Gold Reef City

Gold Reef City

Gold Reef City is a theme park built on the site of a former gold mine, located 6 kilometers south of downtown Johannesburg. It is the city’s most famous tourist attraction and is included in almost all city tours organized by hotels or travel agencies—virtually every visitor to Johannesburg comes here. Even though shops in the city are closed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, the place remains bustling with visitors.

A must-see at Gold Reef City is the liquid gold experience and the park’s most captivating underground tour. Here, visitors can get a sense of how grueling gold mining work truly was. Aside from gold, the park also features a performance of “My Dance,” a dance traditionally performed by Black laborers during breaks. The performers wear ankle bells and rhythmically move to the beat. Despite enduring strenuous physical labor, they never forgot to dance—the dance allowed them to unleash vitality from within, and visitors are mesmerized by their soulful performances. Additionally, there are live demonstrations of gold coin minting, printing shows using presses from the gold rush era, and an amusement park packed with various games. With so much to see and do, one day simply isn’t enough.