Best of Ulsan – Things to Do

This category includes Festivals, Museums, Galleries, and People Watching.

Best Festival – This was a close race, but ultimately, readers voted the Whale Festival, held at the end of April each year, as their favourite, with 50% of the vote. A close second was the World Music Festival, held in October, with 42%.

Best Museum – A scant few years ago, if you wanted to spend a day being cultured and learning about history, you had to either leave Ulsan, or hit the books. Now, we have a wide range of museums to chose from. Our oceanic cousins prove to be the most popular again, as in another tight finish, the Whale Museum triumphed with 55% of the vote, over the newer Ulsan City Museum, which scored 44%. While it’s a little surprising the other area museums weren’t even mentioned, it’s nice to know the two in town are both well received. And again, the fact that there is not just one, but several museums to choose from in the area is exciting for the nerd in everyone.

Much like Museums four or five years ago, Art Galleries are a rarity in Ulsan. Besides the Art and Culture Center, you’re better off heading to Busan’s Museum of Modern Art to get your fix of paintings and sculptures.

People Watching, however, proved to be a very popular thing to do in Ulsan. In fact, there were so many submissions, it’s hard to find a winner. The most popular spot to watch the world go by is the Starbucks in Samsandong, next to Lotte Hotel, that faces the main intersection. They received 35% of the vote. Honourable mention goes out to Babo Sagori (Crazy/Stupid Intersection) in the Mugeodong Ul Dae area, just up the hill from the Ulsan University main gates, with 14% of the vote. A number of other coffee shops, convenience stores and parks were mentioned.