Within walking distance of the Vella Suite Hotel is the Namsangol Hanok Village. I went with friends on Seollal. It’s a traditional village where you can try traditional foods, and watch historical life. There are several houses in the village and it’s suppose to be similar to what life was like during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897).On weekends they host traditional weddings.
Outside of the village but still within the grounds is the Thousand Year time capsule and an area where you can try traditional games like yutnori, tuho, neolttwigi. The Thousand Year time capsule was set up for Seoul’s 600th anniversary and has messages from sister cities all over the world engraved on the flat stone above it.
The Hanok village is free, but some activities they host are not. I didn’t end up doing any of the activities beyond trying to toss coins into the wishing well. My friends and I went early and they were still setting up which, paired with the cold, made it less enjoyable. If we had gone later or watched a wedding it might have been more enjoyable. They have special events for holidays and those change depending on the holiday. On Seollal they had a lot going on throughout the day but it was mostly quiet and empty before everything started. Usually the Hanok village is closed on Tuesdays.
It is really cool though to be in what feels like a traditional space right in the middle of the city. Plus there’s a nice park between the village and the time capsule. There were a lot of kids around having fun with their families.
