Howzzzt recommends: The Observatory restaurant, Johannesburg
It’s not exactly an African experience in the sense that tourists so often expect (no bare-breasted dancing women, for example), but The Observatory is a pretty special dinner venue. And if you’re from the northern hemisphere it offers something you won’t get at home.
Telescope not shown to scale, because it's too friggin big.
The restaurant is connected to an honest-to-God observatory with a 62cm (or 25 inch) telescope, a Newtonian/Cassegrain Bradford made by the Rand Corporation. It is apparently the biggest pro scope in private hands in this half of the world, and how exactly the restaurant came to own it has not been explained entirely to our satisfaction. Even if it did fall off the back of a truck, it’s a wicked-cool piece of equipment, and you don’t need to be an astronomy buff to appreciate it.
In fact, you don’t need to know anything about astronomy whatsoever. Between courses the resident astronomer will walk you through everything from the basic composition of the Milky Way to the nature of stellar nurseries. All you need to do is climb up the ladder and look through the eyepiece and see the pretty lights.
Notice the inviting fire in the background and the multiple layers of clothing. Astronomy is an outdoor sport. Remember that in winter.
It’s not great for children under ten or so, and in mid-winter you’d better bundle up real good, but otherwise there just isn’t a downside. The limited menu offers great food at startlingly low prices, the venue is personal and the star gazing is unmatched. The restaurant is a little way outside of Johannesburg (but 45 minutes will still put you back at your city hotel) and is part of the Cradle of Humankind area, so it makes a nice end to a day outing.
If you like astronomy, use the opportunity to see the southern hemisphere skies. If you don’t normally look at the skies, consider it an educational opportunity. Just pick a cloudless night.
The Observatory
Aloe Ridge Hotel and Game Reserve
Zwartkop Gorge
Zwartkops
Tel: 011 957 2070
www.aloeridgehotel.com
