Things to do near
Charlo
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling
distance.
Golf Courses
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Walmer (3.1 km from Charlo) The congenial atmosphere of Walmer Country Club and the challenging course present an attractive golfing experience in the leafy suburb of Walmer, Port Elizabeth.
Dense coastal scrub, tree lined fairways and the prevailing winds all contribute to testing amateur players.
The standard 18-hole course has fairways running mostly in westerly or easterly directions. The first shot starts with a demanding Par 4, frequently into the teeth of south-westerly gales.
Walmer Country Club house offers a restaurant, Pro shop, modern changing rooms and golf cart hire.
+27 (0) 41 581 3401
1 Victoria Drive, Walmer, Port Elizabeth
Shopping Malls
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Walmer (4.4 km from Charlo) Walmer Park Shopping Centre offers everything under one roof. Clothing, home interior, jewellery, grocery, stationery, pet, music shops as well as various eating establishments and movie theatre.
www.walmerparkshoppingcentre.co.za
Galleries and Museums
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Port Elizabeth (4.5 km from Charlo) The St. Croix Motor Museum is located in St Georges Park. On display is a private collection of vintage and classic motor vehicles, dating as far back as 1901. Many of the vehicles are for sale. The museum was created by Eben de Vos and is housed in an airplane hangar beside Mill Park.
There are about 80 vehicles on display, ranging from the early 20's to the early 60's. Many artifacts related to the motor vehicle industry are also on display.
Galleries and Museums
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Newton Park (4.9 km from Charlo) The St. Croix Motor Museum has a fine private collection of vintage and classic vehicles dating back to 1901.
If you have an interest in classic vehicles, then this is the place to visit. About 80 cars are on show, dating from the early century to the 1960's. Many other items related to the motor industry are also on display.
The museum is open on Saturday afternoons.
Weekday visits are by appointment only.
Hiking Trail
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Port Elizabeth (5.1 km from Charlo) The Guinea Fowl trail is located in the Baakens River Valley at the centre of Port Elizabeth. The walking trail is divided into an upper and a lower section.
The Upper Guinea Fowl trail is six kilometres long and takes approximately two hours to walk. The trail starts at 3rd Avenue in Walmer and ends at Sunridge Park at Kragga Kamma.
The Lower Guinea Fowl trail is seven and a half kilometres long and takes you downstream to Settler's Park. The trail meanders along the Braakens River and passes through a steep-sided valley below the city suburbs. Visitors can see wildflowers, trees and blue water lilies along the walk, as well as dassies, tortoises and lizards. The trail is not circular so walkers will have to organise transport for the way back.
There are ablution facilities and water available along the trails.
Golf Courses
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Mill Park (5.3 km from Charlo) Founded in 1890, the Port Elizabeth Golf Club is one of the oldest in South Africa. Over 100 years later many of the holes still have the same routing!
Today the 6121 metre layout features significant changes including bent grass greens, 25 strategically placed bunkers, and two nines of par 36 for a total par of 72.
Well established trees, palm trees, strelitzias and lush plantings line the fairways. The two signature holes, the 8th and 17th holes, feature distinctive water features.
The vibrant club house offers multi-functional lounges, bars and modern change room facilities with a sauna.
+27 (0) 41 374 3140
bookings@pegolf.co.za
Westview Drive, Mill Park, Port Elizabeth
Shopping Malls
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Greenacres (5.7 km from Charlo) Greenacres Shopping Centre is situated in the heart of Port Elizabeth, the economic hub of the Eastern Cape. This trendy shopping mecca forms part of a one-kilometre complex that entices visitors from afar to indulge in retail therapy.
Two choices in parking facilities are on offer. There is an outdoor parking space and a three-level parking facility with over 1000 parking bays situated on the Northern side of the building. Two levels of this facility are undercover, while the rooftop is open.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 09:00 – 18:00
Friday 09:00 – 19:00
Saturday 08:30 – 17:00
Sunday and Public Holidays 09:00 – 14:00
Selected tenants and food outlets trade longer hours for your convenience.
Banking Hours:
Nedbank Monday to Friday 08:30 – 16:00
Saturday 08:30 – 12:00
First National Bank Monday to Friday 09:00 – 15:30
Saturday 08:30 – 11:00
Rennies Foreign Exchange Monday to Friday 08:30 – 16:30
Saturday 08:30 – 12:00.
Beaches
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Schoenmakerskop (6 km from Charlo) The pretty coastal village of Schoenmakerskop is perfect for families offering a number of picnic spots, coves, rock pools and a few small sandy beaches. The sandy coves provide safe paddling for little kids. Look out for playful schools of dolphins who frequently surf the waves.
Hiking Trail
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Schoenmakerskop (6.7 km from Charlo) Cape Recife Lighthouse is the third oldest lighthouse on the South African coast and was built in 1851. Stay on the beach past the lighthouse and go towards the car park at Chelsea Bay. From here you follow the gravel road. Then it will be a short climb to ruins of historical lookout buildings. Continue on the gravel road to the gate. Take drinking water. Difficulty is moderate.
The trail is 9 km long and takes approximately three hours. Vehicles need a permit that can be obtained at the entrance to the reserve. No permit is required for hikers who leave their vehicles by the gate. Please enquire.
Nature Reserves
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Port Elizabeth (6.9 km from Charlo) The Settlers Park Nature Reserve is located in the heart of Port Elizabeth along the banks of the Baakens River Valley.
The reserve is great for exploring and bird watching. The park is rich in bird life with a variety of birds to be seen, including woodpeckers, flycatchers, and various species of sunbirds. There are also weavers, warblers, waxbills, and kingfishers nestled within the reeds of the valley.
There is a stunning flower display house, a Marquette of the 1820 Settlers' Statue, indigenous flora, rock pools with stepping-stones and grassed areas ideal for picnicking.
Galleries and Museums
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St Georges Park (7.3 km from Charlo) The Ron Belling Art Gallery is situated in a beautiful Art Deco house built in 1936. Designed by Gertruida Brinkman, the first woman architect to graduate in South Africa, it is recognized as a significant example of the Early Modern Style. The house has been modified tastefully as a modern art gallery and both the building and the privately owned collection are available for the benefit of the larger community.
Ron Belling was South Africa’s foremost aviation artist who produced 1650 paintings during his lifetime. Many of these are exhibited at the gallery, dedicated to his memory in Port Elizabeth. The gallery also exhibits examples of the Marine and Junkers series, the latter almost completed at the time of his death and are on loan from the Ron Belling Memorial Art Trust.
Open Monday to Friday 10:00 – 16:00.
Weekends on the first Saturday and Sunday of the Month 10:00 – 13:00; third and fourth Saturday of the Month 10:00 – 13:00.
Closed every second weekend of the month (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) and religious holidays.
A nominal admission fee is payable.
Nature Reserves
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Port Elizabeth (7.4 km from Charlo) Known as the oldest park in Port Elizabeth, this is also the home of the second oldest cricket club in South Africa, which has hosted countless test matches to this day.
St George's Park also features the Port Elizabeth Bowls Club, founded on August 14, 1882, and known as "The Mother Club of Bowls in South Africa" as it was the first bowling club in the country. Other facilities include a swimming baths complex, the Mannville Open-Air Theatre, the Port Elizabeth Lawn Tennis Club, Prince Alfred's Guard Memorial, and the Pearson Conservatory.
Beaches
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Sardinia Bay (7.4 km from Charlo) Sardinia Bay is easily one of Port Elizabeth’s most scenic beaches and best for long walks. It’s a popular surfing spot but is known to be dangerous for swimming due to strong rip tides. Dog walkers and horse riders also favour this spacious sandy beach. Picnic places, braai spots and ablution facilities are available so pack your picnic basket and spend an entire day chilling here with family and friends.
Popular Attractions
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Port Elizabeth (7.4 km from Charlo) The Erica School for Girls in Port Elizabeth was begun in 1884 by Miss Mary Anne van Wyk, who initially gave lessons in the old Erica Hall. After the South African War, it was decided to erect a new school building, which was designed by architect W White-Cooper, and was built by HJ Beckett. It was opened on 4 November 1903 by Dr Thomas Muir, then Superintendent-General of Education. It was declared a National Monument under old NMC legislation on 17 March 1989.
Sports Stadiums Clubs
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St Georges Park (7.6 km from Charlo) Sahara Oval, St George’s Park Cricket Ground, St George’s Oval, The Crusaders Ground – the grand old cricket oval of many names was the first ground in South Africa to host a Test match in 1889.
St George's Cricket Ground lies in Nelson Mandela Bay's upmarket suburb of St George’s Park and is one of the venues for Test matches and One Day Internationals in South Africa.
The oval is home to the Port Elizabeth Cricket Club, one of the oldest cricket clubs in South Africa, and the Eastern Province Amateur Cricket Board.