Myeongokheon Garden 명옥헌 원림
Damyang · Myeongokheon, Songgangjeong & Myeonangjeong · Sights
Myeongokheon is a scenic garden designated as a place of scenic beauty, built around a small pavilion beside a pond with crape myrtle trees planted all around. The pavilion's name is said to come from the sound of stream water striking rocks, which was compared to jade beads. On ordinary days it is quiet, with a still pond and an old wooden floor to sit on, but when the trees bloom red in high summer the whole pond turns pink and photographers arrive in numbers.
The village lane is narrow and you walk in from the car park. Take your shoes off before stepping onto the pavilion floor and keep voices low.
Park at the Myeongokheon lot in Goseo township and follow the village path on foot. It is about 20 minutes by car from Damyang town. (Show a driver: 명옥헌 원림)
Show this Korean name to your taxi driver or match it to signs: 명옥헌 원림
- Best time to visit
- Late July to August on a weekday morning for the blossoms; any other season for peace and quiet.
- Pair it with
- Songgangjeong Pavilion and Deulkkotsup are a short drive away, and Cafe Ieum sits on the road onward.
- Great for
- Couples, Parents, Solo travelers
- Local tip
- A Joseon-era pond garden with a pavilion ringed by crape myrtle trees. Free to enter, and the red blossoms in high summer draw crowds.