Cheomseongdae is an astrological observatory located in a big park in Gyeongju. It’s the oldest observatory still standing in Asia, having been built in the 7th century by the Shilla Kingdom’s queen Seondeok. It’s free to visit, and when we went on Chuseok night, incredibly popular.
Due to how crowded it was we ended up returning on our last night in Gyeonju after the day had been a constant downpour and the amount of people visiting was vastly different. Practically no one was in the park, which was bizzarre in contrast. On Chuseok there had been little blue toys that lit up being flung into the air, artists were camped out along the paths with lights doing portraits and caricatures, we were constantly moving out of the way of cycalists who were frantically ringing their bells and surrounded by families with children and couples. But on a rainy night we could hear the crickets and it was silent. We were able to peacefully walk through the lily pad fields nearby and the flower fields. So if it’s raining, that may be the perfect time to visit at night.