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Johannesburg travel Forum

Attractions

Johannesburg attractions range from both cultural and historic exhibitions to fun family outings and interesting displays of local innovation and productivity. With good weather throughout most of the year, sightseeing in Johannesburg is always a rewarding adventure.

The first stop on any list of Johannesburg attractions should be the Apartheid Museum, which showcases South Africa's history of black oppression and illustrates how far the nation has come in its move towards democracy. Visit the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which features the Sterkfontein Caves where the ancient fossil of Mrs. Ples was found in 1947.

On a lighter note, a fantastic Johannesburg attraction is Gold Reef City, a 'gold-rush' fashioned theme park full of exciting thrill rides. While sightseeing in Johannesburg visitors can tour the SAB World of Beer, or take a scenic hike through the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens. Newtown Cultural Precinct's Market Theatre and Museum Africa are also Johannesburg attractions worth seeing.

Gold Reef City, Johannesburg

Gold Reef City

This entertainment complex is essentially a theme park full of thrill rides, but was designed to be a re-creation of Victorian Johannesburg during the gold-rush era. The park, four miles (6km) south of the city centre via the M1 motorway, was built around...  see full details



Museum Africa, Johannesburg

Newtown Cultural Precinct

This complex of buildings in the city centre has been upgraded and restored as part of the city fathers' urban renewal policy and provides several attractions. The Market Theatre and Museum Africa, for instance are housed in a Victorian building in Bree Street...  see full details



See white lions at the Johannesburg Zoo

Johannesburg Zoo

The Johannesburg Zoo is a favourite place for locals to take a stroll among the numerous enclosures that house more than 3,000 species of animal, including polar bears that can be viewed underwater in their pool. Of course the Big Five are all...  see full details



World of Beer

SAB World of Beer

SABMiller started in South Africa and has expanded to become one of the world's largest brewers of beer. The World of Beer offers a fun short tour, which summarises the history of the company, beer in general and details the brewing process. Afterwards...  see full details



Witpoortjie Waterfall

Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens

Not known for being an especially green city, this oasis in the west side of Johannesburg covers 741 acres (300ha), offering lush gardens and scenic hiking trails. The gardens are a terrific place for bird watching (over 200 species) and garden-enthusiasts interested in seeing...  see full details



On fire

Melville

This trendy suburb is a hive of activity on any given night of the week; it is the place to go out and carouse. Anything from hip and upmarket to just plain odd coffee shops, bars and dance venues throng the streets. Partygoers...  see full details



Apartheid Museum

The Apartheid Museum

South Africa's history of black oppression is chronicled in this building, situated near Gold Reef City. Relics of the Apartheid system, which banned non-whites from certain areas and from receiving an education, as well as forbidding interracial relationships, can be found here, right down...  see full details



Old Fort Prison on Constitution Hill

Constitution Hill

A guided tour of the National Heritage Site of Constitution Hill takes visitors on a journey through South Africa's turbulent past, but also illustrates its incredible transition into democracy. Visitors are guided through the Old Fort Prison Complex where the peeling walls and rusty...  see full details



Sam Nzima\'s photograph of Hector Pieterson

Hector Pieterson Memorial site and Museum

Hector Pieterson became the iconic image of the 1976 Soweto uprising during apartheid South Africa, when a news photograph of the dying Hector being carried by a fellow student was published across the globe. He was just 12 years old when the police, unprovoked,...  see full details



Exhibition at the Maropeng Visitor Centre

Cradle of Humankind and Maropeng Visitor Centre

The Cradle of Humankind is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains a complex of dolimitic limestone caves, including the Sterkfontein Caves, where the fossil, Australopithecus africanus (nicknamed Mrs. Ples) was found in 1947 by Dr Robert Broom and John Robinson. 'Mrs Ples' is...  see full details


Johannesburg travel Forum

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