36 Hours in Accra,Ghana: Things to Do and See

Take a guided tour of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum, or wander the grounds on your own. This five-acre park on High Street heading to the old British Accra houses the remains of Ghana’s first president and his Egyptian wife, Fathia. When the former British colony gained independence, Nkrumah stood with other freedom fighters on this site — polo grounds at the time, accessible only to Europeans — and declared Ghana free forever. Its museum houses his papers, his books from his college days in America, smocks he wore as a freedom fighter, even his old car. In just a few hours guests can learn the history of modern Ghana and understand why it became a beacon of hope for other colonized African countries. The fountains, sculptures and artifacts remain a magnet for visitors seeking Instagram posts (100 cedis with or without a guide).

If you happen to be in town on the first or third Saturday of the month, peruse the racks and stalls of the large Green Butterfly Market at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority park in the Cantonments neighborhood. Cobblers will create handmade shoes for you while you shop, and the brightly colored cloth bags sewn by the women at the tables of BASICS, a poverty-eradication nonprofit, make standout souvenirs. These are women whose families couldn’t afford to send them to school but have learned sewing and bag making (300 cedis). All proceeds from these items go to education for the poor. And if you happen to be in Accra on the second or fourth Saturday, you can head to the Nyaniba Collective, in the nearby Nyaniba community to buy Ghanaian-made products like soaps, creams and cloth.

Cross the street to browse the racks at Belinda Baidoo for brightly colored print dresses and large kimonos. All are hand-sewn by local seamstresses with local fabrics normally used for traditional wrappers and blouses, now updated with modern styles. If you want to take home some traditional carvings, bead bangles or kitchenware, Uber over to the Arts Center, a market that is a 10-minute drive on the High Street, where rows of stalls sit with traders beckoning you to buy. Some stalls have their carvers seated at the back. Prices are negotiable, so bargain away. One tactic would be to start by reducing the price the seller suggests by half and working your way up to a happy medium.

Head over to the Vine restaurant in the Labone neighborhood, and start off your evening with a specialty cocktail, served in a large tumbler made from recycled bottles. Vine, in an old colonial era compound, is mainly outdoors under tents and cabanas with leafy foliage all around. The chefs mix Ghanaian and Western fare for their well-heeled, well-traveled and celebrity clientele. The plantain chips on a bed of spicy black bean hummus (70 cedis) are a tangy jolt for the palate, while the chargrilled lamb chops (650 cedis) or the mackerel with yams (210 cedis) burst with flavor. Finish your dinner with the mango cheesecake infused with palm wine (90 cedis). The singer Usher, as well as the actors Danai Gurira and Michaela Coel, have dined here, but there are also plenty of locals swirling old-fashioneds, or chugging ice-cold Chop Life premium, a Ghanaian take on craft lager brewed with cassava and maize (70 cedis for the lager).