Practicing self-distancing can be overwhelming and scary for adults and kids alike. It also means you’re most likely in for considerable amount of "I'm BORED" from the kids and binge sprees on Netflix.
Here is a fun way to learn while exploring far off places and interesting things while you’re stuck at home. Google Arts & Culture teamed up with over 500 museums and galleries around the globe to bring internet surfers access to virtual tours and online exhibits of some amazing places many of us otherwise would NEVER get to see in person, much less think to look for online!
The collection includes the British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, and oh so much more! What a great way for students to learn while having fun even if schools are closed.
I have also tripped over a list of awesome places that also offer virtual tours! I have included everything in alphabetical order for easier finding!
Check out a few of the offerings:
360 Cities – Provides interactive 360-degree videos and images of locations around the world.
Acadia National Park - Maine
AirPano– Visit locations all over the world virtually with 360-degree videos and photographs.
Animal Cams
Live Cams at the San Diego Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium live cams, Panda Cam at Zoo Atlanta, 6 Animal Cams at Houston Zoo, Georgia Aquarium has Jellyfish, Beluga Whales, and more!
Anne Frank House – Take a 360-degree tour of Anne Frank’s home in Amsterdam.
Arches National Park, Utah
Art Institute of Chicago
Artspace Shreveport- view the current Critical Mass 8 Exhibition
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Big Bend National Park, Texas
Boeing Space Virtual Field Trips - Rocket, Space Station, & More
Walk through the Boston Children’s Museum thanks to Google Maps! This virtual tour allows kids to explore 3 floors of fun.
British Museum, London
Located in the heart of London, you can virtually visit and tour the Great Court and see the ancient Rosetta Stone and even Egyptian mummies. CLICK HERE to check it out!
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Clearwater Aquarium Cams - Dolphins, Otters, Turles, Pelicans & More
The Colosseum – Rome, Italy
Death Valley National Park, California & Nevada
The Deserts & Grasslands of Africa
Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips
A few of the field trip topics include Polar Bears and the Tundra, Social Emotional Skills, STEM, & manufacturing.
Everglades National Park, Florida
Farm Life Tours
This Canadian site FarmFood 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs.
Glacier National Park, Montana
Google Arts and Culture – View the art collections of over 500 different museums and galleries. Some of the museums also offer full virtual tours.
Google Earth – “Fly” anywhere in the world in seconds, explore hundreds of cities in 3D, take guided tours, and create your own maps and stories.
Google Maps Street View – Type in any address, select street view and explore the area. Not only can you take a virtual trip down the streets, but you can also “step” into many museums, landmarks, and other attractions. Here are some I’ve found.
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Great Smoky Mountain National Park, North Carolina & Tennessee
This Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life.
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Click HERE to tour the Guggenheim and check out fabulous works of art from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary eras.
Holy Land Tour – Virtually visit Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and more.
Houston Zoo– Watch animals in several of their exhibits via live webcam.
Joshua Tree National Park, California
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
See works from this California Museum by CLICKING HERE.
The Louvre
You can check out the Louvre on its website HERE.
Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover. 360 Mode offers a digital view!
MASP, São Paulo
The Museu de Arte de São Paulo is Brazil’s first modern art museum. Everything is displayed in transparent frames so everything appears to be floating. See it HERE!
Monterey Bay Aquarium – Watch sea creatures in this California aquarium with the live animal cam.
Mount Vernon – Take an interactive and informative tour of George Washington’s home in Virginia.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
You can explore this popular gallery that houses many famous works from French artists living between 1848 & 1914. See Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin, and more!
National Aquarium – Take a virtual tour of this aquarium located in Baltimore, Maryland.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
You can check out several online exhibits, an exhibit of American fashion from 1740 to 1895 and a collection of works from the Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer.
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
This museum houses the archaeology and history of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic heritage. There are See the artifacts and more HERE.
National Museum of the US Air Force – Take a virtual tour of this museum.
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
This virtual tour takes you through six floors of Contemporary art from Korea and more.
Neon Museum in Las Vegas
Niagara Falls State Park -Immerse yourself in the beauty of Niagara Falls during this virtual field trip.
Olympic National Park, Washington
OrcaLab Live Cam
Palace of Versailles – Versailles, France
Pergamon Museum, Berlin
The Pergamon is super neat, you can see it HERE.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Works from the Dutch Golden Age including artists such as Vermeer and Rembrandt can be viewed HERE!
The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games. Enjoy the tour!
Seattle Aquarium Virtual Field Trip
The Secret Life of Corals: A Dominican Republic Adventure
Shark Lagoon Live Cam
Sites in 3D – Tour locations across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Yemen, and many other countries using 360-degree images
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – Virtually explore many current and past museum exhibits.
Smithsonian's National Zoo
The Statue of Liberty – Learn about the Statue of Liberty through the videos and photographs in this virtual tour.
Stonehenge – Wiltshire, United Kingdom
Tropical Reef Aquarium Live Cam
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
See the art collection of the de'Medicis and explore this museum HERE!.
Underwater Manatee Live Cam at Blue Spring State Park
U.S. Space and Rocket Museum in Huntsville, AL
See the Saturn 5 Rocket on YouTube and more on this tour thanks to a real father/son outing.
Check out the Van Gogh's HERE virtually and see the largest collection of artworks by Vincent Van Gogh.
The Virtual Rainforest – Learn about the rainforest with this interactive tour that includes informative videos and articles.
Walrus Live Cam - Round Island, Alaska
Walt Disney World Ride Tours
The White House – Washington, D.C.
Williamsburg -Go back in time on a historic, virtual tour of Colonial Williamsburg.
Wilson Island – Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Tour Yellowstone National Park and see Mud Volcano, Mammoth Hot Springs, and more.
Yosemite National Park, California
Have fun exploring everything and consider trying some art inspired by your online virtual journeys!
