In South Africa we have a few awesome cities. There’s Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, Cape Town, etc, but Johannesburg is the best for me. Many people will complain about the pace of life in this amazing city but hey “ if you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen”.
Johannesburg is a fast paced metropolitan city with thousands of things to do, the best night life and of course the hottest people. Okay…. yes the traffic is not very nice but the destination is! People who come here lead a fast paced life full of excitement, culture and fun things to do.
Gold Reef City: Where else can you get on a rickety looking thing and plummet 50 meters into a dark hole in the ground at the rate of 100 km an hour. That is the infamous Miners Revenge. Gold Reef City is a child’s paradise. The Golden Loop will have your stomach in knots, the Anaconda will have you screaming for help or screaming for more, the logs will get you soaked and the spinning tea cups will make you giddy with happiness. It’s all set in a picturesque old world mining town, complete with a train and jugglers, little stores and loads of candyfloss. It is located just 8 km outside Joburg CBD. Gold Reef City features over 30 different rides, making it fun for anyone and everyone.
Montecasino: Smack bang in the middle of Johannesburg is a quaint old fashioned Italian town, complete with washing hanging between the windows, buskers in the streets, pigeons, meandering streams and a little red fiat. Okay, it is all fake but this is the epic Montecasino. It is filled with little quirky shops, lovely restaurants, 3 different theatres, one of which being the Teatro, which has played host to the biggest shows to come to South Africa. At the moment Swan Lake from the St Petersburg Ballet Company is drawing in massive crowds. If you are a book lover then Scoobs will rock your world, and the in house coffee place will make your read that much sweeter. There is lots to do and even more more to look at.
The Doors Nighclub: This iconic party place has been part of the rocker scene for the better part of 20 years. In the middle of Edenvale it is a central place, with great drinks specials, awesome music and interesting people. The club itself is in an old movie theatre, hence it has 4 different levels. It’s black walls are painted with all the faces of rock royalty and many a time I have tried to name every single face on the wall. I never succeeded. The music ranges from “Nellie the Elephant” to hard rock to death metal and white is not a colour that is encouraged in The Doors. The bouncers are scary and look like they are stuck in the 90’s but hardly any fights ever happen because The Doors is a happy and drunk place.
Sandton City: Shopping, the word that strikes fear into the hearts of men and love into a womens mind. Sandton City is the premier shopping destination in Johannesburg, with some of the most amazing shops like Armani Jeans, Cartier, Soviet, Superga. In this mall even the most hardened mall haters would find a store they like. If shopping isn’t your thing right next to the Sandon City is Nelson Mandela square which is filled with lovely restaurants, fountains, running children and a huge bronze statue of Madiba himself. You can even hug his leg if you chose to. All of this is located only 10 minutes walk from the Sandton Gautrain station making it a tourist attraction for foreigners and even Joburgers.
H20: A few times a year Wild Waters in Boksburg becomes a party paradise filled with the bronzed ripped muscles of gym bunnies and the curvy bodies of swimsuit models. H2o is one of Africa’s largest electronic dance parties and plays host to up to 10,000 people. Normally clothing is optional and beachwear is encouraged. If you try hard enough you can imagine you are actually at a beach with the man made wave pool behind you and the palm tree’s in front of you. This phenomenon has been going strong for almost 15 years and is a well known spectacle in the East Rand. H20 has played host to some of the biggest DJ’s like David Guetta, Tiesto and Swedish House Mafia – each year it just gets bigger and better.
FNB Stadium (AKA Soccer City): Everyone who comes to Johannesburg wants to see Soccer city. Located just outside Soweto, it stands tall inviting people to go and see it’s splendor. Built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it has become a place where memories are made and legends are seen. It’s pitches have seen the wonder that is the FIFA World Cup Final, various infamous football players and even musical acts like U2, Metallica, Kings of Leon, Coldplay, The Eagles and Bon Jovi (just to name a few). It is a premier event destination and can hold up to a 100,000 people in its seats – enough to make anyone performing feel like a superstar.
There you have it, 6 Reasons Why Johannesburg is NOT a Boring City. Feel free to challenge me on this, comment on this article and let me know if you have places that you can add on this list. Feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Sharing is caring after all.
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Agree with all of it! I have also written extensively about what to do in and around Joburg, here is that list if you’re interested: http://www.joburgexpat.com/2011/04/what-to-do-in-joburg.html