Things to do in and around Johannesburg
Johannesburg has something to offer for everyone. Explore the diverse attractions on offer and never be bored!
Visitors who are looking for a cultural experience can visit the more than 40 art galleries as well as a host of cultural institutes and studios in the city. Alternatively, they can take in a show at one of the many theatres in Johannesburg. Visitors can also learn more about the traditional cultures in Gauteng at the cultural villages or centres in the city.
Those visitors who are looking for something more 'upbeat' to do can visit one of the many nightlife hotspots Johannesburg has to offer. From pubs to clubs and shebeens, each venue promises a night to write home about. Of course, Johannesburg is also one of the premium shopping destinations in Africa.
Great shops
Looking for something different for that special person, or a gift to take back overseas with you, or something good to eat? Here is a selection of great Johannesburg shops for you to delve into. You're sure to find an item for the home, for yourself or for that someone special in your life. All of the shopping centers and complexes are a short drive and easily accessible from Jubilee Lodge.
Cresta Shopping Centre
Cresta Mall Shopping Centre in the northwest side of Jhb is one of the city's largest shopping complexes in Johannesburg. Cresta has a diversity of stores ranging from supermarkets and clothing to cozy coffee shops and movie theatres.
Montecasino
The Montecasino complex was built to resemble a Tuscan village. Late-night shopping is a unique feature and clothing, jewellery and African curios are the most popular products. There is plenty of entertainment, including cinemas, theatres and a casino.
Fourways Mall
Dine and browse to your heart's content through supermarkets, boutiques, chain stores, shoe shops and cinemas. There is also a miniature golf course for additional entertainment.
Northgate Mall
This shopping centre is packed with good-value clothing shops and a selection of fast food joints. For the adventurous, it houses the only ice rink in the city.
The Brightwater Commons
Soft landscaping, paved walkways, a village green and a watercourse are all part of the urban shopping space concept, central to the Brightwater Commons. Apart from an array of retail stores, there is a permanent flea market with credit card facilities and a music market selling CDs and DVDs.
The Mall of Rosebank
The moment you enter The Mall of Rosebank you realise that you are in a different world. Sophisticated, tranquil and decidedly cosmopolitan, it is also distinctly Africana and offers a little something for every discerning taste. The unforgettable African Craft Market, complemented by the Sunday Rooftop Flea Market, adds a unique aspect to the shopping experience that spans an entire continent of cultures and passions.
Events and Exibitions
Joburg has many world-class conference and convention venues. The four biggest, which can each host thousands of delegates, are: the Sandton Convention Centre, next door to Africa's top-class shopping and business centre; Gallagher Estate, between Johannesburg and Pretoria; the Dome, the fourth largest such structure in the world; and the Expo Centre Nasrec Johannesburg, which is the city's biggest venue and is not far from Soweto.
The Ticketpro Dome
Southern Africa's most definitive multi-purpose indoor entertainment arena. Situated in Northgate, the Ticketpro Dome is unmatched in its perfect combination of capacity with capability. Hosting a variety of different events from consumer and trade exhibitions to international and local concerts to corporate banquets and launches to large conventions, as well as indoor sporting events.
Expo Centre, Nasrec Johannesburg
Southwest of Johannesburg - near the Gold Reef City Casino, the Apartheid Museum and Soweto - is Nasrec's Expo Centre. The massive exhibition facilities offer 42 000 square meters of space. The centre is also quite self-sufficient: it has its own banks, post office, telecommunication services and secure parking for up to 25 000 vehicles.
Soccer City, FNB Stadium
First National Bank Stadium or simply FNB Stadium, also known as Soccer City and The Calabash, is a stadium located in Nasrec, the Soweto area of Joburg, South Africa. It is located next to the South African Football Association headquarters (SAFA House) where both the FIFA offices and the Local Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup were housed.
Coca Cola Park or Ellis Park
Ellis Park Stadium is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country's national team, the Springboks. The large stadium was the country's most modern when it was upgraded in 1982 to accommodate almost 60,000 people. Today, the stadium hosts both football and rugby, and is also used as a venue for other large events, such as open-air concertsCoca Cola Park or Ellis Park is one of Joburg's best-known stadiums, and it was here that the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup in 1995.
Attractions
The Elephant Sanctuary
The Elephant Sanctuary offers experiences/tours/programs daily. Visitors are taken on a journey into the world of the African elephant and are guided through an unforgettable experience with these magnificent creatures. Visitors are able to touch, feed and get to know these animals. The Elephant Sanctuary is unique in that it offers visitors the incredible opportunity to walk hand-in-trunk with the elephants. Enter the world of the Elephant with Elephant Back Riding. Bare-back Elephant Back Riding enables us as humans to feel the power and bulk of an elephant in contrast with the quietness, delicateness and grace of these mammoth creatures' movement as they walk/glide across the ground. Understand the height at which an elephant stands and experience their environment from an elephant's perspective.
Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary
The Bush Babies sanctuary is one of several sanctuaries in a group of sanctuaries, including the elephant sanctuary that provides for orphaned and abused animals. Situated west of Hartbeesport Dam alongside the Elephant sanctuary it provides an environment where monkeys (primates) can be given their freedom in a natural environment. The sanctuary situated in one of the many Kloofs (Gorges) of the Magaliesberg mountain range provides the perfect environment for Monkeys from around the world.
Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre
Started in 1971 on her parent's chicken farm by Ann van Dyk, this cheetah sanctuary also contributes to the conservation of African wild dogs and Cape vultures. Previously known as the De Wildt Cheetah Sanctuary, it is now called the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre. The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre has also decisively proven that these captive bred cats can fend for themselves in the African bush. The landmark success came in 1986, when the cheetah was removed from the endangered species list of the South African Red Data Book for Terrestrial Mammals.
Lion and Rhino Nature Reserve
The Rhino and Lion Reserve is a privately owned game reserve, covering approx 1600 ha on the typical highveld of Gauteng. The reserve is situated in the " Cradle of Humankind", a declared World Heritage site about 40 km north-west of Johannesburg.
Soweto Tourism
Soweto, Gold and the History of Johannesburg are intertwined. The discovery of gold in the late 1890's led to a gold rush by prospectors from all over the world to the area now known as Johannesburg in the province of Gauteng. Instead of just doing a Soweto tour - why not spend a day seeing Joburg and surrounds - as well as Soweto. This is an essential trip for anyone interested in the Miracle of Transformation that is South Africa. A trip can be tailored to suit your interests and time available.
The Lion Park
The Lion Park near Lanseria Airport north of Johannesburg in Gauteng Province serves as a gateway and introduction, a true window, to the splendors of Africa's Wildlife. It is home to more than 70 lions including white lions and many other carnivores such as cheetahs, wild dogs, brown and spotted hyenas, black leopards and many more.
Johannesburg Zoo
The Johannesburg Zoo was established in 1904, and historically, it has been owned and operated by the City of Jhb. Internationally accredited and highly respected, with over 320 species of animals, totaling about 2000 animals, open to the public 364 days a year, including Christmas, New Years and Easter holidays.
Gold Reef City Johannesburg
More and more visitors are making their way to Gold Reef City in Johannesburg. The complex made up of theme park, Apartheid museum and casino facilities has proved to be a winning combination. Gold Reef City brims with experiences that the visitor would not find anywhere else. More than that, the package-deal of fun, fantasy, historical fact and safe parking offers the guest real value for money.
Sun City
Sun City Resort has a unique heartbeat and an African rhythm of its own and is unlike any other Resort destination in the world. This is pure fantasy and your every desire is met. There are four world-class hotels including the magnificent Palace of the Lost City that glitters like a jewel beneath the African sun, brilliant in its rain forest surroundings and luxurious in its detail and design. Adjoining the Resort, is the beautiful Pilanesberg National Park, which will delight game viewers as it is a malaria free zone and home to the Big 5. Sun City is approx 2 hours drive from the northwest side of Johannesburg or Randburg.
Dinokeng
Just north-east of urban Gauteng and Tshwane lies the vibrant and warm, big-sky region of Dinokeng, where the world's largest diamond was discovered. Today the area is sparkling with natural, cultural and historical attractions, a place where South Africans and their visitors enjoy the outdoors and the history and culture of Africa.
Maropeng (Cradle of Humankind and Sterkfontein Caves)
Maropeng brings fossils to life. A short drive from Gauteng and only 10 kilometers from the remarkable Sterkfontein Caves in the Cradle of Humankind world heritage site, a state-of-the-art visitors' facility has risen from the red Gauteng dust. Named Maropeng, Setswana for "the place where we once lived", the centre is designed to help tourists, schoolchildren and others explore the rich fossil heritage of the area. The Cradle of Humankind, encompassing the region of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and environs, has one of the world's richest concentrations of hominid fossils, evidence of human evolution over the last 3.5-million years.
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden
Against the backdrop of the magnificent Witpoortjie waterfall, this Garden (previously called the Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden) covers almost 300 hectares and consists of both landscaped and natural veld areas. The history of the Gardenshows that it was founded in 1982, but has been a popular venue for outings since the 1800's. A breeding pair of majestic Verreaux's Eagles nest on the cliffs alongside the waterfall. The Garden is home to an abundance of wildlife. Together with the other 220 bird species, there are also a number of reptile and small mammals, including small antelope and jackal, which occur naturally in the Nature Reserve. This garden is only 30 minutes drive from Jubilee Lodge in Northcliff.
Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg
With the move of the Constitutional Court to the Prison Complex, what was once a place of injustice and brutality has become a place of solidarity and democracy in South Africa providing visitors with a unique perspective of the City of Gold and its dramatic history.
SAB World of Beer
The SAB World of Beer ranks as one of South Africa’s top two tourist experiences, offering nearly 50 000 visitors a year a uniquely memorable encounter with the magic of beer and brewing.
Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg
The Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. An architectural consortium, comprising several leading architectural firms, conceptualised the design of the building. The museum is a superb example od design, space and landscape offering the international community a unique South African experience.
Randpark Golf Course in Randburg Greater Johannesburg
Situated in the western suburbs of Johannesburg, the Randpark Golf Club in Randburg boasts the largest membership in South Africa. The club consists of two courses: Randpark Golf Club and Windsor Golf Club. The Windsor Golf club, which has existed since 1941, became the Randpark Golf Club when the land adjoining it to the north was acquired and another 18-hole course was developed on it. The new Randpark course and Randpark Clubhouse were opened in 1971. The club has hosted the SA Open on two occasions. The massive clubhouse that caters for both courses is well equipped with three function facilities, a boardroom, two halfway houses and five bars, as well as an excellent pro shop. The Randpark Golf Course is situated close to Cresta Shopping Centre and is bordered by the large computer centre of Absa Bank Ltd. If staying in Gauteng and accommodation is required when visiting Randpark Golf Course or visiting the computer and I.T. Department of Absa Bank 270 Republic Road in Randburg please contact Jubilee Lodge Guest House.