Paddy Gallery — Attraction in Selangor

During our two-day, one-night trip to Sekinchan, we decided to visit the Sekinchan Padi Gallery. Finding the location was straightforward, and there was ample parking available. However, it seemed that the parking spaces were primarily intended for staff, as there were more than 20 cars but only a few visitors, including us. This made us wonder how the parking situation would be managed during busier times.

Upon entering the gallery to purchase tickets, we encountered a rather disinterested staff member at the counter. The lady seemed reluctant to be there, almost as if she was forced to sell tickets. When my friend asked her a question, she blatantly ignored him, despite clearly hearing him. There was a noticeable lack of courtesy, as she made no eye contact and did not smile. On the plus side, each of us received a small vacuum-sealed bag of rice, which was a neat touch.

The tour began with a presentation about the history of the place, which we found quite fascinating. The historical section was particularly enjoyable, featuring displays of old tools and furniture that evoked a sense of nostalgia from my younger days.

The tour concluded at a store selling various types of rice and souvenirs. The staff in the store were friendly and helpful, which was a welcome change from our initial experience at the ticket counter.

In summary, aside from the unfriendly ticket lady, we enjoyed our visit to the Sekinchan Padi Gallery. The historical exhibits were educational, and the store provided a pleasant end to the tour. Improving the attitude of the ticketing staff would enhance the overall...

A decent place to learn and understand how a humble ingredient such as rice were harvested and packaged from the paddy field to your plate.

There's a mini rice factory tour for a small fee of RM5.00/pax. The introduction part was somewhat basic since the explanation was conducted from a recorded TV and after that, a short tour by the worker around the premise. At the end of tour, you may spend time taking photos and selfies of old antiques, cultural heritage items, etc. Right after the exit, you can purchase local produce as well as some snacks and assorted chilled beverages.

The main attraction would be the vast paddy field which is located right opposite of the roadside. There's no shortage of amazing & picturesque moments as you can roam pretty everywhere around rows and rows of paddy field (we even came back later in the evening for an even majestic sunset view, oh and lesser crowds too!).

Parking is not an issue at all even on a busy weekend. There's some reserved land which can easily fit up to 20 buses at a time!

However, sun and heat would be a problem since shading is limited here. Just ensure to hydrate yourself with lots of water and put on sunscreen lotion to avoid...

For a reasonable RM5 entry which comes with a free 100g pack of rice, we were ushered in to watch a short 10-min video about rice production. A guide briefly gave us an intro (in Mandarin or Malay, depending who you are) about the facility and the different types of rice on sale (an advertising gimmick no doubt). Probably the most interesting and insta-worthy part of the experience was the section with old 'nostalgia' items displayed along a gallery, a lot of which had nothing to do with rice. Not much to buy as souvenirs except for packs of rice and snacks, and no restaurants or cafes nearby but plenty of places to sit and rest a bit under shade. If you're feeling adventurous, you are free to roam about the paddy plantations just outside (we were lucky to see paddy at different stages of growth). Overall a unique concept of combining a fully operational rice processing facility with a visitor gallery, but it could do better with a bit more of a guided walking tour around the facility and plantations (as far as it's allowed) and some more info about Sekinchan's history in rice production. In my opinion, it's still not up to international standards but not a bad place to drop by...