The people who live in Bryanston in South Africa have made their suburb a self contained community where anything that could possibly need is easily available. Some of the main attractions of living in Bryanston are:
The Bryanston Organic & Natural Market
This outdoor market is not just a place where one can buy organic food. It also has designer clothes, gourmet preserves and sauces, crafts, game meat, jewelry, deli products, ready to eat meals, and even live entertainment. It’s like a community fair where the residents can get together and enjoy good food, great music, and wonderful conversations.
Ninety Eight Guest House
Should any of Bryanston residents feel like taking a breather from being around the community, they can drive over to the outskirts of Bryanston. Here is where you will find the Ninety Eight Guest house. This is an intimate place where business people meet or traveler stay. It’s peaceful and very near Sandton which is the business district of Johannesburg.
Aside from offering excellent accommodations, Ninety Eight also has an ambience similar to a sanctuary where many locals go. Other options would be the Golden fate Guest House or 92 Culross Guest House.
Shopping and Fine Dining
Bryanston has its own shopping center called the Hobart Corner Shopping Centre. Another mall to go to would be the Grosvernor Crossing Shopping Centre. Expect to see a good mix of high end luxury goods along with stores selling basic goods and fairly inexpensive items. If malls are inconvenient for you, however, online shopping is a highly viable alternative due to the suburb’s well developed telecommunications infrastructure.
One of the finer restaurants in Bryanston is known as La Campognola. It has received numerous awards since 2003 for being a fine dining experience, excellence award, and superb wine listings.
This welcoming restaurant is owned by Ms. Anna Fontana who works closely with her Head Chef, Luca. Together they put together an Italian menu complimented by local South African wines. It even has a Sommelier to assist all diners select the perfect wine with their meals. Dining in this restaurant usually means making reservations to ensure a table.
An interesting feature of the restaurant is its al fresco dining on the terrace which makes for a romantic dinner, and a cigar bar for the men to enjoy an after dinner smoke.
Liliesleaf Farm
Liliesleaf Farm is found in a different suburb, Rivonia but close enough to Bryanston. It’s a historic place which was used by Nelson Mandela as a secret meeting place. Here, Mandela pretended to be the cook to avoid detection. In 1963, the place was raided and several members of the African Communist Party were arrested. One of the demands of anti-Apartheid movement was equal employment opportunity for individuals from all all races.
Today Liliesleaf Farm is more of a tourist attraction than a place where South Africans go to relax. However, students from everywhere including Bryanston make it a point to visit the area as part of their education. The house has been restored and has been recognized as “one of the best new tourism projects in the world.”
There are other things the residents of Bryanston do like visit Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton. Although the memorial is a wonderful sight, chances are the residents proceed straight to the mall close by. One could also take a ride on the Gautrain, has two routes – one to OR Tambo airport and the other from Sandton to Pretoria.
While there’s not much to do around Bryanston, the appeal of the suburb is found in just that aspect. It’s home to many and so allowing it to stay less crowded and busy makes it a great suburb to live in.