Enjoy quad biking, cableway rides, game drives, hot air balloons, and curated stays. The dam was built on the farm Hartebeestpoort, once owned by the Boer General Hendrik Schoeman (1840–1901). The farm and adjacent land was acquired by the State, mainly through the facilitation of his son, Johan Schoeman (1887–1967), in about 1912. The dam was completed in 1923. Hartbeespoort Dam first overflowed
the dam wall in March 1925. The completion of the dam made the agricultural land north of the Magaliesberg much more valuable, especially land close to canals and the Krokodil River. As a result, various farms of the Bakwena people of the Tswana ethnic group who lived in the area for many generations were appropriated or lost by various means and white farmers were settled in their place. The town consists mainly of holiday homes around the dam as it is popular with visitors from nearby Gauteng Province. It is home to the Om Die Dam (English: Around the dam) ultra marathon of 50 km, which takes place annually in the first half of the year. Some of the main tourist attractions in or around the town are:
The Hartbeespoort Dam wall and tunnel
The Hartbeespoort Dam Snake Park
The Hartbeespoort Dam Aquarium
Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway
Transvaal Yacht Club
Eagle water Resort known as (Oberon Leisure Resort)
Welwitchia Country Market
The Elephant Sanctuary Hartbeespoort Dam
Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary
Other leisure-oriented venues around the dam include - Pecanwood Golf Estate, Hartbeespoort Boat Club (near Kosmos), Sandy Lane Golf Club (at Caribbean Beach Club), Kosmos Marina Club, Magalies Park (estate and golf club). A number of other leisure developments and resorts are in progress. Hartbeespoort is part of the Madibeng Local Municipality, that also includes the nearby town of Brits.
