The more than 300 museums all over the country reflect this heritage in a range of places - from elegant 18th century homes to caves in majestic mountain ranges, cultural villages in rural settings to state-of-the-art buildings in major cities.
Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town as well as all the major cities will offer you a comprehensive overview of the South African history.
Or visit the smaller cities and towns such as Kimberley for some of the most interesting regional museums.
Eastern Cape
Albany Museum - Grahamstown
Port Elizabeth Museums
Nelson Mandela Museum - Umtata
Olive Schreiner House - Cradock
Free State
National Museum - Bloemfontein
Anglo-Boer War Museum - Bloemfontein
Transgariep Museum - Philippolis
Gauteng
The Apartheid Museum - Johannesburg
Johannesburg Museums
Sammy Marks Museum - Pretoria
Pretoria Museums
Smuts House Museum - Pretoria
Soweto Inspirational House Museum - Soweto
KwaZulu Natal
Durban Museums and Monuments
Empangeni Art and Cultural Museum
Pietermaritzburg Museums & Galleries
Northern Cape
Kimberley Mine Museum
Museums and Historic Places - Kimberley
North West
Museums of Potchefstroom
Western Cape
Shipwreck Museum - Bredasdorp
Cape Town Museums
District Six Museum - Cape Town *
C P Nel Museum - Oudtshoorn
The Drostdy Museum Complex - Swellendam
Kleinplasie Living Open Air Museum - Worcester
18 Gangster Museum - Cape Town
National Museums
The National Cultural History Museum in Pretoria.
The Transvaal Museum of Natural History in Pretoria.
The National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg.
The National Museum in Bloemfontein.
The Anglo-Boer War Museum in Bloemfontein.
The South African Museum in Cape Town.
The Robben Island Museum in Cape Town.
