Stanford Galleries and Museums

The Old Harbour Gallery focuses on local South African Artists. Owner, Margaret Fourie has a magnificent collection of old masters as well as promising contemporary artists works for the discerning art lover. Here you will find quality art with investment potential.

Paul Cluver Forest Amphitheatre is one of the most unique and awe inspiring settings for performances in the Overberg. A towering Eucalyptus forest circles the intimate 600 seater-arena which has been hewn from farm timber in its entirety. Performances are specifically chosen to match the natural acoustics of the venue.Pack a picnic basket, purchase estate wine and come enjoy an evening of entertainment with great stars, under the stars!Only 45 minutes drive from Cape Town International.Need to know? Blankets, cushions and warm jackets are recommended. Seats are unreserved on a first come, first served basis. Limited table bookings available at an additional cost. (For table bookings call 021 8440605).

This treasure chest of a museum specialises in shipwrecks along the South African coastline and contains showpieces specific to the Overberg. Three sections make up the museaum – one of which is the Shipwreck Museum. Housed in the old former Independent Church, you will find an amazing assortment of cannons, figureheads, chinaware, coins, ships' bells, buoys and other life-saving equipment. The Old Parsonage, a typical Strandveldhuis (Overberg home), is furnished with articles collected along the coasts. Here too, for safekeeping, is a collection of newspaper cuttings and other trivia salvaged from various wrecks. The Old Coach House exhibits Cape carts, a scotch-cart, two horse-drawn hearses and a splendid old fire engine. The buildings alone are beautifully restored examples of old Cape architecture - well worth a visit! Need to know? Open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 16:45, Saturday from 09:00 to 14:45 and Sunday from 10:30 to 12:30.

Friendship, good food, wine and brilliant entertainment – the Barnyard Theatre in Franschhoek is where it all comes together. The first Barnyard Theatre started as a homely, rustic farm theatre in Plettenberg Bay where friends and family could be entertained and eat, drink and talk into the small hours of the morning. It proved to be such a winner that more Barnyard Theatres started popping up all over the country. There are currently 12 Barnyard Theatres in South Africa. While each theatre is a product of its individual setting, they all retain the quaint rustic charm of the original farm theatre’s humble beginning. The Barnyard Theatre at Bridge House hosts professional productions, jazz, choirs and corporate functions. Bring your own picnic basket or order a la carte.

Walk through an original historic migrant labour hostel. The only preserved hostel in the Wesrtern Cape, Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum is a memorial to the system of migrant labour, single sex hostels and the control of black workers through the identity document which controlled the lives of black South Africans under apartheid - the infamous pass book.The museum reminds residents and visitors of the horrific living conditions that the migrant labour system imposed. Lwandle was established in 1958 with hostel type accommodation for workers in the nearby fruit and canning industry. These hostels were only intended for single men. Hostels provided very basic accommodation with four to six men occupying a small confined space, with an entire block sharing rudimentary ablution facilities. In the 1980s, as the control of the flow of people from rural areas was eased, these hostels became even more overcrowded. Facilities were not provided to sustain the increased population.With the onset of democracy in South Africa, the ANC led government turned the hostels of Lwandle into family type accommodation. Residents of the area felt that at least one hostel should be preserved to sustain a memory of how the system of apartheid had operated and decided to establish a museum. On Workers Day (1 May) 2000 the museum was officially opened by the poet and ex-Lwandle resident, Sandile Dikeni. The museum's exhibits commemorate the trials, tribulations and triumphs of migrant workers and hostel life in Southern Africa. Here you can learn more about the migrant labour system, walk through an original historic hostel, meet members of the community and view the whole township on a guided walk.

Ogle hundreds of sensual stone effigies made by Zimbabwe’s talented Shona artists. Art Creations Africa is one of southern Africa’s largest exhibitors and exporters of the famous “Hard Rock" stone sculptures from Zimbabwe. Regular exhibitions are held at top hotels, art galleries, wine estates and botanical gardens around the world. See the Art Creations Africa collection at their gallery in 43 Almond Drive, Helderberg Estate, Somerset West. Open Monday to Friday 08:30 – 16:30 and weekends by appointment only. + 27 (0) 21 855 0131 www.artcreationsafrica.com

Stellies offers a lot more than just wine. Why not spend a day exploring the many historical buildings and Museums in Stellenbosch? There is something for everyone from the V.O.C Kruithuis, an old gunpowder house where war memorabilia is on display, to the Toy and Miniature Museum, where you can take a trip back to the good old days and look at what amused children before computer games and mobile phones.The Village Museum is another must during your stay in Stellenbosch, with its four lovingly restored historic homes which you can view at your leisure, Shreuderhuis, Blettermanhuis, OM Berghs House and the beautiful Grosvenor House. A visit to any of these wonderful historical buildings is sure to be a memorable one, and is a must for anyone visiting Stellenbosch!