In a vast and spread-out city like Pretoria, it can be difficult to stay updated with new and entertaining venues or activities constantly popping up. So, to ensure that our readers remain knowledgeable, this article will help devise the best date ideas in Pretoria. Whether it’s a beautiful budding relationship, friendship, or an ancient steadfast love, there is always something for everyone.
Rietvlei Nature Reserve
The Rietvlei Nature Reserve is about 4000 hectares in size, and located within the reserve is the Rietvlei Dam. This reserve surrounds and includes the Rietvlei Dam and is situated southeast of Pretoria between the R21 highway on the western side and the R50 road on the northeast.
Activities for couples include hiking, game viewing, environmental education, birdwatching, and even a romantic overnight stay. Facilities available include access to lapas and braai facilities, the Marais Dam, the Rietvlei Coffee Shop, and a lecture hall.
When: Daily, 6am to 6pm
Where: Rietvlei Nature Reserve, 14 Game Reserve Avenue, Irene
Website: tshwane.gov.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 012 358 1811/1812
Rollercade Pretoria
Rollercade is the best and biggest roller-skating amusement park in town. It has provided a safe space to relearn your juvenescence skills or to continue your current endeavour (depending on your age) without worrying about oncoming cars, pedestrians, or judgement from fellow roller-skaters. Basically, you won’t get hit by a car or fall on ice in this fun skating rink.
Bookings are essential to participate in the roller sessions, as they are held at certain times. If you get tired or simply need to catch your breath, there is a fun lounge area with a café for you to get some snacks and refreshments while you replenish your energy.
Rollercade provides skates and safety gear. So, all you have to bring is your date and your best moves. However, be wary that roller-skating may rekindle your childhood memories or destroy your dreams when you realise you’re not as nimble as you once thought.
Where: Menlyn Park Shopping Centre Parking Level 2, Entrance No. 12, Atterbury Road & Lois Ave, Menlyn, Pretoria
When: Wednesday to Thursday, 1pm to 3pm and 4pm to 6pm. Friday, 1pm to 3pm, 4pm to 6pm and 7pm to 9pm. Saturday, 10am to 12pm,1pm to 3pm, 4pm to 6pm, and 7pm to 9pm. Sunday, 10am to 12pm,1pm to 3pm, and 4pm to 6pm. Closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Website: rollercadepretoria.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 064 880 9925
Rosemary Hill
Need an escape from the city? Rosemary Hill might be exactly what you need. This beautiful estate allows guests the opportunity to experience a farm-style life while they enjoy organic food, connect with nature, and explore the walking trails around the estate.
Situated in the far east of Pretoria, Rosemary Hill allows for open pastures where visitors can feel as though they escaped the city without having to drive a million kilometres. With a restaurant and a Greenhouse café on its premises, a lack of food will not thwart your date’s success.
The trails consist of 33 kilometres and allow for Segway tours, cycling tracks, hiking, and walking around as you choose from the multiple prime picnic spots in the area. If guests feel a little more adventurous, they can enjoy the horse riding on offer or unwind at the relaxing spa. The estate has a variety of accommodation options, so guests can easily stay the night after a long day of activities.
Not to jump the gun, but it is worth remembering that Rosemary Hill is an ideal venue for weddings and photoshoots.
Where: Rosemary Hill, 257 Mooiplaats, N4 East Exit 18, Pretoria East, Pretoria
When: Monday to Wednesday, 7am to 8pm. Thursday to Sunday, 7am to 3pm.
Website: rosemaryhill.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 012 802 0052
PLTFRM Wolwespruit
PLTFRM is a lifestyle restaurant with family and nature at heart. Tucked away in the lush greenery of Wolwespruit, PLTFRM is the perfect venue to bring together a vibrant mix of people and food, and for socialising in the quiet surroundings.
The restaurant is an industrial-style building with an urban interior design. Imagine high ceilings, exposed brick walls, lots of metal panelling, and wood for a space that prioritises indoor dining as much as it does outdoors. Both areas offer a mixture of seating, standing, and leaning space. The outdoor section is very relaxed and trendy, with cosy bean bags to soak up the sun or balmy evenings.
Food options are best enjoyed outdoors to get the most out of the surrounding nature. The menu offers breakfast, tapas, a selection of meat cuts, pizzas, and burgers with a creative twist. With such a great outdoor area it would be silly not to have a play area for the kids. That’s precisely why PLTFRM does have a play area outside, making it a proudly family-friendly restaurant with a trendy twist.
Please note that PLTFRM is pet-friendly and that the restaurant also offers a small menu for them. However, it is worth mentioning that the menu only caters to dogs.
Where: 501 Jochemus St, Erasmuskloof, Pretoria
When: Monday to Saturday, 7am to 11pm. Sunday, 8am to 10pm
Website: pltfrmwolwespruit.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 012 001 5394
Bounce Inc
With so many fitness activities around the city, it’s hard to find one that you genuinely enjoy and want to partake in. Not simply because you feel as though you need to keep fit, but rather because you have fun whilst exercising. Bounce Inc is exactly the sort of venue that caters to this desire.
Each Bounce venue consists of 3000 square meters of interconnected trampolines surrounded by padding and airbags, and additional adventure features placed around the playground. The activities allow for the development of muscles, coordination, balance and agility. This is why we believe Bounce provides the perfect opportunity to let go and stay fit simultaneously through a mixture of fun, exercise and letting your inner child come out through freestyling.
With 33 indoor trampoline centres across 16 countries, Bounce is a successful family-friendly destination for people of all ages. Whether you come to perfect your backflip, learn new skills, get silly and have fun, or simply hang out with friends and family, it’s the ideal venue to “get a taste of Freestyle.”
Where: BOUNCE Menlyn Maine, 180 Amarand Avenue, Central Square Menlyn Maine, Waterkloof Glen, Pretoria
When: Monday to Friday, 12pm to 6pm. Saturday, 9am to 7pm. Sunday, 9am to 6pm
Website: bounceinc.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 011 517 2500
Kievits Kroon
This beautiful upmarket country estate is ideal for a romantic day of leisure and luxurious treatments. Set in a lush setting, guests can stroll through manicured lawns and enjoy the splendid views of the landscaped rose beds and gardens. Enjoy the architecture of the Cape-Dutch Manor House and all the great qualities that have labelled this venue ‘the Winelands in Gauteng’.
The reason we mention this estate as a date idea in Pretoria is that it’s acknowledged as one of the top 10 romantic getaways in Gauteng and houses one of the leading wellness spas in SA. With 142 hotel rooms, guests can make the most of the activities and facilities available, such as the library bar, two restaurants, an indoor heated pool, and outdoor pools with cocktail bars.
After a long day of activities in the estate, perhaps it would be best to make use of the luxurious spa to ensure a good night’s rest. This 4-star spa utilises its well-trained therapists to pamper, relax and rejuvenate your body with its unique decadent spa experience.
Book your room as you make your way to a quintessential Cape Winelands experience by only driving 10 minutes from central Pretoria.
Where: 41 Reier Rd, Kameeldrift-East, Pretoria
When: Daily from 10:00 to 22:00
Website: kievitskroon.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 012 819 8600
The Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria
The Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria allows visitors to enjoy astonishing exhibitions on the premises of a university without the stress of student loans or tests you forgot to study.
The University of Pretoria and the Javett Foundation joined forces after realising they share a common belief. That belief is that the arts possess the impenetrable fundamentals to emancipate society. With the knowledge of the university’s academia and the foundation’s impact on the community, a powerful team was born.
Javett-UP promises to keep an open space where people such as writers, researchers, advocacy groups, historians, political scientists, and musicians can express their thoughts and ideas through various means.
Impress your date with your knowledge of political affairs and art, or learn interesting things as you browse through beautiful sculptures, paintings, and other works of art.
Where: University of Pretoria, 23 Lynnwood Rd, Hatfield, Pretoria
When: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm
Website: javettup.com | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 012 420 3960
Klippenbosch Spa
Make your way to the Klippenbosch Spa to treat your date to a lovely and relaxing massage in a bushveld setting. Or perhaps you want to release built-up stress from recent bickering. Whatever the reason might be, these adorable cottages grant the perfect getaway for a brief escape from the city.
Klippenbosch Spa was founded by physiotherapist Hantie Joubert. With decades of experience in the profession, she carries a passion for people and their comfort within their bodies. The massage packages on offer at Klippenbosch Spa are designed to relax and heal the body via pampering inspired by science. This is merely one of the reasons why the spa focuses on Swedish massages.
The Spa offers both full and half-day packages along with one- or two-night accommodation in self-catering units. Some of the spa packages include three-course breakfasts, delicious lunches and snack platters.
A couple that spas together, lasts together.
Where: Portion 18 Farm, Klipkop, 369 JR, Pretoria
When: Tuesday to Wednesday and Friday to Saturday, 8.30am to 4.30pm. Closed on Sunday, Monday and Thursday.
Website: klippenbosch.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 079 192 6109
Colin’s Horseback Africa
Offering romance on horseback, Colin’s Horseback Africa invites couples to saddle up and ride side by side with zebras, kudus, and giraffes.
Beyond the horse riding, there’s also a tranquil carriage drive offered to in-house guests in the late afternoons. Couples are taught the harness, how to put a horse between the shafts, and then go out for the drive, perhaps with the opportunity to even take the reins.
Where: De Tweedespruit gavel/ Also labelled T4 i,e. Tourist route 4, Sand Road
When: Tuesday to Sunday, 7am to 5pm. Closed on Monday
Website: horsebackafrica.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 082 789 9002
Ludwig’s Roses
If you had to close your eyes (after reading this sentence, obviously) and think of the word ‘romance’, the chances are that you’d imagine a bouquet of roses within the first five images. So, why not act on those instincts and visit Ludwig’s Roses to treat your date to some of the most beautiful roses you’ll ever see?
Established in March 1971, this farm of roses has been run by the same family for over fifty years. The founder, Ludwig Taschner, was born in Germany and parried off more obstacles than life ought to throw at anyone, as he survived the Second World War and escaped from East Germany. Luckily, he managed to make his way to Pretoria in 1962. In the same year, he worked for Buss Nurseries, and shortly after started the beautiful nursery we’ve come to love today.
According to them, Ludwig was one of the pioneers who propagated roses in containers. Before this, roses were usually only sold as pruned, bare-rooted plants during the winter.
This resulted in the opportunity for gardeners to choose roses specifically by their flowers, fragrance, and growing habits. Read
Make a day of your visit and enjoy the play area, picnic spots, and restaurant on offer at Ludwig’s Roses.
When: Subject to flower availability
Where: The Big Red Barn, 11 Glen Rd, Sunlawns AH, Olifantsfontein, Pretoria
Website: adeneflowers.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 082 076 6017
Pretoria National Botanical Garden
The Pretoria National Botanical Garden is divided into two sections, the frosty south-facing section and the north-facing warmer section, each presenting a different world to couples, depending on the theme of their date.
For instance, a paved hiking trail gives access to the natural vegetation on the ridge, which includes a diverse range of indigenous fauna and flora.
If you’re looking to enjoy a romantic meal together, there are two restaurants in the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. The African Pride Café, which offers exclusive dining, and Milkplum Café, which offers coffee, traditional home bakes and light lunches during the week, as well as buffets, braaivleis (traditional barbecued meat) and potjiekos (traditional stew) are served on weekends. Visitors can, however, picnic at their leisure and enjoy the scenery.
When: Daily, 8am to 6pm. No entry after 5pm
Where: 2 Cussonia Ave, Brummeria, Pretoria
Website: sanbi.org/gardens/pretoria | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 012 843 5071
Hartbeespoort Cableway
Hidden in the heart of the Magaliesberg Mountains, the Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway is a popular destination for couples seeking adventure, relaxation, and breathtaking scenery.
First, there’s the Cable Car Experience, where you and your date can board the longest mono-cableway in Africa, featuring two-seater options providing an immersive experience of the surrounding beauty. Upon reaching the top, visitors are met with 360-degree vistas of the Magaliesberg Mountains and Hartbeespoort Dam, making it a photographer’s paradise. The cableway operates year-round, unaffected by weather conditions or load shedding.
If cable cars aren’t your idea of romance, but you still want a view, South Africa’s first and only four-level Sky Park, is an exhilarating obstacle course that features 40 diverse activities, including ziplines that launch from both sides of the structure.
Alternatively, for the daredevil couples, the two-seater Chair Lift delivers a breezy, unforgettable ride. Suspended above the mountain slopes, this lift offers a completely different feel from the enclosed cable cars. As your legs dangle freely, the stunning views of Hartbeespoort Dam and the Magaliesberg stretch out below you.
Once you’re done catching views, there’s a diverse array of dining options catering to every palate at the summit of the Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway.
When: Wednesday to Friday, 9am to 4pm (last car down at 4:30pm); Saturday and Public Holidays, 9am to 4:30pm (last car down at 5pm); Sunday, 9am to 4pm (last car down at 4:30pm). Closed on Monday and Tuesday
Where: Johannesburg Zoo, and Shop U 30 Keyes, Jellicoe Ave, Rosebank, Johannesburg
Website: hartiescableway.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 012 253 9910 or 079 023 3012
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