Lotte World Folk Museum: The Best Part of My visit to Lotte World

 Lotte World was a disappointment due to way too many rides being closed on the one visit I was able to make. However, one part of the park was quite nice: the Folk Museum. It's free with a Daily Passport to Lotte World. It's a bit out of the way from the rest of the park, so follow the signs and just keep going.

 After showing your ticket and passing the guards, you can start your chronological lesson.

 The museum starts before the dawn of man, with a bit on dinosaurs, before getting to hunter-gatherers.

 The museum has lots of dioramas to help get a feel for how life was.

 This is a model of the Number Three Tomb in Anak. The museum is broken up into rooms based on general time periods and dynasties. The main areas are: Prehistoric, Three Kingdoms, Goryeo, Model Village, and Play Yard, which is a stage area with occasional performances and reenactments.

 There are plenty of artifacts and models.

 English signage throughout helps understand the scenes, which show daily life and culture in a much more visual way than the national folk museum at Gyeongbokgung. Both museums combined together (actual artifacts plus visual displays) really complete the picture.

 The clothing is pretty impressive. I wonder how hard it is to walk in a hat like the one the guy is wearing.

 One very large room has a series of scenes that combine to make a full city, including a royal palace.

The museum moves into the 20th century with a street scene.

 You can peer in the windows of the shops before finishing with an exhibit on Korean foods.

For 10,000 won ($10) you can have your photo taken in traditional costumes; there's also a restaurant and gift shop here.

If Lotte World's thrill rides had been open, this would have been a pleasant addition to my day. But without those, it helped make a bad situation a little better.

The Folk Museum is open 9:30-20:00; last admission is at 19:00. With a Daily Passport to Lotte World, admission is free, otherwise adult tickets are 5000 won ($5). The museum is accessed from Lotte World itself or in the mall on an upper floor from Jamsil Station Exit 4 (Lines 2 and 8).