Stand on Landdros Mare Street outside the Civic Centre and the city's layers sit close together: the 1924 gazebo in the Civic Square, the museum buildings a short walk away, and the everyday traffic of Limpopo's capital moving past them. Polokwane rewards a traveller who is already passing through on the N1 between Gauteng and the Zimbabwean border, or breaking the drive to the Kruger National Park via the R71.
This guide suits anyone with a day or two to spend: museum-goers, families looking for a game reserve and a bowling alley, and drivers who want a comfortable stop with something to see. It covers the museums, monuments, galleries and outdoor attractions named in the source material, and nothing else.
Top things to do in Polokwane
1. Polokwane Game Reserve
This reserve offers game viewing of as many as 21 species, including white rhino, sable antelope and giraffe. It also conserves the Pietersburg Plateau false grassland, home to indigenous birds such as the short-clawed lark, the ashy tit and the Kalahari scrub-robin.
There are a number of walks, including a one-day 20 km hiking trail with overnight accommodation, and self-catering chalets if you want to stay over. A well-equipped caravan site sits adjacent to the reserve, so combine a game drive with a night here rather than rushing back into the city.
2. Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open Air Museum
The museum provides insight into the traditional and modern-day culture and lifestyle of the Bakone people, with thatched houses, grinding stones and calabashes used in the olden days. It is centred on a traditional village still occupied by members of the tribe, who sell crafts to visitors, and background information is available in the visitor centre.
Within the complex are archaeological sites with remains of iron- and copper-smelting installations and rock paintings. A tour guide is available, bookings are essential, and special arrangements can be made to visit on Sundays. It is excellent for family picnics and braais, and sits about 9 km from the city on the R37 to Lebowakgomo.
3. Polokwane Art Museum
Housed at the Danie Hough Cultural Centre in the Library Gardens complex on Schoemann Street, the museum holds over 1000 works in its indoor collection: paintings, ceramics, mixed media and sculptures by artists from Limpopo. Local art figures such as Jackson Hlungwani, Samson Mudzunga, Johannes Segogela, John Baloyi, Avhashoni Mainganye and Lucas Thobejane are represented.
The museum holds regular exhibitions, so it is worth pairing with the Gun Memorial in the Library Gardens on the corner of Grobler and Schoeman Street, where guns confiscated at the end of the Magoeba War in 1892 were melted into one mass and put on display.
4. The Irish House, Polokwane Museum
This Victorian building was prefabricated and moved to the city by a German immigrant in 1906, restored in 1986 and converted into the Polokwane Museum. It displays the diverse cultural heritage of the city and the Limpopo province.
It stands on Market Street at the corner of Thabo Mbeki Street, an easy stop to combine with the Civic Centre and the art museum in a single walk around the centre.
5. Hugh Exton Photographic Museum
The museum exhibits 23,000 glass negatives portraying the first five years of the town's history on celluloid, taken by photographer Hugh Exton between 1892 and 1945. It is housed in a Dutch Reformed church built in the 1890s.
It sits at the Polokwane Civic Centre, with the entrance off the Landdros Mare Street parking lot. Bookings are essential, so arrange your visit before you set out for the day.
6. Meropa Sun Casino and Entertainment World
This Moroccan-style casino is open 24 hours and includes outdoor entertainment amenities such as go-karts, minigolf and a wildlife park. Highlights include a butterfly and bird park, a fun park and several entertainment areas, with world-class gaming facilities and entertainment for children.
It is on Roodepoort Road at Plot 59, Sterkloop. Because it runs around the clock, it works well as an evening stop after a day of museums and monuments.
7. Polokwane Bird and Reptile Park
The park has over 280 indigenous and exotic bird species and a variety of snakes, lizards and crocodiles. There are also numerous picnic spots and an 18-hole golf course.
It is on Lawton Road 118 in Ivydale. With picnic spots on site, it suits a slower family afternoon rather than a quick stop.
8. Cape Vultures at Moletjie Bird Sanctuary
Cape Vultures are among the largest raptors in Africa and are endemic to South Africa, with a dwindling population that is considered vulnerable. The Moletjie Bird Sanctuary in the Polokwane Game Reserve is internationally acclaimed for its work protecting the Cape Vulture.
It is reached via Silicon Road. Since it sits within the game reserve, plan it as part of the same outing rather than a separate trip.
9. Industrial Art Park
The Polokwane Art Museum curates 15 works of art produced from industrial material in this open-air park, with sculptures on permanent display. The museum was established in 1970 and is the only one of its kind in Africa.
Find it on the N1 North to Makhado, at the corner of Landdros Mare and Potgieter Avenues. It is an outdoor stop, so fit it into daylight hours.
10. Eloff Gallery
An unusual and eclectic mix of local rural crafts, bespoke furniture and works by many South African artists is on display here. Opened in 1989 by Barenda Eloff, the gallery is warm and inviting rather than stark, with original works of real value.
It is at 74 Dorp Street, close enough to the centre to slot between the museums and the Civic Centre.
11. Civic Centre
The elegant gazebo in the Civic Square was built in 1924. The building was once the home of coach magnate Doel Zeederberg, who established the first passenger stage-coach service between Pietersburg, now Polokwane, and Bulawayo in 1894.
It stands on the corner of Landdros Mare and Bodenstein Street. Pair it with the Hugh Exton Photographic Museum, whose entrance is off the same street's parking lot.
12. Roman Catholic Church
Built in 1934 in the heart of the city, this is considered one of Polokwane's finest pieces of architecture. It remains the home of the large Catholic congregation in the city.
It is at 54 Biccard Street, a short addition to a walk through the civic centre.
13. Gun Memorial
Guns confiscated at the end of the Magoeba War in 1892 were melted into one mass and put on display here. It stands in the Library Gardens on the corner of Grobler and Schoeman Street.
Because it shares the Library Gardens with the Polokwane Art Museum, you can see both in one visit.
14. Concentration Camp Cemetery
The cemetery houses the graves of the victims of a nearby Anglo-Boer War concentration camp. It is on Kobalt Street in Nirvana.
It is a quiet, separate stop from the city-centre sights, so treat it as its own short outing rather than something to fold into a walk.
15. Eersteling Monument
The monument marks the country's first gold crushing site and gold power plant. It is about 18 km from the city on the R101 South to Mokopane.
Take the exit marked Eersteling Monument and drive another 5 km. Because it lies outside the city, it is best combined with a drive south rather than a city day.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Polokwane Art Museum in the Library Gardens complex, then step outside to the Gun Memorial on the corner of Grobler and Schoeman Street. Walk on to The Irish House, Polokwane Museum on Market Street at the corner of Thabo Mbeki Street, and finish the morning at the Civic Centre on the corner of Landdros Mare and Bodenstein Street.
Afternoon: Book ahead for the Hugh Exton Photographic Museum at the Polokwane Civic Centre, then drive out to the Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open Air Museum on the R37 to Lebowakgomo, where a guide is available and bookings are essential.
Evening: Head to Meropa Sun Casino and Entertainment World on Roodepoort Road, which stays open around the clock, for gaming, the fun park and the butterfly and bird park.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book ahead for the museums?
Yes for some. Bookings are essential at the Hugh Exton Photographic Museum and at the Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open Air Museum, where a tour guide is available and special arrangements can be made for Sunday visits.
Can I see wildlife without leaving the city?
Yes. The Polokwane Game Reserve offers game viewing of as many as 21 species, including white rhino, sable antelope and giraffe, and the Moletjie Bird Sanctuary within it is known for its Cape Vulture work.
What is there to do in the evening?
Meropa Sun Casino and Entertainment World is a 24-hour casino with go-karts, minigolf, a wildlife park, a butterfly and bird park and a fun park, making it the clearest evening option among the listed attractions.
Which sights sit outside the city centre?
The Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open Air Museum is about 9 km from the city on the R37 to Lebowakgomo, and the Eersteling Monument is about 18 km away on the R101 South to Mokopane, reached by taking the marked exit and driving a further 5 km.
Pick the museums and the game reserve that fit your days, check which visits need booking, and start mapping your route through Polokwane.