Make May a month of family fun

Exhibitions, performances and hotel packages offer something for everyone during family month


May, a month marked with days celebrating the family, is just around the corner.

Though bills will run up while preparing for Children’s Day coming up next week (May 5), soon followed by Parents’ Day (May 8) and Teachers’ Day (May 15), the month should be celebrated properly.

If you are thinking about something more special than crowded amusement parks, here are some interesting and fun suggestions to please every member of the family.

Enjoy art together

More than 50 private art museums throughout the nation are holding special exhibitions for the family month. The Korean Art Museum Association rounded them up under the title “2012 Museum Festival.” It will run from May 1-31.

In Seoul, participating museums include Kumho Museum, Daelim Contemporary Art Museum, Savina Museum of Contemporary Art, ArtSonje Center, Total Museum of Contemporary Art, The Museum of Photography, Seoul, Whanki Museum and Hello Museum.

They each hold shows and hands-on programs through which kids can actually participate and learn beyond art. Kumho Museum will teach the basics of abstract paintings while Savina Museum of Contemporary Art gathered interesting artworks that aim to teach kids about the human body using special materials like X-ray films. Total Museum of Contemporary Art will hold a special exhibition dedicated to disabled children. For more information, visit www.artmuseums.or.kr.

Meanwhile, kids can meet Miffy, a character who has been a long-time favorite among children, at Amway Gallery in Gumi-dong, Gyeonggi Province. The gallery will exhibit about 60 of Dick Bruner’s original paintings of the beloved bunny character.

The gallery has prepared seven different art side programs to the show, in which children can participate with their parents to learn how to cook like Miffy, decorate Miffy’s bag or design Miffy’s cup or badges.

The exhibition will run from May 2 to June 24. Admission is free. For more information, call (031) 786-1199.

Dazzling performance for kids and parents

The play-version of the famous “The Dandelion’s Story” will be staged just in time for Children’s Day. The tale is about how a small piece of worthless dog excrement which used to roll around the streets is one day reborn as a beautiful dandelion flower. 

The original book, one of the best selling children’s novels by Kwon Jeong-saeng, swept prizes after it was first published in 1969. It was turned into many different genres, including play, animation and music.

It will run from May 4 to 6 at Goyang Oulim Nuri in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province. For more information, call 1577-7766 or www.artgy.or.kr.

Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, will hold a music concert just for kids on Children’s Day. It is designed for kids attending a concert for the first time.

It will feature acclaimed pieces like Camille Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals,” but familiar actress Kim Ji-ho will be on stage to explain it to the young audience. A screen will show images and illustrations related to the music so that kids can better understand the works.

Tickets range from 10,000 won to 30,000 won. For more information, (02)580-1300 or visit www.sacticket.co.kr.

For trot-loving parents, Sheraton Grande Walkerhill’s Walkerhill Theater holds a dinner show “Scent of May” featuring trot singer Choo Hyun-mi from May 7-8. The concert will be accompanied with a six-course fusion hansik, or Korean traditional cuisine, meal. The price ranges from 200,000 won to 220,000 won. For inquiries, call (02) 455-5000.

Renaissance hotel also hosts a Parents Day Special Dinner on May 8th accompanied by live concerts by singers Kim Soo-hee and Lee Yong. It is priced at 130,000 won. For inquiries, call (02) 2222-8300.

Family’s day-out at hotels

Ritz-Carlton Seoul will hold a Magic and Bubble Gala Show on Children’s Day at its Grand Ballroom. The event will also be accompanied with a b-boy show, a taekwondo performance, an English-language musical and the screening of the Disney animation “Cars 2.” It costs 120,000 won for adults and 60,000 won for children. For details, visit www.ritzcarltonseoul.com.

Lotte Hotel Jeju prepared a healing mother-daughter vacation with the “Dear Mom Package” which is available through June 30. The package includes a two-night’s stay in the hotel’s superior lake room, breakfast for two, volcano fountain show buffet, trekking and foot therapy for two. The package price begins at 325,000 won per night, exclusive of VAT and service charge. For inquiries, call 1577-0360. 

Sheraton Grande Walkerhill presents a pricy but health-conscious package “HUE Retreat: Premium Stay & Checkup Package” until June 30, specially designed for parents in their 40s to 60s. It offers a luxurious night at the club family suite, a healthy-meal room service or dinner at Korean restaurant Ondal and a medical checkup at hospital Chaum.

Or, guests can stay for two nights and get a whole body check up including an MRI. Prices vary from 4,190,000 won to 11,450,000 won for two persons, tax and service charges included. Additional charges may apply on weekends.

For those who wish to cherish the memories of the special night for a long time to come, Walkerhill’s “Memory for Love Package” includes hair and makeup at beauty salon Foresta and a studio shoot voucher at photo studios Montble or Withyou. The package is priced at 452,000 won on weekdays and 492,000 won on weekends for two adults. For more information, call (02) 2022-0000.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldcorp.com)