The Magaliesburg valley sits at the western end of one of South Africa's most concentrated clusters of significant places. The Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is forty minutes east — the Sterkfontein Caves within it are where some of the most important early hominid fossils have been excavated. The Maropeng Visitor Centre at the cradle interprets the discoveries.
Hartbeespoort Dam, about half an hour east, is a sprawling weekend-leisure lake with cable car, aerial cableway up the Magaliesberg, and a slightly tacky chain of resort hotels and curio shops. Sun City and Pilanesberg National Park are within a two-hour drive west — a longer day trip but doable, especially if you want one day of big-five game viewing without committing to a multi-day safari.
For active travellers, the bigger end of the Magaliesberg trail system (the Highveld Trail) starts about an hour east near Pretoria and runs multiple-day routes along the spine of the range.