Things to do in Cape Town, Western Cape: The Best Specialty Museums

18 Gangster Museum provide fully guided tour through the museum.You got an opportunity to spend time with ex-prisoners on the replica prison cell.You got to understand the history of South Africa gangs and township lifestyle at large.Pop In !!

The apartheid nationalist government destroyed District Six in the 1960s. This memorial museum contains maps, photographs and other reminders of this old vibrant neighborhood. Site walks and tours in the Museum with ex-resident storytellers are also offered.

The museum narrates the story of South African Jewry from its early beginnings, set against the backdrop of South African history over a period of more than 150 years. We cover a number of areas of interest, including South African history, mining, commerce, Eastern European history, contemporary South African politics as well as an overview of the Jewish community’s contribution in all its aspects of South African history and conscience. An exclusive documentary film – "Nelson Mandela. A Righteous Man", is screened throughout the day, a documentary, which has won wide acclaim at the Brighton, Vancouver and Toronto Film Festivals.

Experience the drama of the world’s first human heart transplant performed by Prof. Chris Barnard in 1967 in the fully restored operating theatres where the surgery took place. The fascinating and very emotional stories of the donor, recipient and medical team involved are told on a fully guided, 2 hour tour with the help of life sized silicone models and replicas of important scenes. Certainly an experience not to be missed!

The Cape Town Diamond Museum pays tribute to the world's most precious gem, the diamond. Discover a 3 billion year old story unfold from a diamond's formation to the final polished stone. The Cape Town Diamond Museum also pays homage to the most famous South African diamonds and showcases specimens of Kimberlite rock dating billions of years old. Situated in the bustling heart of the Clock Tower precinct at the V&A Waterfront, the Cape Town Diamond Museum is a must-see for any visitor to Cape Town. Book in advance recommended.

The Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre works towards creating a more caring and just society in which human rights and diversity are respected and valued. Through our exhibitions, events and workshops we endeavour to commemorate the victims and survivors of the Nazi regime and the numerous genocides that happened before and since the Holocaust. We do this to highlight the consequences of prejudice and racism in all of its forms, and to draw attention to the dangers of indifference, apathy and silence. Please note: When visiting the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre, please bring along your identification document (ID), drivers license or passport for security purposes.

Established in 1982, Prins & Prins Diamonds has grown to become one of Cape Town's most trusted, multi-award winning, family-owned manufacturing jewellers. The museum is the brainchild of the esteemed Dr Petre Prins of Prins & Prins Diamonds, located in the historical and authentically restored 18th century Huguenot House. This unique museum project takes visitors on a journey from when diamonds first began to form three billion years ago and their 150 km journey to the surface. Follow the unique path of South African diamonds from their origin in extinct volcanoes to the deposits along our coastline. Learn about unique and rare gemstones, and see how jewellery has changed through thousands of years. The story about South Africa's mineral wealth is told, not only for diamonds, but also for our Platinum and Gold deposits. Tracing the evolution of Early Man, it tells the story of the very first, and oldest piece of jewellery ever found, right on Cape Town's "doorstep" in the Blombos Cave, a mere 200 kms outside of Cape Town. An African Kingdom that existed a thousand years ago who traded in gold; gemstones found only in South Africa and of course the story of the Cullinan Diamond, the biggest diamond ever found, are fascinating exhibits. A further exhibit attracting lots of interest is "The Function of Jewellery", which promises food for thought when looked at in the context of everyday life. Insights into how human ingenuity transforms unassuming gems and metals into masterly crafted items of jewellery and the processes used, and the story about how South Africa's history (both political and mineralogical) was influenced by our mineral discoveries, are just some of the stories told in the property's intimate museum, housed in the property's almost 200-year-old wine cellar.