The Free State is situated right in the heart of South Africa and is increasingly becoming a tourist attraction in its own right. Traditionally regarded as a convenient stopover for tourists looking for overnight accommodation between Gauteng and Cape Town, the Free State's natural and cultural highlights are enticing more and more tourists to stay on for longer. The Free State has wonderful panoramic landscapes and vistas, and varies from the flat corn and sunflower fields to the magnificent and dramatic sandstone creations and canyons formed at the mountains located on the Lesotho border. It is said that the Free State enjoys 340 days of sunshine a year, which is a major plus for tourists looking to enjoy activities such as hiking, horse riding, fishing, and bird and animal watching. The jewel in the Free State's tourism crown is the eastern part of the province, with its wonderful scenery and magnificent mountain ranges. Here tourists can find accommodation to suit any pocket, and enjoy such incredible areas as Clarens and the Golden Gate National Park. Get those cameras ready! The Free State holds many annual festivals and one of the most popular is the Ficksburg Cherry Festival, where everything to do with cherries is celebrated, eaten or sold. Accommodation in the town is readily available and is an amazing way to explore the eastern part of the free State. Other good centres to book accommodation and explore the province's highlights are Bloemfontein – South Africa's judicial capital – and Welkom. Here you can enjoy the cultural heritage of the Free State by visiting many historical sites and pleasant and informative museums. Kroonstad, meanwhile, has a major holiday resort that attracts the crowds throughout the holiday seasons. In the southwest Free State, the Gariep Dam, an engineering marvel located on the Orange River, offers a resort and numerous leisure activities suitable for the whole family. Book a few nights accommodation anywhere in the Free State, enjoy big sky country and open yourself up to new and interesting touring experiences.