Drive into Welkom along a road that meets a traffic circle instead of a traffic light, and you begin to understand the shape of the place. The central business district was laid out so that cars keep moving, and the circles give the city its nickname, Circle City. Between them, the streets are green enough to explain the other name it carries, City Within A Garden.
Welkom suits the traveller who is curious about the Free State goldfields and is willing to look for the story in small collections, roadside monuments and a motor racing circuit rather than in large visitor attractions. It is a place for a slow half-day or a full day, best combined with the drive between Welkom and Odendaalsrus.
1. Gold Museum
The Gold Museum holds a complete history of gold and its mining and production. It is the most direct way to understand why the town exists at all, since the settlement was laid out after gold was discovered in the region.
Note that the St Helena Gold Mine is not a working mine any more, so treat the museum as the record of the industry rather than a starting point for a mine visit.
2. Museum of Welkom
The Museum of Welkom is housed in the public library and displays the discovery of gold in Welkom, the city's history, and the bird and animal life indigenous to the region. It is a compact stop that gives you the local context in one room.
Because it sits in the library, combine it with the Gold Museum in the same outing so the two accounts of the goldfields sit side by side.
3. Phakisa Freeway
Phakisa Freeway is an international standard, multi-purpose motor sport facility on the R70 between Welkom and Odendaalsrus. The track features a 4.24-km road course and a 2.4-km banked oval track, and it is one of the few oval speedways outside of the United States and the only one in Africa. The circuit hosted MotoGP's South African motorcycle Grand Prix from 1999 to 2004.
It is the strongest reason to plan a day around a specific date rather than simply turning up, so check what is running before you set out. The R70 route also makes it a natural pairing with the drive towards Odendaalsrus.
4. Aandenk Monument
The Aandenk Monument is a borehole memorial shaped in the form of a key, symbolising the unlocking of the Free State goldfields. It sits next to Allanridge.
Read it as the counterpart to the museums: the collections explain the industry, and this monument marks the prospecting that made it possible.
5. Local Apartheid Memorial
The Local Apartheid Memorial commemorates local citizens' contribution to the struggle in the Apartheid years. It adds a necessary layer to a visit otherwise dominated by mining history.
Pair it with the Museum of Welkom, where the city's broader history is displayed, so the two accounts of the same decades are read together.
6. Afrikaans Language Monument
The Afrikaans Language Monument is one of the monuments listed among Welkom's public art. It is a short stop rather than a destination in itself.
Group it with the other monuments in the city on a single loop rather than making a separate trip for each one.
7. Joanne Pim Monument
The Joanne Pim Monument is among the monuments recorded in Welkom. Like the others, it rewards a few minutes rather than a scheduled visit.
Add it to the same monument circuit as the Afrikaans Language Monument and the Voortrekker Memorial.
8. World War II Monument
The World War II Monument is one of the city's listed monuments. It is a quiet stop suited to a walk between other sights.
Combine it with the MOTH Memorial, which commemorates a related theme, so the two are seen in the same outing.
9. Voortrekker Memorial
The Voortrekker Memorial is another of Welkom's monuments. It is worth a brief pause if you are already following the monument route through the city.
Keep it on the same loop as the Afrikaans Language Monument and the Joanne Pim Monument.
10. Dog Monument
The Dog Monument is among the monuments listed in Welkom. It is a small landmark rather than a full attraction.
Treat it as a marker on a walk through the city centre, where the traffic circles make moving between stops straightforward.
11. MOTH Memorial
The MOTH Memorial is one of the city's monuments. It is a short stop that fits naturally with the other memorials.
Visit it alongside the World War II Monument, since both belong to the same commemorative thread.
12. Old Indaba Bluegum Tree
The Old Indaba Bluegum Tree is listed among Welkom's monuments and public art. It is a living landmark rather than a built one.
Include it on the monument route, and note that the city's green character is part of what earned it the name City Within A Garden.
13. Zuka Baloyi Stadium
Zuka Baloyi Stadium is the homeground of Harmony F.C., a multi-sport facility that is mostly used for soccer. Another soccer stadium in the city is Vuyo Charles Stadium, formerly Thabong Stadium.
If you want to watch a match, plan around the local fixture list rather than assuming a game will be on.
14. The Griffons Rugby Union
The Griffons Rugby Union is based in Welkom, giving the city a rugby fixture to follow alongside its soccer grounds.
Check the season before you travel if rugby is the reason for your visit, and pair a match with time at the nearby stadiums.
15. Hang gliding at the airport
Welkom's airport is used on a regular basis for hang gliding championships on a national and international basis. If your visit coincides with a championship, the airport becomes one of the more unusual things to watch in the city.
Because these are championships rather than daily activities, confirm the dates before building a day around them.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Gold Museum for the history of gold and its mining and production, then walk to the Museum of Welkom in the public library for the discovery of gold, the city's history, and the region's bird and animal life.
Afternoon: Follow the monument route through the city, taking in the Afrikaans Language Monument, the Joanne Pim Monument, the Voortrekker Memorial, the World War II Monument, the MOTH Memorial, the Dog Monument, the Old Indaba Bluegum Tree and the Local Apartheid Memorial. If a fixture is on, finish the afternoon at Zuka Baloyi Stadium or with The Griffons Rugby Union.
Evening: If you have a car and the timing works, drive the R70 towards Odendaalsrus for Phakisa Freeway, and stop at the Aandenk Monument next to Allanridge on the way.
Why does Welkom have so many traffic circles?
The city is known for its efficient road traffic design, mainly through the use of traffic circles. The flow design, the minimum of stop streets and the total absence of traffic lights and parking meters in the Central Business District are what earned it the name Circle City.
Can I visit the St Helena Gold Mine?
No. The Gold Museum is where the history of gold and its mining and production is on display.
Where can I see wildlife and bird life?
The Museum of Welkom, in the public library, includes a display of bird and animal life indigenous to the region. Flamingo Pan, to the south-west of Welkom, is coded as an Important Bird Area.
When is the best time to watch motor sport?
Phakisa Freeway is an international standard, multi-purpose motor sport facility, and the circuit hosted MotoGP's South African motorcycle Grand Prix from 1999 to 2004. Events are not continuous, so check what is scheduled before planning a day around the track.
Use these stops to sketch your own route through the goldfields, and check event dates before you book.