The Company's Garden

I have loved visiting this urban park and gardens since I was a child. From feeding the almost-tame squirrels peanuts on Government Avenue to visiting the birds in the giant aviaries at the tea garden and spotting oversized koi in the ponds under the monuments to various wartime heroes, this is a children's paradise and a boon for parents who need to let the kids run wild a little after a day's sightseeing. It's situated in the heart of the central business district and plays host to a number of cultural sights too - from the South African National Gallery to the Planetarium and Natural History Museum all of which are well worth visiting. Grab a no frills toasted sandwich at the tea room or pack a lunch and enjoy it on the manicured lawns - once the site of the vegetable gardens, planted to feed the earliest settlers of the colony, now it is a restful spot frequented by office workers in their lunch hours and tourists alike.