.jpg)
Affectionately known as "Wits", The University of the Witwatersrand is one of South Africa’s oldest and most prestigious institutions. Established in 1922, it tops the 100-year mark, with roots that go all the way back to 1896 with the South African School of Mines. Today, Wits is far more than an academic institution – it's a cultural and historical landmark in the heart of Joburg that spreads its influence beyond the city's limits, too.
With over 40,000 students and five buzzing campuses across Braamfontein and Parktown, Wits has shaped some of the country’s brightest minds, including Nobel Prize winners in former South African President Nelson Mandela and biologist Sydney Brenner. But you needn't be studying towards a degree to enjoy some of the best of what Wits has to offer, since the university is also the custodian of five of our favourite attractions.
In Braamfontein, the Wits Art Museum (WAM) hosts consistently excellent, museum-grade art exhibitions, while the nearby Wits Origins Centre is a place to trace humanity's footsteps – from the distant past to the present day. In the same vicinity, music fans can enjoy nights out in the purpose-built, intimate Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall. Also in Braam, on Wits' East campus, Joburg's beloved planetarium got a high-tech upgrade: the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome is a must-visit to discover the wonders of the cosmos. Decidedly further afield in the Cradle of Humankind, things get ancient and underground at the Wits Sterkfontein Caves – an awe-inspiring day trip we think every Joburger should take at least once.
If you're ready to explore, use our visitor's guide to make the most of these five key Wits attractions.
1. African art and culture at the Wits Art Museum
The Wits Art Museum (WAM), spans about 5,000 square metres over four floors and, with over 13,000 works in its growing collection, houses one of the largest collections of African art worldwide. From ancient masks and intricate beadwork to edgy contemporary installations, WAM offers an ever-evolving journey through the continent’s creative traditions, showcased in calm, light-filled galleries designed to invite reflection, discovery, and connection.
Beyond its permanent collection, WAM's annual roster of temporary exhibitions is stellar – featuring a high calibre of local artists, often in the form of sweeping retrospectives. Two recent examples are Karel Nel and Esther Mahlangu. WAM also stands out thanks to a dynamic events calendar designed to bring its exhibits to life in a fun, interactive way. With something happening practically every weekend, visitors can join expert-led or artist-guided walkabouts or take part in morning craft sessions at the adjoining WAM Cafe. These free, family-friendly Make-and-Create workshops cover everything from bookbinding to collage art.
Also at WAM, the Jack Ginsberg Centre for the Book Arts is home to Africa’s largest and internationally renowned collection of book arts, donated by collector Jack Ginsberg. Here, you'll find a wide exploration of the book as an artistic medium, encompassing everything from handmade artist's books to experimental formats.
All together, WAM is a singular space in Joburg where some of the country's most important artists shine and visitors can learn new skills and engage directly with the art in unusual ways.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Location: Cnr Jan Smuts Ave (technically Bertha Street) and Jorissen Streets, Braamfontein.
Parking: There is no dedicated parking for WAM.
Operating hours: WAM: Tue – Sat, 10:00 – 16:00; JGCBA: Tue – Fri, 10:00 – 16:00
Cost: Entrance is free.
What's on: For WAM's current programming, follow @witsartmuseum_wam on Instagram.
Nearby? An eight-minute drive from WAM, pop in for a bite at Olives & Plates at Wits Club – an eatery known for its Cape Dutch architecture, tranquil oak-lined gardens, and wholesome, fresh food.
2. Live performances at the Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall
The Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall, Wits University’s premier concert venue, is Joburg's only purpose-built music hall with a modern acoustic design. Launched as part of the university’s centenary celebrations in 2022, and named after Wits alumnus and benefactor Chris Seabrooke, whose support has helped shape the future of music at Wits, the venue sits between the Wits Theatre Complex and the Wits Art Museum. The foyer is a converted heritage building, and the patch of earth that this new building occupies was where Joburg's first gold miners lived.
Key to this hall's musical programming is Carlo Mombelli, renowned South African jazz bassist, composer, and educator based at Wits University, who regularly performs and curates events at the Chris Seabrooke Music Hall. In early 2025 we attended the inaugural Wits Standard Bank Piano Festival here, which played host to musicians the likes of Kyle Shepherd, Africa Mkhize, and Nduduzo Makhathini. With under 200 seats, the hall offers an intimate and immersive listening experience, where every note – from classical symphonies and jazz quartets to experimental compositions and student recitals – resonates with exceptional clarity.PLAN YOUR VISIT
Location: Wits University, cnr Station and Jorissen Streets, Braamfontein.
Parking: Secure parking is available on the premises.
Cost: Entrance price varies.
What's on: For upcoming events, see the Wits roster here.
Nearby? Kitchener’s is a short drive southeast of Chris Seabrooke Music Hall, located along Louis Botha Avenue. It’s a popular local spot to unwind with drinks, pizzas, live music, and comedy nights – perfect for extending your cultural outing.
3. Tracing history at Wits Origins Centre
Journey through the rich, complex story of human creativity, belief, and survival from a distinctly southern African perspective at Wits Origins Centre. Home to one of the world's largest collections of rock art, this immersive museum combines ancient artefacts, interactive exhibits, and contemporary art to explore the origins of modern humankind. From ochre-decorated stones dating back 100,000 years to engraved fragments of ostrich shell and San rock paintings, the museum showcases humanity’s earliest artistic and symbolic expressions.
Using cutting-edge technologies like digital scanning, 3D reconstructions, and augmented reality, the museum reveals the hidden patterns in painted and engraved art in southern Africa – which are among the earliest known in the world.
The Origins Centre is not just a place of display but of active research and community collaboration, working closely with indigenous San communities to reinterpret ancient imagery through oral histories and cultural knowledge. As a result, modern interpretations are enriched with the voices of the descendants of the original artists, with exhibits ranging from the symbolic meaning of the eland to the immense hall containing Tamar Mason's incredible embroidered visual chronicle created with a colective of 80 crafts women, called Threads of Knowing. (Note: this hall can be hired out for private use, email bookings.origins@wits.ac.za for more information.)
In addition to its rich permanent displays, the Origins Centre hosts temporary exhibitions such as Joni Brenner's striking solo, Impact (showing until Aug 16, 2025) – an artistic response to the 2.5–2.8 million year old Taung Child skull. Origins Centre also offers a lively events roster with science talks, public lectures, and artist walkabouts that bring its collections to life.
Before you go, take time to explore the excellent Origins Centre gift shop and bookshop with titles that focus on San history, rock art, and modern South African history. The gift shop stocks an array of high-quality handmade gifts, such as jewellery and home decor, and many traditional items handmade by San communities in the South African Kalahari. The museum also has a small cafe.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Location: Origins Centre is inside the Wits University campus. The entrance to the museum is immediately on your left as you enter the gates on Yale Road in Braamfontein.
Parking: There is secure parking on the premises.
Cost: Tickets range between R40 – R70 p.p. Get your tickets here.
What's on: For current exhibitions and events, follow @originscentre_wits on Instagram.
4. Seeing stars at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome
A landmark in Braamfontein since 1960, the Wits Planetarium was Africa's first full-sized planetarium and, over time, has awed and educated thousands. In 2025, it reopened after a three-year closure with impressive architectural and tech upgrades and a new name – but the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome is still the best place to stargaze in Joburg.
At the heart of the transformation is a state-of-the-art 8K digital projection system – comprising 10 Sony VPL-GTZ380 projectors – paired with surround sound to deliver a fully immersive, 360-degree experience. Using real-time data from sources such as NASA and beyond, visitors can "land" on the Moon, explore Mars, or travel across galaxies – all from a seat under the dome.
The building's architectural upgrade, led by Kate Otten Architects, preserves iconic features of this heritage building like the copper dome (still visible from the M1 highway) while reimagining the interior as a more multi-use space for science, art, and education. It also houses Wits staff offices and can host private events.
The Digital Dome is a one-of-a-kind space in the city, blending astronomy, data visualisation, digital art, and storytelling. The rotating public programme features screenings, expert talks, and live events, including content licensed from the American Museum of Natural History. From deep-sea dives to distant stars, the Digital Dome offers a cinematic adventure for all ages – perfect for families, students, creatives, and the cosmically curious.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Location: Wits' East Campus in Braamfontein and can be accessed either via Yale Road or Empire Road.
Secure parking is available on the premises.
Operating hours and cost: From Tue – Fri mornings, the Digital Dome is open for school shows. The cost is R30 per pupils. Email bookings.digitaldome@wits.ac.za. Public shows are on Fri at 19:00 and Sat at 10:00 and 12:30. The cost is R70 per person for adults, R40 per person for children, and R40 per person for pensioners. The programme rotates every seven weeks. Book tickets here. For other queries, please email info.digitaldome@wits.ac.za.
Note: The Digital Dome doesn't admit children younger than five, and minors must be accompanied by an adult. Food, sweets, and drinks are not permitted in the auditorium. No late entry is permitted.
What's on: For the Digital Dome's current schedule, see here.
Nearby? The Wits Digital Dome is a short drive from 44 Stanley in Milpark, a hub of vibrant cafes, galleries, and design shops – perfect for a creative pit stop after your star show.
5. Further afield: Wits Sterkfontein Caves
Situated within a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Cradle of Humankind, and approximately 50km north west of Johannesburg, the Sterkfontein Caves are a national treasure. Following a three-year closure for infrastructural improvements, the caves reopened to the public in April 2025 under the new custodianship of Wits University. When we visited for a tour, our guide Trevor Buthelezi quipped, "The caves are the caves. Not much has changed. It'll take another two million years for that." That's precisely the beauty of a site like this – a link to something ancient.
This dolomitic limestone cave system formed approximately 20 to 30 million years ago, and what's been mapped of this to date extends over 2.5 kilometres. The Sterkfontein Caves are a time capsule in the truest sense and have played a crucial role in our understanding of human evolution; not just in Joburg or even the country, but around the world. One of the most famous hominin fossils ever found, "Mrs Ples", was discovered at Sterkfontein in 1947. This nearly complete skull of an Australopithecus africanus dates back approximately 3.4 million years. A later discovery dating back approximately 3.67 million years, "Little Foot" is an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton found between 1994 and 1998. It's the oldest hominin in Southern Africa and the most complete hominin skeleton yet found.
A guided tour of the Sterkfontein Caves is wondrous, and something we recommend every Joburg resident and visitor experience at least once. You will descend into the cave system and learn about its formation as well as some of the important discoveries that have been made there. Points of interest include the lime kilns used by miners, the Silberberg Grotto where "Little Foot" was found, the Elephant Chamber, and the underground lake. Sterkfontein is still an active excavation site, and you may see people at work when you visit.
Before you leave, it is worth spending at least an hour at the on-site museum where you can learn more about geology, cave formations, mammals and early life, and the process of fossilisation and discovery. The site also has a preparatory laboratory where fossils are cleaned and catalogued and a temporary exhibition space with rotating displays.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Location: Find the Wits Sterkfontein Caves on Kromdraai Road in the Cradle of Humankind, Muldersdrift. Close to Krugersdorp, and about 50km northwest of Joburg.
Parking: Parking is available on-site at the Sterkfontein Caves Visitors Centre.
Cost: Tickets for the Sterkfontein Caves tour are R150 per person for adults, R125 per person for children between six and 18 years, and free for children under the age of six. Pensioners pay R100 per person. If it's your birthday, you can enter for free (proof of ID required).
Note: Tours of the caves take around 45 minutes and are not recommended for the unfit as there are numerous steps and some places where you are required to kneel or crawl.
What's on: For current programming, check out sterkfonteincaves.wits.ac.za.
Nearby? The Nirox Sculpture Park, set across 30 hectares of cultivated lawns, waterways, and wetlands along the Blaauwbankspruit River, is a breathtaking blend of nature and art. For complete rejuvenation, stay at Farmhouse58, a nearby retreat grounded in slow living and immersive nature experiences.
Comments