Things to Do in Roodepoort

Cresta Centre is conveniently placed in the middle of the affluent residential suburbs between Sandton, Randburg and the Johannesburg CBD.The extensive, elegant mall features three levels – each one offering an extravagant assortment of contemporary products, services and entertainment.Upbeat and market driven, this proactive 33-year old shopping centre has sustained its reputation in an environment that has an overabundance of retail choices.Easy parking and accessibility, an upbeat atmosphere and a diverse selection of merchandise continue to make it a popular one-stop shopping experience all under one roof.Opening hours:Monday to Thursday open until 18:00Friday until 19:00, Saturday until 18:00 and Sunday until 15:00Public Holidays open until 15:00Selected major and national stores trade over and above the stated hoursEntertainment venues, restaurants and sidewalk cafes are open daily till late

Friendship, good food, wine and brilliant entertainment – the Barnyard Theatre in Cresta is where it all comes together. The first Barnyard Theatre started as a homely, rustic farm theatre in Plettenberg Bay where friends and family could be entertained and eat, drink and talk into the small hours of the morning. It proved to be such a winner that more Barnyard Theatres started popping up all over the country. There are currently 12 Barnyard Theatres in South Africa. While each theatre is a product of its individual setting, they all retain the quaint rustic charm of the original farm theatre’s humble beginning.

The Coca Cola Dome is one of South Africa's most versatile venues with features that are suitable for both large and small scale events. The ground level 12 500m² floor space can be adapted to present an amazing variety of exhibitions. It is also a popular live concerts venue with space for 18 000 people standing or 12 000 people seated. Up to 4 000 people can be seated for banquets. The 2 500m² mezzanine level boasts five hospitality suites ideal for conference breakaway rooms, media offices, cocktail functions, VIP dinners or board meetings.

Home to South African football, Soccer City is the stadium where the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony took place and where the final whistle was blown. South Africa’s national football stadium, Soccer City was built in 1987 and is headquarters to the South African Football Association. Host to the 1996 African Cup of Nations, Soccer City is South Africa’s prime football venue and it will be the most important venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup – the kick-off site for the opening and the final match. The original seating capacity for 80 000 people was enlarged to accommodate 94 700 people. Along with this, the precinct now has a fully functional transport hub including a railway station. The rail system will serve future industrial, commercial and residential developments planned for the area after the football tournament. Besides the rail station, the transport hub has taxi, bus and rail drop off and pick up points. The total public transport capacity of the hub is projected to be 23 280 an hour. Why we love it? Soccer City is the main match venue for South Africa’s football squad, Bafana Bafana, as well as the simmering contests between local Soweto club rivals, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Get up close and personal with rare white lions The Lion Park offers terrific close encounters with lions, other predators and large herbivores indigenous to Africa. You can also expect some superb filming and photographic opportunities.The Lion Park is home to over 80 lions including the rare white lions and many other carnivores such as cheetah, wild dog, brown hyena, striped hyena, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, and a wide variety of antelope which roam freely in the antelope area.Visitors have an opportunity to interact with some of the animals in the Cub World area. A giraffe feeding platform puts you at eye level with the tame resident giraffe creating a fun experience for all ages. The hugely popular cub interaction allows guests to touch the cubs and take photographs.Need to know? The Lion Park is open every day of the year. Opening hours: weekdays 8:30am to 5pm;Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 1 September to 30 April 8:30am to 6pm; 1 May to 31 August 8:30am to 5pm

Jozi's best live music and entertainment venue, restaurant and bar is smack in the middle of Bryanston. Kick back to cool tunes and tuck into traditional Argentinean, Italian or homestyle fare. Besides their a la carte menu, they have a variety of set, buffet, and snack menu's. They are fairly flexible with regards to the content of the menu, giving you the freedom to create your own meal. There's so much happening at this vibey spot and the programme changes almost daily. Live performances are mostly from local musicians and stand up comedians. Tanz Café have over 12 years experience in booking all the top South African bands, DJs and stand up comics so you are assured of receiving top quality entertainment from South Africa’s best talent. The Buzz Shopping Centre, corner of Witkoppen and Nerine Roads, Fourways.

Firehouse, Exclusive Gift and Accessories DestinationFirehouse is an exclusive retail destination store for gifts and décor accessories stocking a selection of local and some imported products with a preference for locally produced and organic wares. Bringing to consumers and corporations unique products produced in South Africa. “We adore the talent of our local designers and support the up-liftment and sustainability of previously disadvantaged communities,” says co-owners Roberta Caon and Simona Panayiotou.Caon and Panayiotou have created a space of refined understated elegance filled with home essentials, luxuries, gifts and exclusive art pieces. The atmosphere instils serenity through colour, visual display and warm notes of world music. The visitor feels enticed to meander through the store thrilled by the discovery of each new item and pervaded by the feeling of “must have it, can’t leave without it”.Caon and Panayiotou aim to have fun while doing something that they are passionate about in an honest and fair way.“We believe in building long term relationships with suppliers and clients. We support local enterprise because we love the creativity that is on offer and we believe and encourage self employment and sustainability with respect for our people and our environment. We want to distinguish ourselves as a gift and decor store by offering products of design beauty created with love in our land, through suppliers that cultivate a philosophy of sustainable living and fair trade,” say Caon and Panayiotou.Firehouse offers an experience that the client will remember and share by offering beautiful and exclusive products with incredible customer service, during and after sales. The store is set apart through unique and gorgeous gift wrapping and presentation.The Firehouse team has put together a range of exclusive products and met with most of the product owners in person to establish a relationship and have established the history and culture of the companies with which they are doing business.

Prepare to be deeply moved and overwhelmed by the striking Apartheid Museum. Situated opposite Gold Reef City, this interactive museum graphically testifies to the horrors and downfall of the Apartheid regime through extensive multi-media exhibits.Anyone who grew up during the Apartheid era should make their pilgrimage for this uncensored look at government-endorsed racism. On view is the footage that people around the globe were able to view except South Africans themselves. And if you were lucky enough to be born since democracy reshaped our nation, then this is a great resource to understand how we became a unity.Visitors are welcome to make a recording of their experiences under Apartheid or donate items such as photos and passbooks that are now deemed ‘artefacts’. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

Johannesburg Zoo is a top attraction in Parkview, a leafy, upmarket northern suburb in Johannesburg. The zoo is internationally accredited and highly respected for its husbandry practices, which includes maintaining a high standard of animal welfare, nutrition and ethical conduct, ensuring the physical and psychological well- being of all its animals. The zoo was opened in 1904, when a piece of land was donated to the citizens of Johannesburg as a recreational venue. The land came with 10 animals and today the zoo has seven classes of animal life: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects and arachnids, amounting to 365 species (1868).The zoo’s animal collection includes charismatic White and Tawny Lion, Cheetah, Puma, Polar Bear, Brown Bear, Ringtailed Lemur, Siamang and Forest Cobra. See also the Spectacled Bear, Snow Leopard and Stripped Hyaena, which are rare in zoos. Endangered species are: Siberian Tiger, Margay, Wild dog, Lowland Gorilla, Sumatran Orang-utan, Red panda, Black and white Ruffed Lemur, Wattled Crane, and Cape vulture. In addition to animals from other parts of the world, there is a large collection of South African animals such as African Hippo, Giraffe, Zebra, Baboons, Meerkat, Honey Badger, Springbok, four of the big five - Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant and Lions and majestic birds such as Secretary Birds and the Bald Ibis. In the walk- through aviary, visitors can almost touch the birds. The zoo’s plant collection consists of public gardens and landscapes plants in animal exhibits, which recreate their natural habitat and indigenous & historical gardens such as Medicinal, Rose and Herb gardens.The zoo also provides Animal Talk and Feeding sessions about Chimpanzees, Vultures, Polar Bears, Wild Dogs and more. These take place every weekend and public holiday from 9h30 and run through out the day. Zoo keepers narrate personal stories of zoo animals, how they live, their relationships, origins and social norms. Children can visit the farm yard where they can see and even touch friendly farm animals such as Nguni and Bapedi Sheep. There are very small to giant breeds such as Shetland pony and Shire horse. Children can also play on the zoo’s play ground gyms.The zoo offers a range of excellent guided tours: Day, Night, Dinner and Behind the Scenes Tours, which allow for splendid experience of seeing, smelling and hearing real animals. Each tour is different and has its own unique features.Day Tours start with everyone getting on a zoo ferry to visit several areas, like the apes, Amazonia, Heart of Africa and the pachyderms. A Tour guide introduces you to the animals by sharing facts and interesting stories and giving some animals a treat. This tour is charged on a sliding scale of R85, R75 and R65 for groups of 15, 20 and 35 sizes. School groups are charged a flat rate of R50.Night Tours allows visitors to see the zoo’s night life explore their world, such as Honey Badger, Owl, Tiger, Lion, Hippo, Civet, Caracal, Margay, Porcupine, Genet, African Wild Cat, Red Panda, Serval, etc. Visitors bring a picnic meal, torches and wear comfortable shoes and get ferried around the zoo on a journey of discovery. The Tour guide explains the nocturnal animals’ natural behaviour as the group sees it happen.After the tour, everyone enjoys their picnic and the zoo provides a hot cuppa and marshmallows to toast around a camp fire. See a different and wonderful life at night. This tour is charged on a sliding scale of R95, R85 and R75 for groups of 15, 20 and 35 sizes. School groups are charged a flat rate of R50.Dinner Tour is an opportunity to enjoy an outdoor meal while listening to the zoo’s night sounds, like the dominant lion Numzaan’s gruff roar. The group visits several camps, similar to camps visited by the night tour. Tour cost R200.Behind the Scenes Tours provide a chance to get close to zoo animals where only Keepers are allowed. The tour visits the zoo kitchen, where animal feed is prepared, the hospital, where veterinary care and a place to recuperate are provided, and night rooms used by animals to relax and shelter from inclement weather. This tour shows the importance of zoos and lets you get closer than ever before. Tours cost R 85.Opening Hours: 8:30 – 17:30 with the last entry at 16:00Admission price: Adults – R50 Children & pensioners – R30

Jozi’s magnificent world-class theatre always ensures that vistors receive a warm welcome when walking through the door.With its posh furnishings and luxuriant atmosphere, this lavishly styled 1 100-seat theatre recalls the opulence of the world's great opera houses.The Lyric is regarded as one of Jozi's top entertainment venues, presenting superlative Broadway and West End productions, local and international musicians, ballet, comedy and numerous shows. Tickets for all shows are available at Computicket or The Lyric Theatre Box Office on +27 (0)11 248 5168  ⁄ 5229 ⁄ 5000.

The Globe Theatre offers a variety of entertaining musical variety shows and comedy. The cosy and informal environment provides cocktail seating, a full-service bar and an appetizing menu of light food and drink.Boasting a colourful past, Jozi's original Globe Theatre opened in the early 1890s and was renamed the Empire Palace of Varieties. For a while it hosted the first moving picture shows in South Africa. Gandhi launched his campaign of ‘passive resistance’ here in 1907. The present day Globe Theatre is a replica of the original erected at Gold Reef City.

Gold Reef City Casino has a variety of superb restaurants along with unique entertainment. From the renowned Back O' The Moon restaurant and jazz bar, to Italian cuisine and Mediterranean magic, there is excellent variety to choose from. Carnivores won't find better value than Boston BBQ's incredible buffet dishes and the new Maestro Restaurant has a menu that offers something for everyone.In addition to the restaurants, there are a number of coffee shops and a Food Court with fast food outlets. You won't be hungry!

The City of Gold's beloved theatre complex, now rebranded as The Joburg Theatre, houses four auditoria open to the public.The Mandela has a maximum seating capacity of 1,069. The Fringe is able to seat 251 and The Peoples is operated independently by Gill Girard and Keith Smith as the country's leading theatre for young children, offering seating for 176. The space.com is a versatile 'black box' environment.

The spectacular discoveries in 1947 at Sterkfontein, now part of the Cradle of Humankind are no secret and have gained South Africa the reputation as the birthplace of the human race.‘Mrs ‘Ples’, the 2.1-million-year-old Australopithecus skull, and 'Little Foot', an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton that is more than 3-million years old, were both found in the Sterkfontein Caves. These amazing discoveries and many other hominid and animal fossils found here date back more than 4-million years to the birth of humanity. ‘Mrs ‘Ples’ and 'Little Foot' tell us much about our ancestors, Homo sapiens.Daily tours at Sterkfontein Caves start above ground and then take visitors deep into the caves. The tours are run every half hour, seven days a week. Wear comfortable shoes when going into the caves and leave your handbags behind – there are a number of tight spots and stairs to negotiate. It is not advisable to do the tour if you are claustrophobic, suffer from acute asthma or have chest problems.

Sandton City is regarded as the most glamorous international standard shopping mall in southern Africa. Here you can be sure to find an ubundance of sophisticated, Afro-cosmopolitan experiences from one-of-a-kind South African artworks to the latest shoes from Milan. There's also a plethora of restaurants, bars and even a hotel. Sandton City is a gourmet melting pot of cultures and countries,hosting international and local shoppers alike. Located in Sandton'sprestigious Central Business District, Sandton City offers an excitingshopping and leisure experience in stunning surroundings.The famous Sandton Square with its statue of Nelson Mandela is adjacent to Sandton City.

Friendship, good food, wine and brilliant entertainment – the Barnyard Theatre in Broadacres is where it all comes together. The first Barnyard Theatre started as a homely, rustic farm theatre in Plettenberg Bay where friends and family could be entertained and eat, drink and talk into the small hours of the morning. It proved to be such a winner that more Barnyard Theatres started popping up all over the country. There are currently 12 Barnyard Theatres in South Africa. While each theatre is a product of its individual setting, they all retain the quaint rustic charm of the original farm theatre’s humble beginning.

Shop till you drop, get a bite or catch a show. Be spoilt for choice at Fourways Mall, a large retail shopping centre with cinema complex, supermarket, restaurants offering a unique and exciting shopping experience to the community and tourists alike. Fourways is conveniently situated in the heart of one of Jozi's most prestigious suburbs with easy access to the N1 freeway connecting Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as excellent link ups to Johannesburg International Airport.

Gauteng's premier entertainment destination, Monte Casino, is a distinctive complex with casino, shops, movies, fun arcades, restaurants, outdoor bird garden, Boogaloos New Generation Skate Park, Pieter Toerien theatre, Parker's Comedy & Jive venue and lots more. Styled just like a Tuscan village, the casino is in the centre with all the shops, restaurants, cinemas and theatres surrounding it.

Sandton Convention Centre is one of southern Africa’s most technologically advanced, multi-purpose convention venues.The twelve-storey building is designed to provide a range of convention, exhibition, meeting and special event space.Conveniently situated in the hub of Sandton's business, hotel and entertainment district, the centre offers easy access to over 5 000 hotel rooms.It also lies in Gauteng's top shopping and entertainment regions. Parking is never a problem with over 11 000 secure parking bays.

Wanderers Cricket Stadium, recently renamed BIDVest Wanderers Stadium, is the premier cricketing stadium in South Africa. Topnotch facilities and a seating capacity of 34 000 made it an ideal choice to host the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup Final. In addition, it hosted the ICC World T20 Final, the IPL Final and is one of two venues for the ICC Champions Trophy. Pavilion spectators are permitted to bring cooler boxes – these must be stored below the seats. Spectators on the grass embankment are free to bring in their own food, cold drinks in plastic containers and chairs.