Parys 150: Take The Long Way Around Town
Writer: Andrew Macfarlane
Exploring Parys During The 150 Celebrations
- Start your Route 420 journey at Tribe and Tree Social Club.
- Explore Bree Street’s food, shops, art and wonderfully odd corners.
- Hunt down two famous Parys statues and send us a Smoke Signal.
- Walk to the Vaal River and cross Parys’s iconic suspension bridge.
- Make a weekend of it with a riverside stay at SunWa River Lodge.
The Parys 150 celebrations will be in full swing over the Heritage Day long weekend.
From 24 September, the town’s main street will become the central point for many of the local festivities. According to the Parys Gazette, the celebrations and parade start at 10:00 on Thursday, 24 September, before moving through the town centre, with festivities, stalls and performances continuing throughout the day.
If you visit Parys this weekend, you can look forward to a street parade, local performers, markets, food, arts and crafts, and plenty of other events throughout the weekend.
As always, when a town gives you a reason to visit, we have one main suggestion:
“Don’t just attend the event. Explore the entire destination!”
For Rolling Stoner and Route 420 travellers, there’s another layer to discover too.
If you’re coming to Parys for the 150th birthday celebrations, here are some spots you should check out.
And our advice?
Take the long way around town.
Start At Tribe And Tree Social Club Parys
If you’re a Rolling Stoner traveller, Tribe and Tree Social Club is a great place to start your Parys adventure.
The lounge is all about creating a relaxed, respectful space where people can connect, share ideas and enjoy the local community.
In fact, Tribe and Tree doesn’t really view the people who walk through its doors as customers. They’re community members.
It’s a space for thinkers, feelers, artists, empaths, introverts, stoners and seekers, or simply anyone looking for somewhere to slow down for a while.
Tribe and Tree is also conveniently located at 72 Bree Street, right in the centre of town.
Spend some time at Tribe and Tree, then step back outside and explore Parys, because there’s plenty more happening around you during the town’s 150th celebrations.
Keep in mind that Tribe and Tree is a private social club, so be sure to follow its membership rules, house guidelines and responsible-use policies.
And before you head back out onto Bree Street, remember that South Africa’s cannabis laws don’t give you the green light to consume wherever you please.
The Cannabis for Private Purposes Act is built around cannabis use in private, not public spaces.
So, enjoy your time at Tribe and Tree, then head out and explore Parys. Just leave the cannabis behind when you’re wandering the streets, joining the celebrations or visiting the other businesses on this route.
There’ll be plenty else to keep you entertained.
Grab Some Grub At Genesis Gastropub
Genesis Gastropub, right in the heart of Parys, is a great place to rest your feet, grab something tasty and soak up a bit of local atmosphere.
You’ll find it at 62C Bree Street, right on the town’s main tourism strip, so there’s no need to wander far from the action.
Genesis has that old-school South African pub vibe many of us know and love. It’s relaxed, unpretentious and the sort of place where settling in for one drink can quite easily turn into staying for the party.
And honestly, there’s regularly something happening too, with live performers, parties and events adding a little extra noise to proceedings.
Grab a table, order some grub, have a drink if you’re not driving and take some time to watch Parys doing its thing.
Meet The Black Sheep At Swart Skaap
While you’re on Bree Street, there’s another appropriately named stop worth investigating.
Swart Skaap Parys is practically in the heart of the action.
And let’s face it, Rolling Stoner has always had a little time for the black sheep.
Part luxury Afrikaans men’s gift shop, part private members’ lounge, Swart Skaap is difficult to squeeze neatly into a box. And that’s part of the fun.
There’s artwork to admire, carefully selected cigars, tobacco and accessories, whisky, gifts and plenty of interesting things to browse. Then there’s the lounge itself, which brings a more exclusive, old-school atmosphere to the experience.
Swart Skaap is also part of the wider Rolling Stoner community as a Revolution Day sponsor, so we’re particularly pleased to have them along for the journey.
Even if cigars and whisky aren’t your thing, it’s worth popping your head in simply to see what they’ve created.
More importantly, it’s another chance to support an independent Parys business rather than treating Bree Street as somewhere you simply pass through.
Take The Statue Challenge
This next stop isn’t a business. It’s a challenge.
Parys is home to a number of landmarks, but we’re looking for two famous statues.
Find them and drop a Smoke Signal using our Route 420 app.
We’re not going to tell you exactly where they are or what you’re looking for. That would spoil the fun.
Keep your eyes open while you’re exploring the main strip and see if you can spot both.
Along the way, you’ll quickly discover why Bree Street deserves more than a slow drive through town.
Parys has long been known for its independent shops, antiques, art, restaurants and assorted curiosities, and during the 150th celebrations, there’ll be even more happening around you.
So take your time, explore and keep looking for those statues.
Find The Suspension Bridge
You can’t really visit Parys without eventually ending up beside the Vaal River. It’s part of the town’s personality, and there’s a particularly fun way to experience it.
Walk across it.
Rather than hopping straight into the car, make getting there part of the adventure.
If you’re already exploring central Parys on foot, keep walking, take in the streets and let the river slowly come into view.
Once you find the bridge, take your time crossing and enjoy a different view of the Vaal.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, Parys is also famous for rafting and other activities on the river, but we’re keeping this particular challenge wonderfully simple.
Find the bridge. Enjoy the view. Cross to the other side.
Stay Over At SunWa River Lodge
At some point, even the most determined explorer needs to call it a day.
If you’re turning the Parys 150 celebrations into a weekend rather than trying to cram everything into a single afternoon, SunWa River Lodge gives you a pretty good excuse to stay over.
Situated on the banks of the Vaal River, about 10 km outside Parys, this is where the pace changes considerably.
After a busy day wandering around town, eating too much and investigating whatever caught your attention along the way, escaping to a cabin beside the river sounds rather sensible.
SunWa offers a selection of rooms and cabins in a proper riverside setting, with plenty of space to settle in and enjoy the quieter side of Parys.
And really, that’s the beauty of staying over.
There’s no frantic calculation about how much you can squeeze into the remaining daylight.
Parys will still be there in the morning.
One small reminder: staying somewhere doesn’t automatically mean cannabis consumption is permitted. Check SunWa’s rules, respect the property and ask rather than assume.
Responsible travel makes for much better weekends.
Should We Visit Your Parys Business Next?
This isn’t the end of our Parys journey.
Rolling Stoner and Route 420 will be back, and we’re always interested in discovering the independent businesses, unusual attractions, good food and local characters that make a destination worth exploring.
If you run a business or attraction in Parys and think we should stop by on our next visit, send us a Smoke Signal through Route 420 or get in touch with Rolling Stoner.
Tell us where you are, what you do and, most importantly, why we should come knocking.
You might just find yourself on the next Parys route.
And until then, remember: sometimes the best way to discover a town is to take the long way around.
