Silverton, Pretoria

Situated just beyond the N4/N1 interchange, Silverton lies close to the National Botanical Gardens, north east of the inner city of Pretoria. The pretty suburb's immediate neighbours are Meyerspark, Salieshoek, La Concorde and Willow Park and, because it is one of the city's older suburbs, homes range from sedate with large grounds, to townhouse style homes.

The obvious advantage to a stay in Silverton is your quick access to two of the major highways in the Jacaranda City. You are also less than 10 minutes away from a major shopping centre, the university, the Wilgers hospital and the CSIR. And there are a number of activities in and around Silverton that make your stay here alive with possibility.

The Pioneer Open Air Museum is based in Silverton. This restored farmstead demonstrates early farmstyle living in a gorgeous Victorian settler farmstead. There is a horse drawn mill, a threshing floor, farm implements from way back and a demonstration of early bread baking, candle making and even the roasting of coffee beans. All of this in the presence of any number of farmyard animals.

Tie a trip to the museum in with a Saturday morning, when there is also a Slow Food Farmers' market or BoereMark on at the Pioneer Museum. Be prepared to experience food at its best - from organic veggies, cheeses, wondeful meats, pickles and jams to a home cooked breakfast!

Pretoria's National Botanical Garden is a feast of garden using almost exclusively South African plants. There are over 198 bird species, a collection of medicinal plants, cycads, aloes, succulents, green lawns and shade trees that invite lazy afternoon picnics. And Sammy Marks museum, where you can tea on the verandah, is a little further east of Silverton and worth a visit.