"I took a red-eye flight from Busan. I wondered if I really had to do an 'open run,' but seeing my child enjoy a pilot experience made me feel it was worth the trip."
On the morning of the 28th at the National Aviation Museum of Korea in Gangseo District, Seoul, a person surnamed Jeong, 43, said this. Jeong lined up from 8:30 a.m. and was the first to enter the museum that day. Jeong smiled and said, "With the heat wave, outdoor activities feel burdensome, but I'm satisfied that my child can explore to their heart's content in a cool indoor space."
With summer vacation starting, more families are visiting museums and hands-on pop-up stores. It appears to be because they can enjoy activities indoors with solid air conditioning to escape the heat wave.
◇ Parents beam as they watch kids in the cockpit
At 9:50 a.m., about 55 people were lined up in front of the National Aviation Museum of Korea. When the doors opened at 10 a.m., children held their parents' hands and headed straight to the second floor, where pilot and air traffic control experiences are located. Parents chased after kids who ran ahead with smiles, a grandmother entered slowly with her grandchild, and even a foreign family looked around inside with excited expressions as a steady stream of visitors continued.
Inside the experience zone, children sat in the actual interior of a Boeing 747 to try being pilots and climbed onto the Black Eagles 360-degree simulator to enjoy the speed of flight. The light aircraft and helicopter experience zones and the in-flight safety training area, where they put on emergency evacuation gear, were also bustling. Children pointed to the next experience station and prodded their parents to hurry.
A person surnamed Kim, 63, who visited with a grandchild during the daycare break, said, "It's cool inside, and there's even a restaurant and rest area, so it's convenient," adding, "It was worth bringing the grandchild since they were delighted to see the airplanes."
Opened in July 2020, the National Aviation Museum of Korea has been gaining word-of-mouth among parents of so-called "airplane enthusiasts" as a hands-on museum, with visitor numbers rising quickly. In the first half of 2026, the museum drew 253,303 visitors, up 134% from a year earlier.
Its summer vacation education programs are also popular. The "Drone Pilot Academy," where participants assemble and fly drones themselves, closed early after advance applications reached 600% of the intake.
◇ National Museum of Korea Children's Museum draws crowds from reopening day
The National Museum of Korea Children's Museum in Yongsan District, Seoul, was also packed from the morning with families entering according to their reservation times. When an announcement at the information desk said, "Viewing ends on the hour," parents and children hurried into the gallery.
In the permanent exhibition hall, children touched artifacts on digital screens and directly handled or smelled food models. Parents helped with the activities or took photos and videos to record the children's moments.
After a monthlong revamp, the Children's Museum reopened that day with the exhibition "Cultural heritage on the table." It is designed so kids can learn about Korea's food culture through play. Children assembled large 3D puzzles shaped like bowls, jars, and earthenware; and used a mortar, millstone, steamer, and tilting beam press to experience traditional cooking processes. A creative space was also set up for decorating a traditional table setting and expressing their own table stories in writing and drawings.
From reopening day through early August, most advance reservations for the Children's Museum were already filled. It operates on a reservation system with six sessions a day for a total capacity of 320 people, and all time slots are fully booked through Aug. 3.
A visitor identified as A, who came to the Children's Museum with a 6-year-old child, said, "There was so much to do that the child kept running around without a chance to get bored," adding, "It's cool inside and the facilities are clean, so it's satisfying from a parent's standpoint, too."
◇ Parents line up despite the heat wave… hands-on pop-ups are also "packed"
Hands-on pop-up stores are also popular summer escapes. The "Roblox pop-up store" ongoing at the Musinsa Megastore in Seongsu, Seongdong District, Seoul, is fully booked on weekends, and most weekday morning slots are also filled. Despite sweltering weather topping 30 degrees Celsius that afternoon, long lines of children and parents formed at the entrance after on-site registration, waiting to enter the Roblox pop-up store.
Inside the pop-up store, children tried Roblox games on gaming PCs with joysticks and darted around completing missions. At the adjacent goods shop, some stood out as they picked hats, T-shirts, and stationery bearing the game's logo while chatting with their parents.
A parent identified as B, who came with an elementary school child, said, "My child was really happy to try the activities and get the merch," adding, "Waiting was tough, but seeing how much the child enjoyed it made me feel it was worth coming."
The Pokémon card shop at Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul is also highly popular, with an average of 180 to 210 people taking queue tickets each day. On online communities, posts read, "I lined up from dawn, but I wanted to buy the Pokémon cards my child wanted at least once," and, "Seeing my child boast to friends and beam with joy made the effort worthwhile."
This summer, the "open run" has become more than competition to buy popular items, settling in as a new vacation scene for families seeking a special day with their children.
An employee at the Musinsa store hosting the Roblox pop-up store said, "We've held various brand pop-ups over time, but it's the first time so many elementary school students have flocked to the site," adding, "Family visitors have surged with the vacation season."