Although it’s on until the 30th June make sure that you aren’t lulled into a lack of urgency to see this amazing exhibition, waking up at the end of its run to realize that you have to rush to see it in time before it ends.   Dr Gunther von Hagens’ plastinated bodies provide an extraordinary [...]

The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation runs weekly tours usually on Saturday afternoons. What makes them special is that they explore interesting parts of Johannesburg, often include unusual places and spaces that are off-the-tourist-route, and they are often walking tours. They also sometimes do bus tours (like the Parktown Garden Tour on Sun 17th Feb and the [...]

Towards the end of last year I went on a tour with the Joburg Heritage Foundation of  two buildings in Pretoria which have a lot in common – both are religious buildings, both use imported architectural  language and foreign materials, both are constructed with exquisite detail, and both are breathtakingly beautiful. But when it comes [...]

Cycling is becoming an increasingly popular way of seeing local Joburg sites and sights.  Lebo of  Sowetobicycle tours has for many years offered cycling tours.  There are various options on offer starting from a 2 hour tour which includes a visit to a worker’s hostel, the Hector Pieterson Museum as well as the route of [...]

Yes .. it’s jacaranda time again and already some of the trees along the streets of the older suburbs of the Joburg have a purplish tinge to them.   My weekly walks in Westcliff  offer glorious views from the top of the famous ‘Westcliff steps’,  so loved by mountaineers training for climbing ‘Killi’.   (My aspirations are [...]

Many guests who  have stayed at Liz at Lancaster over the years have been fascinated with the idea of traditional medicine. Some of the more intrepid ones have made their way down to Diagonal Street in western downtown central Joburg where you can find The Museum of Man and Science.   This part of town is vibrant [...]

SA-venues (one of the leading South African accommodation and general tourist websites)  has started a new initiative getting locals ‘in the know’ to write what they call ‘visitorials’  about the area  where they live and its surrounds.  I was privileged to be asked to write about Craighall Park.  See http://blog.sa-venues.com/provinces/gauteng/love-craighall-park/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sa-venues%2FCbjt+%28South+Africa+Travel+News%29&utm_content=FaceBook 

Over ten years ago the concept of a Cultural Arc was mooted by Prof Carolyn Hamilton, then Head of the Humanities Postgraduate School at Wits. Envisioned as a metaphorical sweeping link between three powerful cultural institutions across the geography of the city, it would connect the Johannesburg Art Gallery on the east, to Wits in [...]

 
 
A few weeks ago a guest staying at Liz at Lancaster & who is a musical-aholic, told me he had seen ‘Phantom of the Opera’ SEVENTEEN times – in NY, London and now the night before at Monte Casino, his 2nd time in SA. And he thought it was the best performance he had ever [...]

The annual platform for contemporary dance is back .  The programme showing at various venues around Johannesburg, features a wide range of contemporary dance including  performance art, Afro-fusion, and dance film and video by internationally renowned South African choreographers.  For the full programme see http://www.at.artslink.co.za/~arts/umbrella/objects/brochure2012.pdf