A visit to Simonstown is always a treat, especially during Spring time as the temperatures start to rise. Yes, Spring time and moderately sunny days mean more time for exploring – and believe me, when exploring Simonstown you want as much exploring time as you can get! Located along the beautiful False Bay shoreline, Simonstown is home to a treasure chest of gems that are just waiting to be discovered by you! And here are the many reasons why you should do just that:

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It is home to the South African Navy: Naval Base Simon’s Town is the South African Navy’s largest naval base, and trust me, just catching a glimpse of it is pretty cool! But here you actually get the opportunity to pay a visit to The SA Naval Museum – how awesome is that? Exhibits at the museum include life-sized Ship’s Bridge and Submarine Operations and Control Room, mine-sweeping equipment, uniforms, torpedoes, ship and submarine models, photographs and plenty of other fascinating naval items. This is definitely the best place to live out all those Navy dreams and aspirations you had as a kid!

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Jubilee Square: Ever see the famous statue of the Navy dog and wonder where to find it? Well, you’ve found it! Just Nuisance (AKA the navy dog) can be seen right here at the Jubilee Square and Jetty on St George’s street in Simonstown. Jubilee square is also a great place to sit back, relax, watch all the boats go by and enjoy a lovely lunch (& a glass of wine or 2) near the water. There are also a variety of shops to explore, and there’s even a market held on Saturdays – and I’m a sucker for a Cape Town market, so this is right up my alley. Jubilee Square also provides you with an incredible view of the Harbour as well as plenty of Instagram worthy photo opportunities, the view is that good!

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Just Nuisance the navy dog: This super special navy dog deserves his own super special shout-out! As his name appropriately states, at first this Great Dane was just a nuisance to sailors, but little did they know he would soon become one of the most famous, and definitely most loved, dogs in the entire world! This charming pooch hopped on trains, guided his drunken sailor friends back to their base and even got married! He was soon enlisted into the British Royal Navy and was promptly promoted to ‘Able Seaman’. Due to him being loved so dearly by his sailor companions, his legend now lives on in Simonstown for us all to see – how lucky are we! Just Nuisance is definitely one of my favourite reasons why Simonstown is worth a visit!

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Simonstown is home to Boulders Beach: its African Penguin time, yay! Boulders Beach is by far one of my favourite beaches in the whole of Cape Town. Not only because it’s home to these magnificent, and super cute, African penguins, but the beach is more of a Bay with large boulders scattered in between, and I love a good Bay! BUT OKAY, who am I kidding, my love for Boulders Beach actually has a WHOLE LOT to do with these amazing African Penguins! Plus, there are very few places in the world that afford you with this incredible opportunity of swimming with African Penguins, so this really is pretty special! This is an absolute must when visiting Simonstown.

Foxy Beach: This is a PENGUIN ONLY beach! Yes, you read that right – no humans allowed! But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy every second of watching these magnificent tuxedo cuties enjoy their day lounging around soaking up the Mother City sunshine. It really is a special treat to see!

Simon’s Town Museum: Time to dive a little deeper into Simontown’s history and rich cultural heritage. The Simonstown museum was established in 1977 by the Simontown’s Historical Society.  This former governor’s home contains crafts and artefacts and collects and exhibits the cultural history of the people of Simonstown and their connections with the Dutch East India Company and the Royal Navy. By paying a visit to this Museum you really get the incredible opportunity to take a trip down Simonstown’s memory lane.

The Salty Sea Dog: No, this is not another amazing dog statue, YES, this is an incredible Simonstown sea-side restaurant you absolutely have to try! After all that exploring you will definitely be hungry – why not grab some quality fish and chips at Salties! The Salty Sea Dog is famous for some of the best fish & chips in Cape Town, and with it being positioned right next to the harbour, you’ll have a killer view to enjoy too!

Warrior Toy Museum: Home to 4000 model cars, 500 dolls and teddies, many beautiful dolls houses, trucks, ships, planes, many lead soldiers and two fully operational railroads, as well as plenty of other toys from various ages throughout history, this certainly is any kids toy paradise. And who knows, it might be yours too! But you better have you wallet loaded and ready because there is also a sales section for those wanting to buy some cool toys! Come on, you know you can’t resist that toy temptation!

Scratch Patch & Mineral World: This Simonstown gem (literally speaking) is tons of fun for the whole family! Kids and adults alike get the super cool opportunity to dig for stones in the scratch patch. Depending on how many stones you find and decide to keep, they are charged by the bag. But, this really is the best place in Cape Town to find semi-precious stones at great prices. Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun too!

Admiral’s Waterfall: Sometimes it’s important to soothe the soul, and I promise, this lovely and enchanting waterfall walk will do just that. This is ideal for nature lovers looking to explore and discover a different side of Simonstown. There is even a pool where you can cool off, and if you feel a little daring and adventurous you can go and explore the mountainside even further.