A Cheese Castle on the Prairie: How to Time Your Activities at Imsil Cheese Theme Park

Why a Cheese Castle Was Built on a 150,000㎡ Meadow

Imsil Cheese Theme Park is introduced as Korea’s only hands-on tourist destination themed around Imsil cheese. It was developed over an eight-year project beginning in 2004, and through the second- and third-phase projects, the site expanded to 150,000 square meters, equivalent to the area of 22 soccer fields.

The story of Imsil cheese began in 1964. After Belgian priest Didier Serstevens, known in Korea as Father Ji Jeong-hwan, was appointed parish priest of Imsil Catholic Church, he made cheese with local residents using goat’s milk. In 1967, Korea’s first cheese factory was established in Imsil. Imsil County is introduced as a clean region where 70% of its total area is mountainous, and the local environment became the foundation for clean milk production and the cheese industry.

09:00–18:00, Free Admission with Separate Fees for Activities

Visiting hours are 09:00–18:00, and admission is free. However, cheese and pizza activities require separate payment from admission, so the budgets differ for visitors who only explore the buildings and outdoor areas and those who participate in activities. The official website is https://cheesepark.kr/.

Regular closing days are every Monday, January 1 each year, Chuseok, and Seollal. However, the official activity page separately states that the park operates normally every Monday in October. Visitors planning a Monday visit in October should therefore consider the discrepancy between the general closure notice and the activity page. The admission cutoff time and separate seasonal operating hours were not found in the published information.

Activity inquiries can be made at 063-643-2300 and 063-643-3400. Imsil Cheese Experience Center is listed at 063-643-2300, Fromager Restaurant at 063-643-3401, and the Imsil N Cheese shop at 063-643-0006.

11:00 Cheese and 10:30 Pizza: Your Reservation Determines the Route

Individual cheese activities are offered at 11:00, 14:00, and 16:00, and last 60 minutes. Individual pizza activities begin at 10:30, 13:30, and 15:30, and last 30 minutes. The individual fee is 18,000 won per person for both the cheese and pizza activities, while the group fee is 17,000 won per person for each.

The Imsil N Cheese activity teaches participants how cheese is made and lets them package the cheese they make themselves. The pizza activity involves tasting or packaging a personal pizza made by each participant. Course D, which combines both activities, lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes and costs 34,000 won per person for individuals.

Online activity reservations are available for dates beginning three days after the current date, and on-site registration is accepted until 30 minutes before the activity begins. All activities are available to participants aged 24 months and older, and children below middle-school age must register and pay together with a parent. Refunds are not possible on the day of the reserved activity. Cancellations made before 18:00 on the previous day are eligible for a refund of 50% of the deposit.

What to See in the Cheese Hall, Theme Hall, and Park Hall

The activity center consists of the Cheese Hall, Theme Hall, and Park Hall. The cheese activity, which teaches visitors how to make cheese from clean raw milk, is the central attraction. Visitors without activity reservations should distinguish between the free-admission areas and the paid activity areas as they move around.

At the Imsil Cheese History and Culture Hall, visitors can learn about Father Ji Jeong-hwan, the history of Imsil cheese, and the cheese-making process. Because the exhibits connect the origins of cheese with its production process, stopping here before or after an activity makes it easier to understand how Imsil cheese developed from goat’s milk into a regional industry.

A visitor center and nursing room are also available. According to the official information, the theme park includes a rose garden and a goat ranch, and visitors can see goats and rabbits at the animal farm.

See the 17 m Promotional Tower and Cheese Castle in the Same Area

The promotional tower is a 17-meter facility designed in the shape of cheese. The second floor has a photo zone and a kiosk explaining the cheese-making process, while the third floor serves as an observatory. From the observatory, visitors can see the Cheese Theme Park and Cheese Village at a glance.

Cheese Castle is the theme park’s landmark, introduced as a building resembling a European castle. The first floor houses Fromager Restaurant, a cheese-specialty restaurant with 360 seats, while the second floor contains Lucerne Café and Appenzell Hall.

If you plan to dine, it is useful to note Fromager Restaurant’s phone number, 063-643-3401, separately. Visitors wishing to buy cheese can contact the Imsil N Cheese shop at 063-643-0006. Rather than passing quickly through the entire park, it is more efficient to explore the History and Culture Hall, promotional tower, and Cheese Castle as separate areas.

1 km from Imsil IC: Driving Is the Simplest Option for International Visitors

The street address is 50 Doin 2-gil, Seongsu-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk State. If arriving by expressway, head toward Dangdang Village from Imsil IC and then enter Imsil Cheese Theme Park. Official materials state that the theme park is approximately 1 km from Imsil IC.

When using National Route 17, enter via Imsil IC and in the direction of Dangdang Village when traveling from Jeonju toward Namwon. From Sunchang, the route leads through Gangjin onto Local Road 30, and from Jeongeup, it also leads through Gangjin onto Local Road 30 before continuing toward Dangdang Village.

Visitors using public transportation should use Imsil Bus Terminal, Gangjin Bus Terminal, or Imsil Station as their base. Imsil Bus Terminal is at 22 Unsu-ro, Imsil-eup, and can be reached at 063-642-2114. Gangjin Bus Terminal is at 10 Hoguk-ro, Gangjin-myeon, and can be reached at 063-643-1012. Imsil Station is at 2932 Chunhyang-ro, Imsil-eup, and the railway inquiry number is 1544-7788. Official information does not provide bus route numbers, stop names, or service intervals, so it is safer to consider traveling by car or taxi rather than deciding on a local transfer spontaneously at the station or terminal.

6,237㎡ Parking Area and Wheelchair Access Information

The parking area is listed as 6,237㎡, or 1,890 pyeong. The total number of parking spaces for general visitors and parking fees were not available in the published official materials. Four accessible parking areas are located near the visitor center, near the main entrance to Cheese Castle, and near the Imsil Local Food Direct Market, among other locations.

The main entrance has no steps, allowing wheelchair access. Two accessible elevators operate inside Cheese Castle and the Imsil Cheese Theme Park information hall. Tactile and audio tourism information boards and chair-style tables are also provided.

Accessible restrooms are located outside Cheese Castle, inside the Imsil Local Food Direct Sales Store, near the accessible parking areas, and inside the Imsil Cheese History and Culture Hall, for a total of four locations. They include infant stands and emergency bells. Stroller rentals and a nursing room beside the food court are also available. Whether English information or audio guides are provided could not be confirmed.

You May Bring a Kickboard or Grass Sled, but You Cannot Ride It

Riding kickboards and grass sleds is prohibited within the foundation grounds. The park states that it is not responsible for accidents caused by their use, so visitors cannot use personal recreational equipment on-site simply because the grounds appear to have a wide meadow.

Survival games consist of a seven-minute first half and a seven-minute second half per session, while screen shooting lasts no more than three minutes per session. The survival game area can be reached at 063-644-1588. These facilities are separate activities from the cheese program, so visitors should leave enough time for travel and registration when scheduling them between cheese and pizza reservations.

Activities proceed even in rainy weather. Therefore, the cheese activity itself can be included in a rainy-day itinerary, but the weather may affect satisfaction for visitors focusing on outdoor facilities such as the rose garden, goat ranch, and meadow. If activities are your only goal, plan around 60 minutes for cheese, 30 minutes for pizza, or 1 hour and 30 minutes for Course D.