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F
OR the visitor to Johannesburg the difficulty lies not in finding
something to do, but in choosing between all the exciting options.
There's something for everyone - museums that examine the country's
apartheid past, the city's exciting new Constitutional Court, a look at
the city's gold mining beginnings, traditional African medicine or
muti, and plenty of animals and outdoor fun. Just relax and enjoy
yourself, Johannesburg style.
Overview
Explore Joburg
Soweto
The township whose name became synonymous with anti-apartheid resistance. On one street, the Mandelas and the Tutus once lived.
Old Fort & Constitution Hill
The jail that held leading activists from Mahatma Gandhi to Nelson Mandela is reborn as the Constitutional Court, and a jail/museum.
Apartheid Museum
A visit to Johannesburg's Apartheid Museum is a moving experience -- you almost feel you were there among the toyi-toying demonstrators facing down the police.
A trip down a mine shaft
Take a trip down an old Johannesburg gold mine -- which even boasts the world's deepest pub.
Alexandra
Established in 1912, Alexandra is one of the earliest urban black settlements in Joburg.
Cradle of Humankind
A set of caves west of Johannesburg, where mankind's hominid ancestors first appeared. Meet the famous "Mrs Ples" and the amazing "Little Foot".
Mai-Mai: a genuine African bazaar
The city's oldest market, Mai-Mai, transports the visitor into a fascinating world of indigenous African clothing and curios. But the stars are the traditonal healers with their "muti" or herbs.
Kliptown
The township where the famous Freedom Charter was ratified half a century ago, is now a dramatic heritage site.
Montecasino Bird Gardens
A new attraction with some 200 species of birds and over 1 500 species of small animals. A feature is the walk-in aviary containing 100 species of birds.
Johannesburg Botanical Gardens
One of South Africa's finest succulent collections, in addition to wide open green spaces, sparkling dams, roses, herbs, birds and trees galore.
Liliesleaf Farm
The farm where the ANC's underground leaders, including Nelson Mandela, operated until their capture.
Hector Pieterson Museum
The 12-year-old died from a police bullet on June 16, 1976, and became a worldwide symbol of apartheid repression. This museum commemorates the day and its significance.
Credo Mutwa Cultural Village
A unique insight into the mind of healer Credo Mutwa, the village consists of large, mythical human and animal figures depicting African culture and folklore.
Braamfontein Cemetery is the Enoch Sontonga memorial
Resting place of the simple man who wrote what became the national anthem.
Avalon Cemetry
There aren't many places in the world where you end up in a cot when you're dead and buried. But in Avalon Cemetery in Soweto there are thousands of cots demarcating graves.
The Johannesburg Zoo
Opened in 1904, the zoo is now a sprawling 54ha site housing 2 000 creatures - lions, tigers, elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, sable antelop, bat-eared foxes, polar bears and much more - in all some 365 different species.
Melville Koppies
Step into unspoilt Melville Koppies, with its iron age artefacts, and you'll forget that you're in the middle of a bustling metropolis.
Moroka Dam and Regina Mundi Church
The upgrading of this water system, once a prime attraction of Rockville, Soweto, is a R20-million mayoral showcase project. The project has rekindled community spirit among local residents.
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden
A magnificent garden of 300 hectares of landscaped and natural veld areas, planted with only indigenous trees, 600 species of indigenous flowering plants and shrubs.
Johannesburg Art Gallery
Step into unspoilt Melville Koppies, with its iron age artefacts, and you'll forget that you're in the middle of a bustling metropolis.
Brixton Cemetery
Randlords, strike leaders, politicians, editors and more lie shoulder-to-shoulder (almost) in this early cemetery.
Gandhi's Johannesburg
Mahatma Gandhi evolved his "satyagara" philosophy of non-violent protest during a long and colourful period when he lived in Johannesburg.
Ghostbuster tour
A bus tour takes visitors to sites of intriguing murders and lingering ghosts in the city.
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