Ratchaburi: Dream Destination for Art Lovers

For art lovers and culture enthusiasts, Ratchaburi can be an ideal destination. The recent upcoming art and culture tourism trend can be vividly seen in Ratchaburi province, just 1.5 hour drive from Bangkok. There are several places catering to tourists, there are: 

Tao Hong Tai Ceramics Factory and d Kunst Art Gallery, Mueang district
This is special place that would fill up the heart of art lovers. Tao Hong Tai Ceramics Factory is the longest established ceramics factory in Ratchaburi. Now the present generation has transformed the family business into a unique art place where visitors can see a wide variety of high quality and specially-designed ceramics including Chinese ceramics, Thai ceramics, and modern ceramics, custom-made ceramics, furniture, sculptures and tiles. You will get so much inspired by walking around the ceramic art exhibition at Tao Hong Tai factory. Don’t forget to also visit d Kunst Art Gallery which is the center of art books and journals. Contemporary art exhibition are occasionally held over here, making it an interesting scene for all art lovers.   looking for something exotic, chic and contemporary, plus the recipe of local culture. In Ratchaburi, 

Wat Khanon Shadow Puppet Museum , Photharam district

We checked out this place with the least expectation but the signboard pointing to here is so tempting that we didn’t want just to pass by. It turned out that the Shadow Puppet Museam at Wat Khanon at Phothram district, Ratchaburi really cast the spell on us. The temple has dedicated a Thai-style building to be a small museum showcasing many interested pieces of finely-crafted ‘Nang Yai.’

Nang Yai is one of the cultural heritages and oldest forms of theatrical arts ever performed in Thailand. It can be traced back to the times of King U-thong of Ayutthaya (1350-1369). Nowadays, public performances of Nang Yai are very rare, they are occasionally staged for demonstration purposes only and Wat Khanon in Ratchaburi province is one such places. Every Saturday at 10.00 hrs, a Nang Yai performance is shown to keep this ancient performing art alive. This is one of the three troupes currently existing in Thailand.

In daily circumstance, visitors can see beautiful exhibition of Nang Yai, the large-size leather crafted in traditional Thai designs. So this is a genuine place of interest for a real fan of Thai performing art and culture.  

Ratchaburi National Museum

Constructed since King Rama VI, the museum’s building used to be the Provincial City Hall. At present, it is used to exhibit Ratchaburi’s ancient artifacts which tell of the province’s history, archeology, and ethnology, traditional cultures of Ratchaburi ethnic groups such as Lao Song, Karen, and Thai Yuan. One of the most beautiful artifacts showcased here is the Guan Ying Goddess of Mercy carved in Khmer Bayon style. It is one of the five Goddess image ever found in Thailand, making this museum well worth visiting.  

Damnoen Saduak & Klong Lad Phli Floating Markets, Damnoen Saduak district

The longest-established floating market in Thailand actually has its origin in Ratchaburi. Damnoen Saduak has been the most popular day-trip destination for a long time yet its local charms still remain until today. Now, the nearby canal called Klong Lad Phli floating market has been revived to also welcome visitors. Here you can enjoy the sight and sound of local boat vendors carrying various kinds of fruits and a wide variety of food fresh from their farms and households throng in the narrow canals, making the nostalgic scene of traditional Thai life and enabling Ratchaburi a charming destination of all time.

The Bloom Orchids Park

Ratchaburi is also an important orchid farm for export. Today, you are able to visit the Bloom Orchids Park in which you can see a wide variety of orchids, both indigenous species and newly-developed species of orchids. They are beautifully decorated and separated in different zones, allowing visitors to admire the different beauty of orchids in the park. There are also other activities such as a boat tour in the lotus pond, farm tour and feeding the lovely sheep in the farm.