Free Public Access to Walailak University’s Open and Green Spaces
Walailak University remains firmly committed to developing a sustainable, environmentally responsible, and people-oriented residential campus. In support of this commitment, the university continuously enhances its internal and external environments by developing multifunctional open and green spaces that support recreation, relaxation, learning, and interaction with nature. These areas include landscaped grounds, gardens, tree-covered areas, recreational spaces, and other accessible outdoor environments that contribute to the well-being of the university community and surrounding society.
Importantly, these open and green spaces are not restricted exclusively to students and university personnel. They are permanently accessible to members of the public and can be enjoyed free of charge. By maintaining publicly accessible outdoor spaces, Walailak University provides opportunities for people to connect with nature, engage in recreational activities, spend time with their families, and enjoy a healthy and welcoming environment. This approach reflects the university’s commitment to creating an inclusive campus that serves not only as a place for education and research but also as a shared space that contributes to the quality of life of the wider community.
Free Public Access to Green Spaces
Walailak Park (WU Park)
Walailak Park, completed in 2018, is one of Walailak University’s major publicly accessible green and recreational spaces. Covering approximately 100.79 acres, the park is strategically located near the university’s main entrance and is designed to provide a welcoming outdoor environment for both the university community and the general public. The park is permanently open to the public and can be accessed free of charge, allowing people from the surrounding community and visitors from elsewhere to enjoy its natural, recreational, and cultural spaces without an entrance fee.
Public visitors can access Walailak Park conveniently through the main entrance of Walailak University. The park is located close to the university’s main entrance and directly opposite Walailak University Medical Center Hospital, making it easily identifiable and accessible to visitors who are unfamiliar with the campus. Members of the public do not need to make an appointment, register in advance, or contact university officers before visiting the park. Visitors can simply arrive at the university and access the park during its public-access periods. Parking facilities are also available, allowing visitors to conveniently travel to the park by private vehicle.
Developed in support of the university’s commitment to environmental sustainability and a green campus, the park encompasses approximately 408,000 square metres of land, including 208,000 square metres of inland water bodies and 200,000 square metres of landscaped areas. Its extensive natural landscape contributes to the university’s green infrastructure while providing an accessible setting for recreation, relaxation, physical activity, and community interaction.
The park provides a variety of facilities that can be freely used and enjoyed by visitors. These include cycling and jogging tracks, open areas suitable for yoga and group activities, seating areas, pavilions, gardens, and landscaped spaces. The park also offers opportunities for visitors to enjoy the natural surroundings at different times of the day, including its scenic sunrise and sunset views. By providing these facilities without an entrance fee, Walailak University enables students, staff, families, local residents, and visitors to make use of the campus’s outdoor spaces for leisure and wellbeing.
Walailak Park is also designed as a shared space that extends beyond the university community. In addition to WU students and personnel, the park welcomes residents of Tha Sala District, people from surrounding communities, visitors from across Nakhon Si Thammarat and other parts of Thailand, and international visitors. Its location opposite Walailak University Medical Center Hospital also makes it a convenient outdoor space for patients’ families, hospital visitors, and members of the public who use the hospital’s services. Free public access therefore enables the park to serve as a common community space rather than functioning solely as a university facility.
The park combines environmental, recreational, educational, and cultural functions through a diverse collection of trees, flowering plants, landscaped areas, water bodies, and other natural features. Its gardens and cultural landmarks provide opportunities for visitors to learn about local culture, art, heritage, and the natural environment while enjoying an open and peaceful setting. In this way, Walailak Park supports the university’s broader commitment to creating an inclusive campus where environmental resources and public spaces can contribute to community wellbeing and lifelong learning.
The following places and facilities are located within Walailak Park and are freely accessible to the public:
- Japanese-style Garden
- British Garden
- Thai Elephant Sculpture
- Owl Fountain
- WU Labyrinth
- Pavilions
- Heart-shaped Arch
- Golden Manorah Monument
- Krung Ching Waterfall Model Garden
- Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac Garden
- WU 33 Glory Roll
Together, these eleven sites create a multifunctional outdoor environment where visitors can freely experience nature, recreation, art, culture, and informal learning. The park therefore functions not only as a green space but also as a Sustainable Cultural Heritage Learning Hub, providing an accessible setting where environmental conservation and cultural preservation can be experienced by people of all ages and backgrounds.
The university’s commitment to free public access is further demonstrated by the park’s continued use by a broad range of visitors. In 2025, Walailak Park welcomed more than 15,000 visitors, including university personnel, scholars, students, local residents, and members of the wider public. Visitor satisfaction exceeded 93%, indicating strong appreciation of the park as an accessible space for recreation, learning, cultural appreciation, and connection with nature.
By keeping Walailak Park open to the public without an entrance fee and allowing visitors to access the park without advance registration or appointment, Walailak University transforms part of its campus into a shared community resource. The park provides an inclusive environment where people can exercise, relax, spend time with family and friends, appreciate nature and culture, and participate in outdoor activities regardless of their affiliation with the university. This approach demonstrates the university’s commitment to making its open and green spaces accessible to society and to creating a sustainable campus that contributes to the quality of life of the wider community.
WU French Style Garden
The French Style Garden, located at the entrance of Walailak University Medical Center Hospital, is a distinctive and publicly accessible green space that provides a welcoming environment for relaxation, recreation, photography, and informal learning. Its convenient location near the university’s main entrance and the hospital makes it easily accessible to members of the university community as well as visitors, patients, patients’ families, and members of the surrounding community.
The garden is open to staff, students, and the general public free of charge, with no entrance fee required to enjoy the space. Visitors can access the garden as part of their visit to the university or Medical Center Hospital, making it a practical and inclusive outdoor space that can be enjoyed by people regardless of their affiliation with Walailak University.
Designed according to the “Formal Garden” concept of French landscape architecture, the garden is characterized by geometric patterns, symmetry, proportion, order, and carefully organized landscape elements. Its formal arrangement of pathways, ornamental plant beds, shrubs, trees, grasses, white stones, and outdoor artistic features creates a distinctive visual identity within the university campus. The carefully maintained vegetation and balanced composition demonstrate the integration of landscape design, art, and nature.
The garden’s elegant and orderly appearance makes it one of Walailak University’s distinctive scenic spaces. At the same time, its natural elements create a calm and refreshing atmosphere where visitors can take a break from their daily activities, enjoy the surrounding greenery, take photographs, or spend time with family and friends. The combination of formal landscape architecture and natural features also provides an accessible setting for appreciating the relationship between science, art, design, and the environment.
Beyond its aesthetic function, the French Style Garden contributes to the university’s broader educational and environmental objectives. The garden can serve as an informal outdoor learning environment where visitors can observe different plant species, landscape arrangements, and principles of environmental design. Its vegetation also contributes to the campus’s green infrastructure by providing shade, supporting local ecological functions, improving the surrounding microclimate, and helping to absorb carbon dioxide as part of the university’s wider efforts to maintain a sustainable campus environment.
The French Style Garden therefore serves multiple purposes as an Aesthetic and Learning Green Space, combining public recreation, landscape appreciation, environmental awareness, and informal education in one accessible location. Its position at a prominent entrance area also allows visitors arriving at the university and Medical Center Hospital to experience a carefully designed green environment from the beginning of their visit.
With more than 1,000 visitors annually, the garden demonstrates continued public use and appreciation. Visitor satisfaction assessments have also indicated a high level of satisfaction, with visitors particularly appreciating its shady, beautiful, peaceful, and refreshing atmosphere. These characteristics make the garden suitable for relaxation, photography, creative activities, and other forms of outdoor recreation.
By providing the French Style Garden free of charge to the general public, Walailak University extends the benefits of its campus green spaces beyond students and university personnel. The garden represents the university’s commitment to developing an inclusive and sustainable campus in which open and green spaces are available for the enjoyment, wellbeing, learning, and environmental awareness of the wider community.
Walailak Botanic Park
WU Botanic Park, located within the conservation area of Walailak University, is an extensive green space covering approximately 1,350 rai. The park is developed as a publicly accessible natural and recreational environment, providing opportunities for students, university personnel, local residents, and visitors to enjoy nature, exercise, relax, and participate in informal learning. Access to the park is free of charge, allowing members of the public to make use of its natural surroundings and recreational facilities without an entrance fee.
The park combines natural landscapes with facilities designed to support recreation and wellbeing. Visitors can enjoy running and walking paths, seating areas, chairs, and pavilions located throughout the park, providing convenient places to exercise, rest, and spend time outdoors. The extensive vegetation creates a lush, shady, and refreshing environment, while the surrounding landscape provides scenic views of the Pruk Sachon Reservoir. The combination of trees, water, open areas, and recreational facilities creates a peaceful setting where visitors can experience nature within the university campus.
Near the entrance of the park, adjacent to the reservoir, is a specially designed tunnel titled “Embrace the Warmth of Sunrise, Bid Farewell to the Gentle Sunset.” The feature provides visitors with a distinctive landscape and photography spot while connecting the park’s recreational environment with the natural scenery of the reservoir. The surrounding area provides an attractive setting for walking, relaxation, photography, and spending time with family and friends.
In addition to its environmental and recreational functions, WU Botanic Park serves as an informal learning and academic service resource. The park provides an outdoor environment where school students, university students, members of the public, and visitors can experience nature and learn outside conventional classroom settings. As part of Walailak University’s conservation area, the park also contributes to the university’s efforts to preserve natural resources and promote awareness of environmental sustainability.
Through its combination of natural landscapes, recreational facilities, informal learning opportunities, community activities, and free public access, WU Botanic Park functions as more than a university-owned natural area. It serves as a shared green space for the wider community, providing an accessible environment for physical activity, relaxation, social interaction, environmental learning, and appreciation of the natural landscape. Its continued development reflects Walailak University’s commitment to creating a sustainable campus that connects people with nature while making its environmental resources available for public benefit.
Free Public Access to Open Spaces
The Tent Area
Located within Walailak University Botanic Park, The Tent Area is a designated open camping and recreational space that provides the public with an opportunity to experience nature in a peaceful outdoor environment. Surrounded by the park’s forest landscape and located near natural waterways, the area offers a tranquil setting for visitors to relax, study, learn, and spend time outdoors while enjoying the surrounding natural scenery.
The Tent Area is open to the public, students, and university personnel free of charge, providing equitable access to the university’s outdoor recreational resources. Members of the public can visit the area and use the designated space for tent camping and outdoor recreation without an entrance fee. This free access enables individuals, families, student groups, and other visitors to enjoy an overnight outdoor experience without needing to access a commercial camping facility.
The open camping area provides a flexible space where visitors can set up tents, relax, spend time with friends and family, and experience the natural environment. During the evening, visitors can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the surrounding forest and observe the changing landscape as the sun sets. The scenic setting has also made the area a popular destination for visitors seeking a quiet place for photography, relaxation, and informal outdoor activities.
Beyond recreation, The Tent Area forms part of the university’s development of a Mixed-use Educational Space that connects learning, leisure, and nature. Its flexible outdoor environment can accommodate educational activities, cultural activities, recreational gatherings, group learning, and other community-oriented events. By bringing people into a natural setting, the space provides opportunities for experiential learning, environmental awareness, social interaction, and direct engagement with the surrounding ecosystem.
The area also demonstrates how university-owned land can be made available for wider community benefit. Rather than restricting the use of the space to members of the university, Walailak University provides the camping area as a free and publicly accessible outdoor resource, allowing people from the surrounding community and visitors from elsewhere to experience the university’s natural environment.
Through its free public access and camping facilities, The Tent Area contributes to Walailak University’s vision of a sustainable and people-oriented campus. It provides a shared outdoor environment where visitors can connect with nature, enjoy recreational activities, develop social connections, and experience learning beyond the conventional classroom. In this way, the camping area serves as both an accessible green space and a practical example of the university’s commitment to making its open spaces available for the benefit of society.
The BOTA Market
The BOTA Market, located at the entrance of Walailak University Botanic Park (BOTA), is a multifunctional public space that brings together commerce, recreation, entertainment, learning, and community interaction. While the area operates as a marketplace, its open layout also provides a welcoming environment where students, university personnel, local residents, and visitors can meet, relax, participate in activities, and enjoy the surrounding green environment.
The market area is open and freely accessible to the public, allowing visitors to enter and make use of its shared outdoor spaces without an entrance fee. Dedicated seating areas, chairs, and grassy areas provide convenient places for visitors to sit, rest, talk with friends and family, or simply enjoy the atmosphere of the Botanic Park. The combination of open areas and surrounding greenery creates a flexible public environment that can accommodate both everyday leisure and organized community activities.
The BOTA Market also provides opportunities for members of the public to participate actively in the space rather than simply visit as spectators. Designated areas can be used for public performances and entertainment, including informal performances such as busking, musical performances, and other creative activities. These opportunities allow individuals to showcase their talents, engage with audiences, and contribute to the cultural atmosphere of the market. Free performances and special events also provide accessible forms of entertainment for visitors while encouraging cultural exchange and social interaction.
The market further functions as a platform for community and organizational activities. Private companies, government agencies, and other organizations can utilize designated areas within the market to conduct public campaigns, promotional activities, exhibitions, awareness campaigns, and other outreach initiatives. By providing a shared venue for these activities, the market creates opportunities for organizations to communicate directly with the public while bringing useful information, services, and activities into an accessible community setting.
As part of Walailak University’s development of Multi-functional Learning and Community Spaces, the BOTA Market supports social learning and interaction between the university and surrounding communities. Its activities connect the university environment with the grassroots economy and local culture, while creating opportunities for local vendors, entrepreneurs, performers, organizations, students, and members of the public to interact in the same space.
The market also contributes to local economic development by providing opportunities for small businesses and local vendors to reach customers. At the same time, its open public areas provide opportunities for informal learning, cultural expression, social connection, and community participation. Visitors can experience local products, observe community activities, interact with vendors, enjoy performances, and participate in events, making the market a practical setting for lifelong learning and community engagement.
With more than 12,000 visitors annually, the BOTA Market demonstrates its role as an active public destination within the university’s Botanic Park. Visitor satisfaction assessments have recorded a satisfaction rate of more than 90%, with respondents highlighting the area’s atmosphere for learning, social interaction, recreation, and cultural expression.
Through its combination of publicly accessible outdoor space, seating and grassy areas, performances, community events, organizational activities, and local commerce, the BOTA Market functions as more than a conventional marketplace. It serves as a Public Learning and Community Economic Space where university members and the wider public can freely gather, relax, express themselves, exchange knowledge, experience local culture, and participate in community life.
By making its open spaces available for recreation, public performances, community activities, and organizational outreach, Walailak University demonstrates how campus facilities can be shared for broader public benefit. The BOTA Market therefore contributes to the university’s commitment to providing accessible open spaces that support social wellbeing, cultural participation, lifelong learning, and sustainable community development.
The Infinity of Love – Sky-High Marriage Registration at Bota Sky Tower
Walailak University Botanic Park, in collaboration with Tha Sala District, organized “The Infinity of Love: Sky-High Marriage Registration” at the Bota Sky Tower, a 25-metre-high observation tower offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and the Luang Mountain Range of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The event represented a distinctive community activity that brought together the university, local government, couples, families, and members of the public within the Botanic Park.
Importantly, the event provided free public access to the activity and the surrounding areas of WU Botanic Park and Bota Sky Tower, allowing members of the public to visit the site, participate in the event atmosphere, and experience the university’s natural and recreational facilities without an entrance fee. Visitors were able to access the public areas of the Botanic Park and enjoy the event alongside the participating couples, demonstrating how the university’s green and open spaces can be made available for community activities and public enjoyment.
The event featured 11 couples, including both heterosexual and LGBTQ+ couples, who registered their marriages in a unique setting above the Botanic Park. The activity celebrated love and family while also highlighting the importance of equality and inclusion following the implementation of Thailand’s Marriage Equality Act on 23 January 2025. By welcoming couples of different genders and providing an inclusive public setting, the event demonstrated the use of the university’s facilities as spaces where diverse members of society can participate together.
Beyond the marriage registration ceremony, visitors and participating couples were able to explore other attractions within the Botanic Park, including the Winter Garden, which featured a colorful display of flowers, including more than 2,100 tulips. The event also included a cocktail reception and acoustic music, creating opportunities for visitors to relax, socialize, and enjoy the surrounding landscape.
The activity also contributed to the promotion of the Botanic Park and Bota Sky Tower as destinations for nature-based and sustainable tourism in Nakhon Si Thammarat. By opening the event and surrounding facilities to the public without an entrance fee, Walailak University provided an opportunity for local residents, university members, tourists, families, and other visitors to experience the university’s natural and cultural resources.
Through events such as “The Infinity of Love,” Walailak University demonstrates that its green and open spaces can serve multiple public purposes beyond recreation. The Botanic Park and Bota Sky Tower can accommodate community celebrations, cultural activities, tourism promotion, social gatherings, and inclusive public events, while remaining accessible to the wider community. This approach supports the university’s commitment to making its campus environment a shared space that connects people, nature, culture, and community life.
International Food Festival 2025
Walailak University organized the International Food Festival 2025 at the WU Bota Market within Walailak University Botanic Park, creating an open and welcoming space for cultural exchange among Thai students, international students, university personnel, and members of the public. The event was designed to promote international understanding, encourage interaction between Thai and international students, and celebrate the cultural diversity of the university community.
The event provided free public access, allowing members of the university community and the general public to visit the festival and enjoy its activities without an entrance fee. As the event was held within WU Botanic Park, visitors could also freely access and enjoy the surrounding public green spaces and facilities of the park. The event therefore demonstrated how the university’s open spaces can be used as shared community environments where people can gather, learn, socialize, and participate in cultural activities.
The festival featured a diverse selection of savory foods, desserts, and beverages prepared and presented by international students from nine countries, providing visitors with an opportunity to experience different cultures through food. International offerings included Nigerian jollof rice and chin chin; Indonesian fried vegetables and herbal drinks; German pesto pasta salad; Russian apple charlotte, candied berries, potato dumplings, and buckwheat; Chinese dumplings; Myanmar Shan noodles; Korean kimbap and tteokbokki; Pakistani tea; and Thai cotton candy.
Through these activities, the festival transformed the open space of the Botanic Park into a lively international cultural learning environment. Visitors could interact directly with international students, discover different culinary traditions, and learn about cultures from around the world in an informal outdoor setting. Such activities support social learning and encourage meaningful connections between members of the university and the wider community.
By opening the event and the surrounding Botanic Park environment to the public free of charge, Walailak University demonstrates how its campus green and open spaces can serve purposes beyond education and research. They can function as shared spaces for cultural exchange, community participation, recreation, informal learning, and social interaction. The International Food Festival 2025 therefore represents an example of how publicly accessible university spaces can bring together diverse communities while making the university’s natural and cultural resources available to society.
Aerobics Courtyard
The Aerobics Courtyard demonstrates how existing university infrastructure can be transformed into an accessible and health-promoting public open space. Originally used as a parking area, the site has been repurposed as a dedicated exercise and recreation area for university personnel, students, and members of the general public. This transformation reflects sustainable space management by making more effective use of existing land and facilities while creating additional benefits for the wider community.
The Aerobics Courtyard is open to everyone free of charge, providing an inclusive space where people can participate in physical activities without an entrance fee. Its convenient location and open design make it suitable for individual exercise, group activities, and regular aerobics sessions. With more than 9,000 visitors annually, the area demonstrates continued public use and engagement as a shared wellness space.
The area has received positive feedback for its accessibility, safety, and suitability for exercise. Regular aerobics activities encourage physical activity, support healthy lifestyle practices, and provide opportunities for people to exercise together. Beyond physical health, the space also contributes to stress reduction, relaxation, and social interaction, supporting a broader approach to physical and mental well-being.
The transformation of a former parking area into the Aerobics Courtyard illustrates how university spaces can be adapted to serve multiple community needs. By providing free access to an attractive and functional exercise environment, the university expands opportunities for recreation and wellness while strengthening the role of its open spaces as shared community resources. The Aerobics Courtyard therefore serves not only as a place for exercise, but also as an inclusive and healthy public space that connects sustainable space management, community participation, and quality of life.
National Children’s Day 2025
Walailak University opened its campus to the public for National Children’s Day 2025 on 11 January 2025, welcoming more than 6,000 participants to Walailak Square at Thaiburi Building. Held under the theme “My Children’s Day: The Amazing University City,” the event provided free public access to a university space and created an inclusive environment where children, young people, families, and community members could participate in educational, recreational, and creative activities.
The event featured a wide range of activities designed to encourage children and young people to learn, explore, and express themselves. These included gift distribution, singing and dancing performances, mascot costume activities, a children’s rescue demonstration, DIY badge-making, and activity booths organized by university units and external organizations. Through these activities, participants were able to engage with learning experiences in an informal and enjoyable setting.
The event also promoted creativity, confidence, scientific and technological learning, teamwork, and positive social values. By bringing together children, families, university personnel, community members, and participating organizations in an open campus environment, the university created opportunities for social interaction and community participation beyond its regular academic functions.
With more than 6,000 participants, National Children’s Day 2025 demonstrates how Walailak University can make its spaces accessible to the wider public through free community activities. The event transformed the university campus into a welcoming shared space for learning, recreation, and social interaction, reinforcing the university’s role as a community resource and an accessible place for children and families.
Through its open and green spaces, Walailak University provides the public with free access to a diverse range of environments for recreation, exercise, learning, cultural engagement, social interaction, and community activities. From parks, gardens, and botanical areas to exercise spaces, marketplaces, cultural sites, and multifunctional public areas, these spaces extend beyond the university’s academic functions and serve as shared resources for people of different ages and backgrounds.
Free public access to these spaces provides significant social and community benefits. It creates opportunities for residents, families, visitors, students, university personnel, and local organizations to spend time together in safe and welcoming environments. Public access also encourages physical activity, relaxation, informal learning, cultural exchange, and participation in community events, contributing to healthier lifestyles and stronger social connections.
The university’s approach also demonstrates how institutional spaces can be managed to generate wider public value. By transforming underused areas, maintaining accessible green spaces, and providing multifunctional facilities, Walailak University makes effective use of its land and infrastructure while expanding opportunities for the surrounding community. These spaces can accommodate everyday recreation as well as public events, educational activities, performances, markets, and community initiatives, allowing the university to function as an active part of the local community.
Overall, free access to Walailak University’s open and green spaces supports a more inclusive and connected campus environment while contributing to the well-being and quality of life of the wider public. By opening its spaces to the community, the university demonstrates that a campus can serve not only as a place for education and research, but also as a shared public resource that promotes recreation, lifelong learning, environmental appreciation, cultural participation, and community development.
