12 Free Virtual Activities to Explore While You’re Stuck at Home
When not leaving the house starts to get to you, it can be a huge help to at least pretend that you're out in the world, exploring something new.
While it's not the same as an actual, in-person experience, taking part in virtual activities can also do a lot of good for your brain if you're feeling a little stuck. Not sure where to start? Keep scrolling for 12 engaging (and free) virtual activities to investigate.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. is renowned as one of the world's best natural history museums, and we love that it's "open" to explore from home via a 360° virtual tour. Their website allows you to traverse three floors of the museum and investigate different rooms full of all kinds of exhibits dedicated to the study of the natural world. If you have a VR headset, you can even experience the museum through virtual reality, which seems pretty darn close to actually being there in person.
(via Smithsonian National Museum of National History)
Keukenhof
The Keukenhof in Holland is considered "the most beautiful spring garden in the world," and thanks to the magic of YouTube, it's possible to experience it through a series of 360° tours. The incredible garden features more than seven million spring-flowering bulbs and dates back to the 15th century. It's a sight that really can't be had anywhere else.
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Georgia O'Keeffe is perhaps America's most famous female painter, and this online gallery based on the real location in Santa Fe, New Mexico features stunning images of her most famous works. While she's best known for her captivating images of flowers bustling with life, this gallery features a wider breadth of her work as an artist.
(via Google Arts and Culture)
The Van Gogh Museum
You don't have to travel all the way to Amsterdam in The Netherlands to "walk" through an exhibit of Vincent Van Gogh's glorious paintings. Lucky for us, this gallery is available to explore by Google Street View, allowing fans to see the famous post-impressionist painter's most memorable works in their natural habitat.
(via Google Arts and Culture)
San Diego Zoo
More of an animal person than an art person? The San Diego Zoo in California features a dozen different zoo cams featuring the establishment's most impressive animals. Some of the footage is live and some of it is archival, but all of it reveals the wondrous natural behavior of these animals. Whether you love orangutans, pandas, condors, koalas or something else, there are critters for every type of person to enjoy.
(via San Diego Zoo)
The Musée du Louvre
While only a select few are lucky enough to visit Paris, France's Louvre Museum, their website makes certain sections of the museum accessible to all. It's the wold's largest art museum, and thus it's appropriate that their website features not one, or two, but seven virtual tours exploring different areas of the iconic museum. Whether you're into Egyptian antiquities or the influence of ancient myths, there's a ton to experience, and it's expertly curated for your enjoyment.
(via The Louvre)
The Studio Ghibli Museum
The Studio Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, Japan is dedicated to the beloved films of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, and it's a sight to behold. When we got the chance to visit the museum ourselves, we weren't allowed to take any photos inside, so it's special to see it again, and in such detail via a number of cute tour videos on YouTube. It makes us want to revisit our favorite classics all over again.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met is another of the world's largest and best art museums, collecting more than two million pieces, and much of it is available to explore via Google Street View. The website allows you to move around the museum to view it in 3D brilliance, as if you're really wandering through it. You can either travel two floors of the museum, or jump right to a piece that catches your eye.
(via Google Arts and Culture)
The British Museum
London's British Museum has more than eight million works of history, art and culture in its permanent collection, and while they're not all available to peruse online, their interactive map is still a sight to behold. Their website takes you through Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania on a massive timeline from two million BC to the present, allowing you to pick the pieces that interest you and find out all about it, complete with a thorough and wonderfully narrated audio explainer.
(via Shutterstock)
The J. Paul Getty Museum
The J. Paul Getty Museum's online gallery collects more than 15,000 incredible works from the Getty Center and the Getty Villa located in Los Angeles, California. While the Getty Villa focuses on sculptures and other antiquities, the Getty center includes incredible works from around the world dating from the 8th century all the way to now. With so much to browse, you're bound to find a number of pieces that make you really think.
(via Google Arts and Culture)
Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the world's very best. While they're not available to the public, their website does feature 10 live cams of different areas of the aquarium, including their world-famous sea otter exhibit. Their live cams are on from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Time, so you always know when to tune in, and they also feature special talks at feeding times for some of the animals.
(via Monterey Bay Aquarium)
National Women's History Museum
Looking for a little empowerment while you hunker down? The National Women's History Museum has 30 online exhibits all about the incredible things women have done to shape American history. The knowledge unfolds through interactive slideshows, and while our personal favorite is the Women of NASA exhibit, there is a lot of great information to explore and soak in. It'll leave you feeling like you can do anything you set your mind to.
(via National Women's History Museum)
Obsessed with all things art? Click HERE to discover our favorite art museums across America.