To celebrate May - which is also known as “family month” - many parents lasso in the kids and head out for shopping or sightseeing excursions. But there are plenty of other ways to create some truly special memories. Here are some recommendations that will help you and your children experience Korean culture and get in some quality family bonding time            

■Busan Museum History Experience Room

The History Experience Room, which opened at the Busan Museum in July 2009, is a place where foreigners can actually experience and feel traditional Korean culture first-hand.

This room is located on the first floor of the main exhibition hall at the museum. Visitors can check out various aspects of Korea’s cultural history through numerous activities, such as trying on traditional royal clothes, learning about etiquette tied to drinking tea and other aspects of the country that you cannot experience or see easily in daily life.

You can try on the ornate clothes any time the room is open with the help of two cultural tour guides who provide detailed information and explanations about the garb. A popular activity is called the Dado (tea drinking etiquette) Experience, which takes place three times daily: at 10:30 a.m. 1:30 and 3 p.m. The course, which takes about an hour, focuses on the history of tea in Korea and includes information on how to make it. Participants also learn about tea etiquette. Those who want to participate in the course can simply make a reservation through the museum’s Web site, museum.busan.go.kr.

Visitors can also make a copy of traditional prints using rice paper, a cotton bat and towels. The tools are sold at the site (one set costs 2,000 won ($2)). It takes about 15 minutes to make a copy. At the traditional clothing area, you can wear hwangnyongpo and hongnyongpo, which are types of dress the king of the Joseon Dynasty used to wear when working. You can also try on hwangwonsam and hongwonsam, the clothes that the queen used to wear.

▷Opening hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, closed on Mondays

▷Admission: Adults 500 won, teenagers 300 won, children free

▷Information: 051-610-7141

■Oh My Land

Oh My Land at the Geumjeong Fortress in Geumjeong District is an environmentally friendly multi-purpose attraction with various facilities including a traditional cultural hall, a library for children, a swimming pool and other outdoor facilities. It opened in October 2004 and is used frequently by children and teenagers and also serves as a popular picnic spot for families on the weekends.

Oh My Land features a total of five traditional cultural programs for visitors, including ones focused around tea and Korean etiquette, hanbok (or traditional clothing), traditional food, games and even kimchi. All of the activities will be held in a cultural hall that resembles a traditional Korean house. Activities take from 40 minutes to 90 minutes.

The admission for each program varies from 10,000 won to 30,000 won. You can choose individual activities or select a package program. 

▷Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays

▷Admission: Dado Experience 20,000 won, Hanbok Experience 10,000 won and Kimchi Making 25,000 won

▷Information: 051-517-5111

■Temple stay

A temple stay is known as a quintessential Korean experience, popular not only with those who seek inner peace but also foreigners who just want to experience Korean Buddhism. In Busan, Beomeo Temple is one of the best options for this unique experience. The one-night, two-day temple stay option is held once a month on weekends. The temple stay program here starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday and continues for 24 hours until 2 p.m. on Sunday. The first afternoon starts off with an opening ceremony followed by a communal Buddhist meal service (also called balwoo gongyang). Those who join the program then make 108 bows, attend an evening service, meditate and eventually go to sleep. The second day begins with a dawn service, another communal meal, a forest meditation period and a Dado Experience course. 

▷Opening hours: Temple stay are offered once a month. The confirmed schedule is announced at the Beomeo Temple Web site (www.beomeosa.co.kr), which also handles reservations.

▷Admission: Adults 50,000 won, teenagers 45,000 won and children 40,000 won.

▷Information: 051-508-5728

■Chungnyeolsa traditional wedding

You haven’t truly experienced Korean culture until you’ve attended a Chungnyeolsa wedding, which is held on the lawn in front of the main entrance of Chungnyeolsa. This place is popular among brides and grooms who are looking to honor the past in a modern, unique way. The Chungnyeolsa traditional wedding has been held since 1985. Foreigners living in Busan can also use this service for their own weddings as well.

▷Opening hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from February through September

▷Traditional wedding facility fee: 100,000 won

▷Information: 051-523-4223

■Geumjeong Fortress makgeolli class

The Geumjeong Fortress Village is offering a program that lets visitors try their hand at making ? and trying, of course ? makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine. The program is offered year-round. Participants learn the fundamentals of how to make makgeolli with yeast and hard-cooked rice. The program lasts two hours, and you need to bring comfortable clothes and shoes.

▷Opening hours: Year-round

▷Admission: Adults 10,000 won, teenagers and children 8,000 won.

▷Information: 010-6532-6682

■Minsok Madang straw crafts

The Minsok Madang is located at Guseo-dong, Geumjeong District and operates a straw experience course that focuses on making traditional daily life items with straw (rice, wheat, barley and others) in addition to hosting a Neolttwigi (similar to see-sawing) performance. The straw experience class provides visitors with a chance to make dolls, snakes, Korean grasshoppers and bokjori using straw.

▷Opening hours: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed on Sunday

▷Admission: Straw experience activity 7,000 won, Neolttwigi performance 30,000 won

▷Information: 051-582-8809