If you’re traveling in Korea with young kids, here’s a local secret worth knowing: within an hour or so of Seoul, you’ll find a whole category of family destinations built around the outdoors, big open play fields, water-play zones, indoor playrooms, and private cabins where you grill your own BBQ. Koreans often call this style of outing “camcnic” (camping + picnic): the fun of a campsite without needing to own any gear or pitch a tent.
These places exist for a very Korean reason. Most families live in apartments, so kids rarely have a yard to run wild in. Complexes like this give them room to sprint, ride bikes, splash around, and burn energy all day, while parents relax over a barbecue. They’re hugely popular for weekend gatherings, and many are clustered in the countryside just outside the metro area (Gyeonggi Province), making them easy day trips.
On this trip we visited HAUS PLAY LAB in Anseong, about an hour south of Seoul, with a friend’s family, six of us total on a weekend. It packs indoor play, outdoor play, water play, and BBQ into one spot, and both the kids and the adults had a blast. Here’s everything you need to know.
🎟️ How It Works, 3 Ways to Visit
HAUS PLAY LAB offers three ways to book, so you can match it to your group and how much you want to cook:
- ① Admission only, No private cabin; you freely use all the play facilities and (in summer) the pool. Includes one welcome drink. Under 36 months free (with proof). No time limit.
- ② BBQ Cabin, Outside food not allowed; you buy fresh meat from the on-site store and grill it. Cabins for 4–6 or 7–10 people. Cabin fee roughly ₩5,000 weekday / ₩20,000 weekend (3.5 hrs weekday, 4 hrs weekend).
- ③ Camcnic Cabin, Outside food allowed. 4–8 people. Cookware, utensils, grill and salad bar are not provided, so bring your own gear. Best for families who love their own camping setup.
The admission itself has no time limit, you only reserve a time slot for the cabin, and you can keep using the play areas before and after until closing. We went camcnic-style and brought our own meat from the supermarket.
📍 Location, Hours & Parking
It’s in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province (about 1 hr from Seoul by car), and only ~5 minutes from Wonsam-myeon in Yongin, so it’s easy to reach from that side too. Everything runs on 100% advance reservation, with a large lot (70+ cars), so parking stays comfortable even at weekend peak.
- Address: 120-1, Bosam-ro, Bogae-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do
- Phone: 0507-1383-2162
- Hours: Thu–Fri 12:00–20:00 / Sat–Sun 11:00–20:00 (closed Mon–Wed)
- Reservation required (Naver reservation) · Parking available (70+)
- Outside food: not allowed with Admission/BBQ cabin (use the store); allowed with Camcnic cabin
Hours, prices and policies can change by season, always check before you go.
🏠 Arrival, Reception & Store
After parking, you check in at the reception (which doubles as the store), get your wristbands, everyone wears one to enter, and a quick orientation. Since Admission and BBQ-cabin guests can’t bring outside food, the store is key: it stocks snacks, instant noodles and cup rice, fresh meat, drinks (including alcohol), side dishes and disposable cookware, so you could come empty-handed and be fine. There’s also a separate corner with a microwave and sink where you can wash up and heat food yourself, which was handy.
🪵 Indoor Lounge & Shaded Rest Area
HAUS PLAY LAB was designed by an architect and a carpenter as a “house-play project,” and it shows, the warm wood interiors are genuinely stylish. Inside the reception building there’s a spacious lounge where you can leave your bags and rest, with strong A/C (bring a light cardigan!). There’s a paid craft-workshop corner and a “Han River ramyeon” cooking machine for a quick warm snack. Outside, a covered shade area with tables is handy for escaping the midday sun.
🧩 Indoor Play Room
Rain or shine, there’s a large indoor playroom in the building next to reception, packed with LEGO, eco-friendly wooden blocks, a mini billiard table and educational toys, plus bean-bag toss, Duplo, a play kitchen and sports corners. You can also borrow board games at reception, which our kids loved.
🏃 The Outdoor Field (Our Favorite!)
The outdoor field was the highlight of our visit. The surface isn’t grass, it’s a smooth plastic floor made so bikes and kick scooters glide, so kids (and adults!) can zip and drift around. There are 10+ kids’ bikes and scooters, including bikes with a rear child seat, so you can ride with a toddler, and kids can scoot right in front of the cabins. Honestly, I had a blast riding among the little ones myself. There are also basketball hoops to shoot around. Just note there’s no shade over the field, so bring sunscreen and hats on hot, sunny days.
🪨 Gravel Water Play
Beside the field is a gravel water-play area that’s a huge hit with kids. Unlike a sandbox, the fine gravel doesn’t cake onto clothes and shakes off easily, a win for parents. With construction/digger toys and running water, kids splash happily for ages. Pack a change of clothes and water shoes (crocs), and there’s a shower if things get messy.
🏊 Summer Pool (Seasonal)
In summer there’s also an outdoor pool, free for admission holders, with a large sunshade and a giant inflatable air-bounce slide the bigger kids love. Note the pool typically opens after June 20, and it wasn’t open yet when we visited, so we enjoyed the gravel water play and the field instead. If summer swimming is part of your plan, check the opening date before you go.
🍖 Cabin & BBQ (We Did Camcnic)
Our cabin was a cozy triangular hut, really cute. The A/C was already running at our reserved time, and it came stocked with wet wipes, tissues and a ceiling fan. There’s a grill just outside where you can cook over charcoal. We brought our own meat from the supermarket (camcnic style) and grilled it ourselves. If you choose the BBQ Cabin instead, you buy meat from the store and get access to a salad bar (lettuce, ssamjang, kimchi, etc., until an hour before closing).
🚿 Showers & Restrooms
After all the water and outdoor play, the shower and restroom facilities are surprisingly clean, resort-level tidy, with a kid-friendly layout and hair dryers, so you can dry off and head home fresh.
💡 Tips for Visiting
- 100% advance reservation, book via Naver before you go
- No shade over the field → bring hats, sunscreen, water shoes and a change of clothes
- Strong indoor A/C → a light cardigan is handy
- Under 36 months enter free (with proof)
- In summer, arriving around 4 pm is great, play in the daylight, then start the BBQ as the sun sets 👍
⭐ Final Thoughts
HAUS PLAY LAB rolls indoor play, outdoor play, water play and BBQ into one easygoing day out, a perfect example of Korea’s “camcnic” culture. With its stylish wood interiors, that brilliant bike-friendly field, gravel water play, a summer pool, and reasonable store prices, it’s a great-value weekend escape from the city. If you’re looking for a family day trip near Seoul where the kids can truly run free, Anseong’s HAUS PLAY LAB is an easy recommendation.
HAUS PLAY LAB
120-1, Bosam-ro, Bogae-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Thu–Fri 12:00–20:00 / Sat–Sun 11:00–20:00 (closed Mon–Wed)