Across the county and around the world, many museums, zoos, aquariums, and even parks, are offering virtual tours so that everyone can enjoy them without leaving their home. In addition to being a fun glimpse inside (or outside) of these buildings and parks, these tours can offer a break from the schoolwork that children, and parents, are focused on throughout the day.

If your children love animals, the following zoos, animal sanctuaries and aquariums offer tours to check out their wildlife: The San Diego Zoo in California offers live videos of the animal(s) of your choosing via their live feeds. For a more local experience, attend Zoo School at Cape May County Zoo and Elmwood Park Zoo! These zoos are offering virtual tours while closed to the public. Tune in to see what the animals are up to. For more animal fun, visit Tamerlaine Animal Sanctuary and Preserve for virtual tours of their property and animals on their Facebook and Instagram pages. Or if your kids are more into sea life, the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California also offers live videos of penguins, otters, sharks and more. As does the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, where you can take a virtual walk-through and click on sea creatures and other animals to learn more about them.

If you have a budding artist who wants to learn more, these museums offer educational explorations: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, offers a site called, “#metkids,” where you can click on a specific topic or era of your choice in their “Time Machine” section and discover pieces of art within that category. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam offers online exhibits as well as glimpses into their museum. The online exhibits explain each piece so children can learn even more as they click through the images. Similarly, The Frick Collection in New York also allows you to browse through a variety of paintings and do a virtual walk through of the building.

Want to get outside but it’s rainy or cold? These parks let you meander through: The Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma lets you click through different scenes and learn more about the land and vegetation there. Google Arts and Culture allows for five different virtual park tours: Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawai’i Volcanoes in Hawai’i, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Bryce Canyon in Utah, and Dry Tortugas in Florida in which you can watch an introductory video or skip forward to exploring and learning more in depth about each place.

Some other fun museums to explore are the American Museum of Natural History where you can explore virtual tours or live tours on their Facebook page. Or check out the Smithsonian’s virtual tour for more fun and unique experiences.

Wherever you choose to virtually tour,
we hope it’s fun and educational for all!