Situated in Subi-myeon in Yeongyang County, Geommasan Natural Recreation Forest abounds with phytoncide given off by the trees. This is a place where visitors can engage themselves in programs to discipline the mind and body. The forest offers accommodation facilities, a place for observing indigenous plants, tent sites, outdoor decks, hiking trails, and various other convenience facilities.

Sunsan Country Club offers a refreshing ambience created by pine trees alongside fruit trees, maple trees and cherry trees. The golf course features wide fairways and an artificial pond that is the size of three middle holes put together, winding along the whole course to present magnificent scenery.

Near the recreation forest are historically-famous sites such as Bongamsa Temple, the relics of Gyeon Hwon, the birthplace of Ungang Lee Kang-nyeon, and Mungyeong Saejae Mountain Pass. Allowing visitors to enjoy sightseeing and leisure sports at the same time, the recreation forest offers various hands-on experience at the ceramics exhibition hall, ecological park, clay shooting range, rafting site, and the drama open set. Located right next to Yongchu Valley, the recreation forest’s facilities include the Forest Culture Recreation Center, Forest Cabin, Woodcraft Experience Center, and forest experience trails along Seonyudong Nadeul-gil.

Namsan Mountain, located in the southern part of Gyeongju-si, is a registered UNESCO site referred to as Gouisan for its highest peak, Cheollyongsan and also Surimoe (수리뫼) in pure Korean. Korean Traditional Food Experience Education Institute, Surime, is owned by Park Mi-suk who studied under Hwang Hye-seong, holder of the Intangible Cultural Property No. 38 for Royal Cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty. The institute operates various traditional cooking experience programs open for all to participate. Surime shares the walls of the Choi family home, designated as a cultural asset, spanning over 500 pyeong (1,652.89㎡) with well-preserved traditional hanok buildings built over 100 years ago. The center is comprised of various experiential facilities.

Unmunsan Mountain (1,118 meters) is one of the seven mountains rising over 1,000 meters above sea level in the Yeongnam Alps in the Taebaeksanmaek Mountain Range. Unmunsan Mountain features dense groves, attracting a large number of hikers. From the summit, one can get a great view of the golden reeds on Cheonhwangsan Mountain to the south, and the ridges of Gajisan Mountain to the east. There are various sized temples and hermitages on the mountain, nestled among a splendid landscape. Unmunsa Temple is situated at the foot of the mountain on the northern side. It was built by Sinseung in the 18th year of the reign of King Jinheung (557) of the Silla Kingdom. Though some buildings burned down during the Imjin War, the Obaengnahanjeon Hall and Gwaneumjeon Hall have been preserved in their original state. The dense groves of pine trees and fir trees add to the tranquility of the beautiful scenery. In the temple, seven treasures are kept, including the stone lantern (Treasure no. 193) in front of Geumdang Hall. The historic relics date back to the Silla Kingdom and Goryeo Dynasty.

Ulleungdo Lighthouse was first lit in 1958 as a guiding light for boats coming to and from Ulleungdo Island. The lighthouse is a round, white concrete structure rising 7.6 meters high with a light reaching as far as 50 kilometers away. The hiking trail up to the Ulleungdo lighthouse is a natural, narrow path among groves of trees. The gentle slope is surrounded by uniquely shaped cliffs, so it is a popular hiking course for tourists.

Chilgok Dogae Hot Springs opened on June 1, 1998. Its Grand Hot Springs Bath is capable of accommodating almost 2,000 people at once. The Chilgok Dogae Hot Springs has several facilities such as accommodations, convenience stores, a Korean restaurant, and more. Chilgok Dogae Hot Springs uses alkali sulfur spa water that contains 12.3mg of sulfur, 0.01mg germanium, 30.6mg sodium, 3.11mg chlorine, and 3.09mg fluorine and the water is around 35℃. Prior to first use, the water does not undergo any filtering so that it maintains all its natural benefits. There are several tourism attractions near the hot springs like the Songjeong Natural Recreation Forest, Dabudong War Memorial Museum, and Waegwan War Memorial Museum.

Gyeongju was the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Silla. The city is often referred to as a “museum without walls” because of the many cultural relics scattered throughout the city. Almost everything in this city, from the streets to the mountains, is rich in history. Gyeongju has roughly 300 sites that have been designated as a cultural heritage, with some of them being UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Sites. The Gyeongju Special Tourist Zone includes the districts of Namsan, Wolseong, Daereungwon, Hwangryongsa and Sanseong. This area has a total of 52 cultural assets registered on the World Heritage list. Many of the hills are actually royal tombs and fields of grass used to be sites of ancient temples. The entire Namsan Mountain can almost be considered a cultural asset because of the many stone pagodas and Buddha statues that can be found here. The Bulguk district is home to many of Gyeongju’s most well-known attractions such as Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, Gyeongju Folk Village, Silla Arts and Science Museum, and Goereung. In the Bomun district, there are plenty of recreation facilities surrounding Bomunho Lake. Other attractions in the area include Gyeongju World Culture Expo Park, Gyeongju World and Silla Millennium Park. [Gyeongju Special Tourist Zone] Areas included: Downtown area, Bomun Lake Resort and Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do Area size: 32,650,000㎡ Tourist Attractions: Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, Daereungwon Tomb Complex, Namsan Mountain, Bomunho Lake, Shilla Millennium Park, Gyeongju World Culture Expo Park, etc. Gyeongju Cultural Tourism Website: guide.gj.go.kr

The construction of this huge hot spring complex started in Yeongil Bay in 1988 after it was found out that the Yeongil Bay has the highest geothermal heat in Korea while drilling for oil in 1974. The water’s main ingredients contain healthy minerals such as calcium, natrium, fluorine, magnesium, chlorine, sulfuric acid, fluorine, zinc, germanium and radium. Yeongil Bay Hot Springs maintains its water with alkali bicarbonate at a pH of 9.43. The temperature of the water is somewhat low though at 35℃. The hot springs help to recover from fatigue, to help beauty care, anti-aging, neuralgia, heart disease, and liver functions. The water here also has a very unique texture.

Yangjeondong Rock Art (discovered in 1971) is a rock painting 3 meters high and 5.5 meters wide that vividly depicts the life and religion of the Prehistoric Age. Rock art from the time period was created on rocks or other planes considered to be sacred and usually carried a message of fertility. The artwork of Yangjeondong shows layered circles (symbolizing the sun and the moon), crosses (depicting the “life zone” of the tribe), and 17 masks. The artwork is considered to have been used for ceremonial purposes or farming events.