Jozi Attractions

A massive city and boast­ing many ‘firsts’, Johannesburg boasts an impress­ive num­ber of awe­some attrac­tions to suit both young and old. First off, the Apartheid Museum is oddly loc­ated next to the fun-park thrills of Gold Reef City. This is an essen­tial South African exper­i­ence which tells the apartheid story with a con­front­ing sens­ory verve through large, visu­ally stun­ning dis­plays and excel­lent audio visual exhib­its. For a trip down memory lane or to exper­i­ence some of South Africa’s sad his­tory, visit the Apartheid Museum (also see http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/).
 
The Hector Pieterson Memorial is another must visit. Through the use of old pho­to­graphs and video, this museum tells the chilling story of the 1976 stu­dent upris­ings against the forced use of Afrikaans in South African schools. The exhibit is stark, haunt­ing and sure to leave you with chills down your spine.

A visit to the Market Theatre com­plex is a worth­while way to immerse your­self in some South African cul­ture. It's Johannesburg's most pop­u­lar venue for live theatre, and has been at the fore­front of non-racial theatre since 1974. The pro­duc­tions here are abso­lutely out­stand­ing. With 3 theatres, a res­taur­ant and bar and an art gal­lery, you’re sure to have a great time!

Founded in the 1930s, Museum Africa is housed in the impress­ive old Bree Street fruit mar­ket. This superb exhib­i­tion on the Treason Trials (1956–61), which fea­tured most of the import­ant fig­ures in the 'new' South Africa, is a must-see for any­one seek­ing a bet­ter under­stand­ing of South Africa’s recent history.

Johannesburg is rein­vent­ing itself fol­low­ing the long oppressed years of the apartheid sys­tem. This means that artists of all per­sua­sions are emer­ging and there is an incred­ibly diverse cul­ture grow­ing and spread­ing in the coun­try. In Johannesburg, this all cul­min­ates in the 'Arts Alive Festival' which takes place in September and October each year.

To wit­ness the first place where Nelson Mandela owned a home, visit Alexandra in Johannesburg. It is a rather bust­ling com­munity and sure to reveal many secrets.

Gold Reef City is a extremely pop­u­lar and well known theme park which will raise your adren­alin all day on their roller coaster rides. From casino’s to mine explor­ing, there is some­thing here for everyone. The Planetarium is another Jo'burg favor­ite! This plan­et­arium has vari­ous cos­mo­lo­gical pro­grams that have been recom­men­ded by loc­als and trav­el­lers alike.

Bustling Soweto is a former town­ship from the times of Apartheid. Starting about 15 km away from the centre of Johannesburg, it com­prises some 63 sq. km, where an estim­ated two mil­lion people live — and a must for the vis­itor to Johannesburg want­ing to exper­i­ence the real South Africa!

Johannesburg also boasts its very own Zoo. The Johannesburg Zoo is one of the treas­ures of Johannesburg, a source of enjoy­ment and relax­a­tion for loc­als and for­eign vis­it­ors alike. It occu­pies extens­ive grounds in cent­ral Parktown, boast­ing numer­ous tall trees, shim­mer­ing­wa­ter fea­tures and beau­ti­ful walks around the vari­ous enclos­ures. The stars of the show are, of course, the anim­als and the zoo’s col­lec­tion is rather impressive!

The anim­als you will see here include  lions, tigers, ele­phants, gor­il­las, chim­pan­zees, sable ante­lope, bat-eared foxes, polar bears and many other spe­cies. Special night tours allow vis­it­ors to observe the habits of noc­turnal creatures. There are also behind-the-scenes tours that show how the zoo oper­ates and the work that needs to be done to ensure that it func­tions as a smoothly oiled machine. During hol­i­days the zoo presents spe­cial pro­grammes and serves as an edu­ca­tional facil­ity, teach­ing people about wild­life and the envir­on­ment (see http://www.jhbzoo.org.za).

The list of Johannesburg attrac­tions go on. Other not­able attrac­tions include Constitution Hill, Johannesburg art Galley, ABSA Money Museum, Johannesburg Botanic Garden, Nelson Mandela Bridge, Mandela Family Home ... and many, many more. For more of Johannesburg attrac­tions please visit Johannesburg Attractions.

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