The South African Astronomical Observatory occupies a quiet leafy site at the eastern end of Observatory suburb, a few kilometres from the city centre. Its early-nineteenth-century main building, the Mclear Building, is the oldest extant observatory in the southern hemisphere, and the site has been continuously used for astronomical work for over two hundred years.
Active astronomical research has long since moved to the dark skies at Sutherland in the Karoo, but the Cape Town site holds the institutional headquarters and an excellent public outreach programme. Monthly open nights, with talks and access to the historic telescopes, are open to the public — booking ahead is essential.