Gold Reef City

Gold Reef City is built on the surface of Crown Mines, one of the shafts that produced the gold Johannesburg was founded on in 1886, and the arrangement is unusual: a full amusement park with roller coasters - the Tower of Terror drops into an old mineshaft at up to 6.3 g - and a drop tower on one side, and on the other a reconstruction of an 1890s mining town, with a gold pour demonstration where molten metal is cast into a bar in front of the audience. Underground tours down the old shaft have historically been the most memorable part and have been suspended for extended periods for safety and maintenance - check before going if that is the reason you are coming. The Apartheid Museum stands at the entrance to the same site but is a separate institution with its own ticket and a completely different register; people who combine them in one day generally find the order matters, and it is better to visit the museum first.

What to look for

• A real mine site - a park built on the surface of Crown Mines, from the 1886 rush.
• The gold pour - molten metal cast into a bar in front of the audience.
• The reconstructed town - an 1890s mining settlement beside the rides.
• The rides - roller coasters and a drop tower in the amusement park.

When to go

All year; weekdays outside school holidays. A full day.

Practical notes

Underground tours have been closed for long periods - confirm before travelling. Queues in school holidays are long. The park is dated compared with international equivalents. Food and extras add substantially to the ticket.

Nearby

The Apartheid Museum is at the same entrance; the Johannesburg CBD is north.

Key facts