Simon Nare
As the festive season kicks into gear in the second week of December and many migrate to the rural areas to spend the holidays with their families, you might think there is little to do or explore in Johannesburg.
On the contrary, this is the ideal time to visit some of the best places in town because it’s calmer, quieter, and more friendly.
So, in case you wanted to escape the tranquility in the villages or the coastline life of beaches and yearning for the fast lane life, then below are some of the places you might want to explore.
Maboneng Precinct
Undoubtedly Joburg’s go-to place for high-energy fun. Whether it’s cocktails, delicious cuisines, or the dance floo,r then this is heaven for you.
What’s impressive is that the management has in recent times, beefed up the security in this area due to pickpocketing, and this has allowed visitors in the precinct to throw their hair back and enjoy themselves. But they still advise visitors to be on high alert at all times.
Kwa Mai Mai
I think the Thai definition of the phrase pretty much sums it up: “no problem”, “my pleasure”, or “everything will be okay”.
In this traditional meat market, they will serve you as much meat as you want with pleasure and everything will be okay to fill your stomach.
This is like the mecca for meat eaters, whether its braaied or stewed.
So, if you grew up hearing the township story when the elders used to scare children when they told them Mai Mai is about a scary-looking man driving around in a hearse, kidnapping children, this is not the kind. This is meat heaven.
Gold Reef City.
You are probably thinking of gambling and slot machines. Yes, but that is just the casino part where chain-smoking gamblers are dreaming of millions.
But this is home to Gold Reef Theme Park, and according to the website, it’s regarded as the largest of its kind in South Africa. It was also voted as Johannesburg’s most loved and coolest entertainment destination.
The choice in the park is infinite with 14 thrilling rides, nine family rides, and 20 dedicated kids rides, Jump City Trampoline Park, as well as the only authentic underground mine tour in the city.
Add to that 12 dining options, multiple retail stores, and more than a dozen attractions.
Hector Peterson site
If you are want to go back in time to get a grasp of how brutal and ruthless the apartheid regime was, then there is no better place than this memorial site just across where it is said the first learner of the Soweto 1976 June 16 uprising was gunned down in cold blood.
Vilakazi Street
Now, if you are into mingling with international visitors, you can’t go wrong on this street, which was home to former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
It’s the only street in the world in which two Nobel Laureates, Mandela and Tutu, once lived. It has become home to various restaurants where you can enjoy delicious local cuisines.
Shisanyamas
These outlets have become a culture of some sort in the townships, and they are all over the place. Just ask any local and they will point you in the right direction.
Old Kroomdraai Gold Mine
Located at the center of the Cradle of Humankind, the oldest gold mine offer unique experience of the old gold mining methods.
A guided tour takes you down the shaft and through roughly worked tunnels and into the heart of mountains, where you get to see the conditions people worked to extract the precious gold ore.
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