Kleinplasie Open Air Museum Worcester Day Trip
Day Trip from Paarl to Worcester.
- Picture: Cape Town Travel Advisor
A quick 30 minute drive or a more leisurely 45 minutes will get you to Worcester.
The distance to Worcester from Paarl is about 60 km.
Although Paarl is well known as a wine producing area and a popular tourist town, not many people are aware of the fact that the Worcester wine district in the largest winegrowing area in South Africa and accounts for nearly 27% of South Africa’s total volume of wine.
Visit the KWV Brandy Cellar – the largest Brandy Cellar of this type in the world while you are there but the Kleinplasie Open Air Museum is the highlight of this outing.
Worcester in the Breede River Valley has a rich history covering a time when the region was inhabited by indigenous hunter gatherers and pastoralists. This was followed by trekker farmers and later the introduction of commerce and industrial change.
This is what is depicted at this unique local attraction.
Getting there:
The quick way is through the Huguenot Tunnel but the more beautiful route is over the Du Toitskloof Mountain Pass. It is worth the extra time!
From Paarl get onto the N1 and drive North towards Johannesburg. If you opt for the tunnel then carry straight on and enter the tunnel and continue until you reach Worcester.
To get to the Du Toitkloof Pass:
From the N1 take the Sonstraal Rd turnoff(Exit 62A) just before the tunnel. Turn left at the T-Junction into Sonstraal Road and turn right at the first Stop sign (Four-way Stop). This route R101 Continue driving on the R101 up the mountain and towards Worcester. Just after the Huguenot Tunnel the R101 rejoins the N1.
As you go down the pass you will go through a short tunnel which was built by Italian POWs during the Second World War, many of whom stayed on in Paarl after the war. The pass itself was also built by approximately 500 Italian POWs to keep them busy. A cross was erected on the mountain by the prisoners to commemorate their stay in Paarl.
There are various spots where you can pull of the road to enjoy the view and we suggest you take advantage of that. Once at the top of the mountain pass you can pull off and look back towards Paarl for the most incredible view of the Paarl valley and the Paarl Mountain with Paarl Rock. To the right one can see Wellington and on a clear day Table Mountain is visible.
Kleinplasie Open Air Museum
When arriving at Worcester remain on the N1 and drive past the Casino on the left and the Mountain Mill Mall on the right and turn right at the second Worcester turnoff at the traffic lights. Drive down Roux Street which becomes Van Riebeeck. Drive towards town and turn left into High Street. At the first traffic light turn right towards Roberston(R60). Drive approximately 1 km and turn left into Leipoldt Avenue. Kleinplasie is right ahead.
Owing to its situation in the Breede River Valley the Worcester Museum is a cultural history museum with a strong focus on agriculture. The collections emphasise the Cape colonial history with agricultural implements, wagons, furniture, glass, ceramics, textiles and metal.
The grounds have been developed with structures forming a traditional Cape farm yard. Live demonstrations depict activities of a bygone era such as the baking of bread in an outdoor brick oven and the forging of metal by a blacksmith.
The museum has a well developed educational function offering an annual programme with the focus on traditional farm and household traditions such as the tramping grapes for wine making, shearing sheep, milking cows and candle making.
The museum is consistently working at establishing and maintaining networks across the community.
One of the museum objectives is promoting social harmony and dialogue. Discussions are being held in the community to gauge the support for new museum interpretations.
The community rich in its diversity will hopefully find a common platform at the museum to show case itself. What makes this museum special is they are preserving the methods and actual procedures and not only the theory.
Activities
- Tobacco Rolling
- Coffee Roasting
- Candle Making
- Bread baking in an outside oven (09:30 – 12:30)
- Milk Tart Baking
- Soap Making
- Blacksmith
- Witblits distilling (Saturdays & Public Holidays)
- Donkey cart rides (Saturdays & Public Holidays)
Other Activities
(Please enquire when these activities are happening)
- Grape harvesting
- Baking & slaughtering
- Sheep shearing
- Veld plants
- Dairy
Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 16:30
Closed on Good Friday, Christmas Day and Sundays.
This is but an example of what you can see and do at the Museum.
Once you have finished, take a slow drive home to Paarl and select one of our many restaurants and enjoy a delightful evening with a glass of wine and a special meal.
For more information contact the Worcester Museum
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