It’s hard to stay in the house for weeks on end. Even for homebodies, being imprisoned in your home is hard, although necessary right now. Especially at this point, people are starting to go stir crazy and get bored. We are nearly two weeks in, and we aren’t sure when it’ll start to improve.
It’s a rough time, but one of the things that I have found to be extremely helpful to me are virtual tours. So many museums, aquariums, and zoos are doing online tours. I absolutely love museums and aquariums, so this has been a huge find for me. If you’re anything like me and you get a little restless if you stay in one place too long, then these virtual tours might ease your wandering spirit. Here are some of the tours I have done thus far:
- The Louvre
As much as I would prefer to go to the Louvre in person, that would be hard to plan even if there wasn’t a global pandemic happening. They have four exhibits you can tour: “Exhibition: The Advent of the Artist’s”, “Egyptian Antiquities”, “Remains of the Louvre’s Moat”, and “Gallerie d’Apollon”. You move around the map like you would on Google Maps, clicking where you want to go. You can also click on specific pieces and read their description. However, have a translator ready if you don’t speak French.
Visit: https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne#tabs
- Smithsonian Natural Museum of History
Like the Louvre, you move through the museum in Google Maps format, but there is a map that you can click through to visit specific exhibits. However, unlike the Louvre, you get to explore the entire museum. From fossils to butterflies, there are a lot of things to see and learn about at the Smithsonian.
Visit: https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/vt3/NMNH/
- The Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium live cams kept me entertained for a very long time. I absolutely love marine life, and I had a lot of fun clicking through the different webcams on the different habitats. You can watch beluga whales, otters, puffins, the Great Barrier Reef exhibit, gators, jellyfish, and so much more. It actually feels like you are at an aquarium, just in pajamas sitting in your own living room. As a person who could spend a whole day at an aquarium, I highly recommend the Georgia Aquarium live feeds.
Visit: https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/beluga-whale-webcam/
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
Haven’t had enough of marine life? Yeah, me neither. The Monetary Bay has a few different live streams you can watch too, like sharks and birds. They also have an open sea exhibit feed where you can see stingrays and turtles swim by. This was one of my favorites, but I’m a sucker for turtles. The Monterey Bay Aquarium only has live cams going from 10am-10p Pacific time, but they will have pre-recorded videos you can watch if you need an animal fix in off-hours.
Visit: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams
- The Atlanta Zoo
They have a Panda Cam. Enough said, right? What could take away the stress of the world better than watching some adorable pandas eating some bamboo. It’s a great stress reliever and is guaranteed to make you smile.
Visit: https://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/
- The San Diego Zoo
This seems to be the zoo with the most live camp options. You can watch the tigers, polar bears, owls, koalas, apes, etc. You really need to check it out. I personally enjoyed the elephants, they have a lot of babies that are absolutely adorable. They also have a variety of pre-recorded videos that are bound to keep you entertained.
Visit: https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos
- Walt Disney World
You can actually go on Google Maps and “walk” through the park. I personally had fun trying to spot the characters. While you cannot ride the rides, there are plenty of YouTube videos out there that have recorded the rides, not just for Disney, but almost every ride you can think of. They are super fun to watch, especially if you feel nostalgic about some of your favorite parks and rides.
We are in an unprecedented time right now. We are all learning to cope and get through this together and it really is hard figuring out how to keep ourselves busy while the world is on lockdown. That’s why I really enjoyed these virtual tours, they kept me busy and entertained, and let me forget I was stuck inside for a bit. My personal favorite are the animal live cams; there is something so relaxing about watching animals go about their lives. It’s bound to bring a smile to your face, which is something we all need right about now.
