Tourist Attractions Around 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 the No.14 Crown mineshaft that began operations in 1887 and closed in 1975. During its production years 1,400 tons of gold came out of the shaft. Visitors can now descend into the old mine shaft to experience life at the rock face, and watch gold being poured and minted. Gold Reef City also houses a number of museums, and offers performances by traditional gumboot dancers. Youngsters particularly enjoy the rides like the Anaconda roller coaster and Thunder Mountain River Rapids. There are also plenty of restaurants, bars, a massive casino, and a Victorian hotel for those wanting to stay the night.

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 that was originally Johannesburg’s fresh produce market. The Museum Africa is particularly worth a visit with its exhibits that tell the story of the city from its beginnings to the present day, including an interesting section about the Treason Trial of the 1950s in which Nelson Mandela and other activists were accused of plotting against the state. The same building houses a photography museum and the Museum of South African Rock Art. At its eastern end is the Market Theatre, famed for being the venue for many protest theatre productions in the Apartheid era. Also in the area, in President Street, is the South African Breweries Centre, which offers a tour detailing brewing history through some reconstructed gold-rush pubs and shebeens (township bars). Along Jeppe Street is the Oriental Plaza, the commercial centre for the Indian community.

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 in residence too. A tractor-tram does circuits of the zoo for those who don’t fancy walking. On the eastern edge of the zoo is the Museum of Military History, which has some interesting exhibits like tanks, fighter aircraft and submarines.