Rentorize Gazette · Hidden Gems
Accra's Hidden Gems: Off-the-Beaten-Path Places Worth the Detour
The lesser-known side of Accra, fact-checked and current for 2026. Fantasy coffins, a savannah reserve with baboons, quiet galleries, and heritage corners the tour buses skip.
- Art and craft
- Nature
- Heritage
- Family
The phrase hidden gem gets stuck on Makola Market and Labadi Beach, which are neither hidden nor short on crowds. The places below are genuinely off the usual trail, and we checked that each is still open before listing it. For the headline sights, the National Museum, the Nkrumah park, Jamestown lighthouse, see our things to do in Accra guide. This is the offbeat list.
Kane Kwei fantasy coffins, Teshie
This is the most unusual thing you can see in Accra. In the coastal suburb of Teshie, the Kane Kwei workshop has been carving fantasy coffins since the 1950s, sculpted in the shape of whatever defined a person's life: a fish for a fisherman, a cocoa pod, a plane, a camera, a sneaker. The pieces sit in museums worldwide, but the workshop itself is a working carpentry shop run by the founder's descendants. There is no fixed entry fee, so tip the craftsmen for showing you around.
Shai Hills Resource Reserve
The closest wildlife reserve to Accra, about an hour up the Akosombo road near Doryumu. Savannah hills, baobab trees, and rocky caves once used by the Shai people, with baboons, antelope, ostriches, and well over a hundred bird species. You can hike, scramble the rocks with a guide, and visit a bat cave. Entry is cheap, guides wait at the gate, and a couple of hours is enough. Go early for the best sightings, and do not feed the baboons.
Artists Alliance Gallery, La
Three floors of Ghanaian art and craft on the La beach road, founded by the painter Ablade Glover. It runs from serious contemporary paintings and sculpture to masks, beads, and textiles, all for sale, so it doubles as the best place in the city for a real souvenir. For more contemporary work, the Nubuke Foundation in East Legon is the other gallery worth the trip, open Tuesday to Saturday with free entry.
Brazil House and Bukom, Jamestown
Most visitors photograph the Jamestown lighthouse and leave. Walk a little further and you find Brazil House, a small museum to the Tabon, Afro-Brazilians who returned to Ghana after slavery and shaped this corner of old Accra. The surrounding Bukom quarter is the heartland of Ghanaian boxing, where world champions trained in tin-roofed gyms. A local guide makes this walk far richer, so it is worth arranging one.
Legon Botanical Gardens
A green escape on the University of Ghana grounds in East Legon, with shaded walking trails, a canopy walk, paddle boats, and space for kids to run. It is a local weekend favourite rather than a tourist stop, which is exactly the point, and a calm few hours away from traffic and heat.
Gone, despite what old guides say
If you have read about La Tante DC10, the restaurant inside a grounded green airplane near the airport, skip it. It closed in 2023 and the aircraft was scrapped. Plenty of older listings still feature it, which is a good reminder to check that a place is still open before you plan a trip around it.
Making these work
- Use ride apps for the city spots. For Shai Hills, hire a car and driver for the day, since it is out of town.
- Carry small cash. The coffin workshop, gallery, and reserve all run partly on cash and tips.
- Go early to Shai Hills for cooler air and more wildlife.
- For Jamestown and the coffin workshop, a local guide turns a quick look into a real story.
For more on getting around, see our Accra travel tips.
A central base for exploring
Most of these sit within about half an hour of Cantonments, which makes it an easy base. Rentorize is a one-bedroom serviced apartment at Embassy Gardens there, with fast Wi-Fi, backup power, and self check-in, a short drive from the coast and the galleries.
See the apartment overview or our wider Accra travel guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most unusual thing to do in Accra?
Visit the Kane Kwei fantasy coffin workshop in Teshie, where carpenters build sculptural coffins shaped like fish, planes, and cocoa pods. It is unlike anything else in the city.
Can you actually visit the fantasy coffin workshop?
Yes. It is a working workshop in Teshie run by the founder's descendants. There is no set entry fee, so tip the craftsmen for showing you around.
How far is Shai Hills Resource Reserve from Accra?
About an hour north, roughly 50 km up the Akosombo road near Doryumu. It is the closest wildlife reserve to the city and an easy half-day trip.
Is the airplane restaurant in Accra still open?
No. La Tante DC10, the restaurant in a grounded green airplane, closed in 2023 and the aircraft was scrapped, despite still appearing in many old guides.
Where can I see and buy Ghanaian art in Accra?
The Artists Alliance Gallery in La has three floors of art and craft for sale, and the Nubuke Foundation in East Legon shows contemporary work, free to enter Tuesday to Saturday.
Are these places easy and safe to reach?
The city spots are a short ride-app trip from Cantonments. For Shai Hills, hire a car and driver for the day. Take the usual city precautions and carry some cash.
Where is the best base for exploring offbeat Accra?
Somewhere central like Cantonments keeps most of these within about half an hour. Our apartment at Embassy Gardens is set up for exactly that.
Explore the real Accra from Cantonments
A central one-bedroom base with backup power, fast Wi-Fi, and self check-in, a short drive from the galleries, the coast, and the city's quieter corners.
Or reach us directly: +233 540133557 · [email protected]
We checked that each place listed was open and operating in 2026, but hours and access change, so confirm before you set out, especially for the workshop and the reserve.