Brick Campus Jeju: A Lego Paradise for Kids and Adults
Since we were traveling with family, including a young boy, the trip revolved around the kid. I looked for a place that both children and grown men would enjoy, and we ended up at Brick Campus. For some reason, the little one was a bit indifferent at first, but as soon as he saw the Legos, his heart rate must have spiked—his eyes grew wide, and he couldn't stop talking to express his excitement. What would we have done if we hadn't come...
After getting our tickets and moving to the next building, the main exhibition begins. I read that the Lego company designates outstanding amateur builders as official Lego Brick Artists, granting them unlimited access to Lego bricks. Since these are works by actual artists rather than ordinary people, the quality, expressiveness, and creativity are incredible. The descriptions show a diverse group—some started this as a hobby, while others actually majored in art. I thought it would just be a place to look at toys, but it's practically an art museum.
From here on out, I'll stop typing, since writing down explanations probably won't jog my memory any better than the photos will.
Once the exhibition ends, you reach the place every parent dreads: the Lego store. They sell other brands of building blocks too, but pretty much everyone buys Lego. In most families, the kids beg for toys and the parents tell them to pick just one. But about 20% of the time, you'll see a mom or dad tempting their kid, saying, "Isn't this one pretty? Let's say we should buy this one." Lego truly is the ultimate "kidult" hobby.
Up on the 3rd or 4th floor of the shop, there's an area where you can build your own Lego cars and race them down a track. Naturally, it's a playground for kids. Every now and then, you'll spot fathers and mothers who pretend to be playing with their children but are clearly having way more fun themselves. However, most parents are just sitting there with blank expressions, haphazardly putting together cars that make you wonder if they'll even roll. Between the museum-quality exhibits and the hands-on playtime, it's well worth the admission fee.
Jeju residents get a 30% discount, but assuming that doesn't apply to you, buying tickets through Naver (the Korean web portal) gets you a 10% discount, which is usually the lowest price. There might be special events that offer bigger discounts, but generally, Naver is the cheapest. It costs 13,500 KRW, and you can easily spend three hours here, so it's a great spot to visit if you feel like you're running out of places to take the kids. There's also a package that includes a brick keyring for 18,000 KRW. Looking back, it would have been nice to get the keyring to carry around as a souvenir.