 and weekends/holidays 12:00–19:00, with last admission listed as 1 hour before closing.

Parking is available in the indoor lot on B1–B3 of the building, with up to 3 hours free matching your visit time. There's also an outdoor lot in the building across from the Dongtan Station outdoor public parking lot!

Tickets and entry: axolotls right at the door

You can watch axolotls while waiting right from the ticketing entrance at Artis! The moment Roti walked in, she spotted the axolotls and got super interested. She stood there watching them for ages before we'd even entered haha. It really matters that a place for babies grabs their attention from the very entrance!

After buying tickets, they give you an entry wristband along with a stamp map and a name tag 💛 The stamp map was fun because it made me want to find each experience zone one by one as we walked around Artis! And having a name tag really made it feel like we'd come to properly experience things together.

We were waiting number 36! When it was our turn, we got a KakaoTalk notification, so we didn't have to keep checking the number board, which was convenient.

Once you get the notification and go in, a staff member explains the feeding process and helps you scoop the feed yourself.

Since it starts right away with scooping feed together with your kid, it felt like the experience began the moment we walked in 💛

How does the docent tour and its activities work?

It's a docent tour — not just viewing, but structured so you listen to explanations about the animals while also getting hands-on experience, which I loved because it gives kids both fun and education at once.

Lizard City reptile touch — but the 14-month-old chose the sand

The real start of the experience is Lizard City, the reptile zone 🦎 A keeper explains each reptile one by one and helps the kids get up close and gently touch them.

It felt amazing to see and touch reptiles up close that you don't normally get to meet! But then an unexpected twist showed up.

Our Roti got completely obsessed with sand play instead of the reptiles lol. For 14-month-old Roti, apparently sand play — touching it, scooping it, pouring it — was way more fun than the fascinating reptiles........... She came here for the reptile experience and ended up spending forever just playing in the sand…

Guinea pig carrot feeding, then Dr. Fish

Next up was the guinea pig feeding experience! At first she just watched how it was done, but then at some point Roti picked up a carrot with her tiny hands and popped it right into the guinea pig's mouth lol. Our Roti's really turned into a baby who knows how to enjoy things now haha.

After that we met crocodiles, Dr. Fish, and starfish. Honestly, the most excited member of our family was my husband lol. It's not exactly a secret that dad enjoyed it more than Roti did.

The crocodile zone was marked 'Coming Soon.' Looks like they're preparing a new experience there!

Stingray feeding and the crowd-favorite otters

Next we got to try stingray feeding and see otters and even seals. Apparently the most popular animal at Artis is the otter!

We got to watch an otter playing with a rock, and it was so cute I ended up watching for ages. Roti didn't join the otter experience itself yet, but it was so popular that kids were lining up for it!

Now that she's 14 months, I can really tell the difference — things she would've just walked past before, she now pays attention to one by one and actually watches and enjoys, which was so amazing to see.

Finishing with the draw-your-own-fish activity

After going through a zone with crayfish, crabs, and shrimp, the closing program was waiting for us.

It's an activity where you draw your own fish and it gets projected onto a screen!

Roti loves drawing and scribbling with colored pencils normally, so this was absolutely perfect for her ♥

The kids' café zone on the way out: one free drink per person

On the way out after finishing the experience, there's even a café zone where kids can play 💛 Having a space for kids to play their hearts out at the end was perfect for kids who don't want to head straight home after all that experiencing.

Only children 120cm or under can enter, and each person gets one free drink — that's honestly the best, best thing 👏🏻💕

Watching Roti play while I sipped a coffee …💛 Roti had no energy crash even at the end, checking out and playing around everywhere — she really got to enjoy it fully 💗 That she fell asleep in the car isn't exactly a secret 🤣

Where is the nursing room at Artis Theme Park?

Artis's nursing room is located across from the ticket booth! Handy to use before entering or after leaving!

What worked and what didn't with a 14-month-old

• Lots of hands-on content! It's not just looking at animals — there's a lot of feeding, touching, and other participatory experiences, so kids never get bored.
• Even 14-month-old Roti could enjoy it plenty. I wasn't sure a baby this young could do all the activities, but she showed more interest than I expected, from watching animals to feeding them to the drawing activity.
• A kids' café at the very end! After finishing all the experiences, there's a space for kids to play, which rounds things off nicely. The one free drink per person was great too.
• A varied route means you can enjoy lots of things in one visit. Getting to see reptiles, otters, stingrays, fish, and insects all up close is probably the biggest advantage.

If I had to point out a downside, popular experiences can have a wait. But there's so much variety that we could look around other zones while waiting!

Roti's mom's one-line verdict on Artis Theme Park

It's not just watching animals — feeding, all sorts of hands-on activities, and finishing with a kids' café. Even 14-month-old Roti got to enjoy it fully without a moment of boredom 💛

On a day when you can't decide what to do with your kid, this is a great place to knock out experiences and play in one go! Highly recommend!!