From palaces to theme parks: Where to go this Chuseok

Four royal palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and royal tombs free for four days

National museums host traditional holiday programs nationwide

Theme parks offer horror festivals and extended night hours

National arboretums and four MMCA branches open free of charge

Visitors at Changdeokgung Palace [Korea Tourism Organization]

The season of the full harvest moon is here, crickets chirping beneath the eaves.

This year's Chuseok holiday runs just four days including the weekend — a far cry from the golden runs of up to 10 days in years past. The tighter schedule may leave less time for travel, but the holiday's essence remains: families gathering to share warmth and time together. Here is a guide to the country's top destinations this holiday season — cultural heritage sites, museums, theme parks, arboretums and galleries — where loved ones can make memories together.

Four palaces, Jongmyo and Joseon royal tombs free for four days

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion at Gyeongbokgung Palace [Korea Tourism Organization]

The Cultural Heritage Administration's Palace and Royal Tomb Management Division will open Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung palaces — along with Jongmyo Shrine and Joseon royal tombs in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province — free of charge from Thursday through Sunday. Visitors wearing hanbok may enter without going through a separate ticketing process. Jongmyo, which normally requires advance reservations, will be open for walk-in visits throughout the holiday period.

The Royal Guard-Changing Ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace [Korea Tourism Organization]

At Gyeongbokgung, the Royal Guard-Changing Ceremony (10 a.m. and 2 p.m.), the Guard Patrol Ceremony (11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) and the Guard Night Patrol Ceremony (3 p.m.) are all open to visitors without prior reservation. Deoksugung will offer guided tours of its palace halls four times daily — at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 2:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Guided tours of the Seokjojeon Hall of the Korean Empire History Museum operate on a reservation basis, with in-depth sessions at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and general tours at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Special programs requiring advance paid reservations — such as tours of Changdeokgung's rear garden, the Moonlight Tour and Gyeongbokgung's night visit program — are excluded from the free admission offer. For those unable to visit in person, an online event called "Everyone's Genre Painting 2026" lets participants create their own Joseon-era characters through a dedicated website.

National museums mark Chuseok with traditional holiday programs

National museums across the country will hold events highlighting historical artifacts and traditional holiday customs. Programs fall broadly into three categories: hands-on traditional games, performances and courtyard shows, and special exhibitions.

Special exhibition 'Our Table' at the National Museum of Korea

The National Museum of Korea will open its permanent galleries free of charge alongside a special exhibition, "Our Table," exploring the food culture and seasonal customs of Korea's ancestors. In the outdoor open plaza, the "2026 The Art Spot Series" — co-hosted with the Korea Traditional Performing Arts Foundation — will be staged free of charge on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with performances at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day. The series opens Thursday with the National Gugak Orchestra and the Samulkwangdae performance, followed Saturday by Sori ON and Yeonhui Company Yuhui, and Sunday by performance group Cheorat, vocalist Kim Jun-su and ethnic fusion band Dubeonjjae Dal. The National Museum of Korea will be closed on Chuseok day, Friday.

Children enjoying folk games at the Jeju National Museum [Jeju National Museum]

Regional national museums will also run Chuseok-specific programs. The Cheongju National Museum will offer traditional games and hands-on activities Saturday and Sunday, with a farmers' band performance and the traditional play "Bangwijjaengi Myeonuri" (The Flatulent Daughter-in-Law) on Sunday. The Gongju National Museum will present "Gugwan Myeonggwan Myeongjinjeon," a traditional courtyard performance featuring nine master performers, on Saturday.

The Jeonju, Iksan and Jeju national museums will run visitor-participation folk game areas centered on oversized yutnori (a traditional board game), pitch-pot and wish-writing activities, along with photo zones. Most national museums will be closed on Chuseok day, Friday, so visitors should check schedules in advance.

Safari by day, zombies by night

Everland characters Lenny and Lara dressed in hanbok [Everland]

For visitors seeking more action-packed outings, major theme parks including Everland, Lotte World and Legoland will stay open throughout the Chuseok holiday, offering horror-themed attractions, nighttime performances and family activity programs. A notable feature this year is the dense lineup of both daytime and nighttime programming, with tailored experiences and special evening shows.

Performers at the horror-themed zone 'Blood City Zero' at Everland [Everland]

Everland will run holiday programs from Thursday through Sunday, including a panda sticker challenge, limited-edition holiday merchandise, folk games and hanbok character photo sessions. Staff dressed in hanbok will greet visitors at the main gate, and the carnival plaza will host folk game experiences. Park restaurants will serve special Chuseok menus featuring assorted jeon (savory pancakes) and makgeolli. After dark, the large-scale horror zone "Blood City Zero" will operate daily from 4 p.m. — an immersive live-performance experience in which visitors complete escape missions, with visual effects combining sculptures and projection mapping.

The parade 'Dark Fantasy Festival' at Lotte World Adventure [Lotte World Adventure]

Lotte World Adventure will present "Invitation to a Strange World," drawing on the universe of Japanese horror manga artist Ito Junji. Themed sculptures and photo zones reflecting Ito's distinctively eerie aesthetic will be installed throughout the indoor park. A new sub-parade, "Dark Fantasy Festival," inspired by the unsettling atmosphere of his work, will run nightly at 8:20 p.m.

Lotte World's Chuseok event [Lotte World Adventure]

The Lotte World Folk Museum will host "Folk Games Festival" from Thursday through Sunday, featuring pitch-pot, yutnori and ddakji (a traditional card-flipping game), along with a "millstone coffee" experience where visitors grind coffee beans using a traditional stone mill. The aquarium will hold ecological presentations from Thursday through Sunday in which otters, sea lions and capybaras receive special meals made from seasonal autumn ingredients; a baby penguin dressed in hanbok will also make an appearance at 11:30 a.m.

Seoul Sky, the country's highest observation deck, will host a saxophone ensemble performance on the sky deck at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Also on offer are a photo zone called "Throne at the Summit," created in collaboration with popular esports team T1, and an interactive themed space called "T1 in the Sky" on the 121st floor, chronicling the team's history.

Nighttime operation at Legoland's Miniland in Chuncheon [Legoland]

Legoland in Chuncheon will extend its operating hours until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the two busiest days of the holiday. In line with its autumn festival "Brick or Treat," the main stage show "V.I.M. Monster Party" will be staged three times daily. Throughout all four days of the holiday, the Bricktopia Creative Workshop will host the "Legoland Spinning Top King Challenge," in which visitors compete to see whose hand-built Lego top spins the longest.

Seoul Land's musical 'Gumiho and Ghost Party' [Seoul Land]

Seoul Land will hold "Hangawi Nori Daejeon," a Chuseok holiday festival featuring a large-scale alley game event called "Why Did You Come to Our House," traditional folk games and a dalgona candy-making experience. The park will also present a ghost-themed interactive performance and the participatory musical "Gumiho and Ghost Party."

National arboretums and forest recreation areas open free of charge

Bian Hill at the Korea National Arboretum of Native Plants [Korea Arboretum and Garden Management Institute]

For those seeking rest in nature, three arboretums managed by the Korea Arboretum and Garden Management Institute and national forest recreation areas have arranged free admission events for the Chuseok holiday.

The three institutions — the National Baekdudaegan Arboretum in Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Province; the National Sejong Arboretum in Sejong; and the Korea National Arboretum of Native Plants in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, all operated by the Korea Forest Service's Korea Arboretum and Garden Management Institute — will be closed on Chuseok day, Friday, and open free of charge on Thursday and Saturday through Sunday.

The Pink Studio in the special exhibition 'The Five-Color Garden Painted by Henri Matisse' at the National Sejong Arboretum [Kim Myung-sang]

The National Baekdudaegan Arboretum will open its Seed Vault — a native plant seed storage facility — and a special exhibition on climate change titled "Forest, Open for Business," and will hold an ecological presentation on Siberian tigers at the Tiger Forest on Saturday. The National Sejong Arboretum will offer traditional game experiences including yutnori and jegichagi (a shuttlecock-kicking game), and will present "The Second Season of the Five-Color Garden," an autumnal reimagining of its ongoing special exhibition "The Five-Color Garden Painted by Henri Matisse." The Korea National Arboretum of Native Plants will run an autumn flower week through Oct. 11, with a pressed-flower fan-making workshop. In addition, some 40 national forest recreation areas across the country will waive all admission fees from Thursday through Saturday.

Four MMCA branches free; Daegu opens landmark Jeong Seon retrospective

Exterior of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul branch

Art lovers can also enjoy free admission and special exhibitions at galleries during the holiday. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will offer free entry at its Seoul, Gwacheon, Deoksugung and Cheongju branches. The Seoul branch will be open Thursday and Saturday through Sunday, closing only on Chuseok day, Friday, while the Gwacheon, Deoksugung and Cheongju branches will operate normally all four days from Thursday through Sunday.

"Reading at Leisure," from Jeong Seon's album "Gyeonggyomyeongseungcheop" [Gansong Art and Culture Foundation]

The Daegu Gansong Art Museum will mark the 350th birth anniversary of Joseon landscape master Jeong Seon with a special exhibition, "Jeong Seon — Painting Joseon Through Joseon's Eyes." The show brings together 216 works across 84 items — including one national treasure and seven treasures comprising 71 pieces — drawn from collections including the National Museum of Korea and the Waegwan Abbey. It is the largest solo exhibition of Jeong Seon's work ever mounted in Korea, gathering pieces that are rarely seen together. Among the highlights making their full public debut are the treasure-designated albums "Gyeonggyomyeongseungcheop" and "Haeakjeonsincheop," as well as the painting sets "Sosangpalgyeongdocheop" and "Gwandongpalgyeongdo." The museum will be closed on Chuseok day, Friday.

Mask dance, media art and a hanbok feeding show round out the holiday

The Sokcho Lion Dance at the Andong International Mask Dance Festival [Andong City]

A range of immersive cultural events will also invite visitors to participate directly. In Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, the "2026 Andong International Mask Dance Festival" opens Thursday, bringing UNESCO-listed mask dance performances from Korea and abroad, street parades and communal festival events to venues across the city.

In Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, a media art light show will illuminate the Hwaseong Fortress area through Oct. 6, while the nearby Hwaseong Haenggung Palace will offer nighttime programs including a theatrical tour, a moonlit fortress walk and other evening experiences alongside extended night hours.

The National Maritime Museum of Korea in Busan will run special exhibitions and traditional game activities during the holiday, and on Chuseok day will present a feeding show performed by divers dressed in hanbok. The museum will remain open on Chuseok day.

Media art display at Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon [Suwon Cultural Foundation]

Free admission policies, operating hours, closure dates and reservation requirements vary by venue. Some facilities will be closed on Chuseok day, Friday, so visitors should check the latest information on each institution's official website and ticketing page before heading out.

terry@heraldcorp.com