Gold Reef City

Crown Mines #14 Shaft sank its first ore in 1887, on the back of the gold rush that created the entire city. By the time it closed in 1971 it had produced more than 1.4 million kilograms of gold. Gold Reef City reopened the site in 1986 as a heritage and entertainment precinct, with the original headgear and surface buildings turned into a Victorian-style mining town and the shaft itself preserved for tours.

The Gold Mine Tour is the heritage centrepiece. After kitting up with a hard hat and lamp, a working cage drops you to level five — the deepest level the public can visit. Down in the stopes, retired miners walk you through the back-breaking hand-drilling, blasting and tramming that defined a century of South African mining. Back on surface you watch a live pour of molten gold from the furnace into a 3 kg bar.

Above ground, the theme park has more than 30 rides — including the Tower of Terror free-fall, the Anaconda inverting coaster, the Golden Loop (one of the original Anton Schwarzkopf loopers, still running) and a separate gentle area for younger children. Live shows, a 4D cinema and a daily street parade fill the gaps.

The on-site Apartheid Museum is reached through a separate gate and is technically a different ticket — but it is right next door and most visitors do both on the same day. There is also a 38-room hotel, a casino, several restaurants and a stage theatre on the property.

Practical info: the theme park is open Wednesday to Sunday during school terms and daily during school holidays, from 09:30 to 17:00. Tickets are around R280 per adult and R230 per child for the full park, with the mine tour included. Gold Reef City is a 15-minute drive south of the Johannesburg CBD on the N1, and we visit it as a half- or full-day add-on to our Johannesburg City Tour.