Using Google’s Street View Trekker, VISIT FLORIDA delivers an immersive virtual experience along its ... [+]
While being closed due to COVID-19, public attractions around the world are greeting visitors in another way - through their computer screens. They are running live webcams, holding Facebook Live events or directing web traffic to YouTube.
Here’s a roundup of them to follow along.
Visitors watching a SCUBA diver in the Kelp Forest exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Aquariums/Zoos
In California, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Aquarium of the Pacific, the Oakland Zoo and the San Diego Zoo offers animal live cams and other online resources. Experience the great outdoors via virtual tours of Yosemite National Park, the Channel Islands and Joshua Tree National Park or walk through the Redwoods and botanical gardens of the Huntington.
Mondays through Fridays at 11 a.m., Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s Facebook Page introduces biologists who are working to secure a future for wildlife at the zoo.
St. Louis Zoo’s stlzootube shows what’s happening inside; catch a recap of their penguin tour on social media and a morning breakfast event with their baby sloth, Coconut.
OKC Zoo in Oklahoma City has its “OKC Zoo @ 2” web series featuring animal-related chats and viewings on its website at 2 p.m. Central Time daily.
On their Facebook page, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs is featuring keeper talks, animal demonstrations, moments of #CMZooZen, at-home activities like guided animal sketching, and more. Their YouTube channel is connected to live giraffe cams that run daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. MT.
In Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium’s Underwater Beauty live cam shows how every aquatic animal is beautifully adapted to thrive in its environment; other resources for the Windy City are found on Chicago: From Our Home to Yours.
Milo Anderson at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden goes on Facebook Live each weekday at 10 a.m. EST for “Z-Learning – The Wild Side of E-Learning” for behind the scenes adventures. For a replay, visit the zoo’s website.
In Denmark, Copenhagen ZOO is live streaming what’s their elephants and other resident animals are up to here.
New York Botanical Garden is posting virtual walks through its gardens.
Museums/Galleries/Gardens
Google Arts & Culture features content from more than 2,000 top museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring their collection online.
The New York Botanical Garden is posting virtual walks through its gardens through streaming videos via Facebook Watch or recordings on their website. Their Palm Dome Interactive Mobile Guide covers the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s Palms of the World Gallery.
On Twitter, The Getty Museum is challenging people to recreate a work of art with objects (and people) in their homes.
The Grammy Museum’s “Museum at Home” provides online music education, exhibit exploration, daily playlists and more.
Via YouTube, Ava Gardner Museum offers an escorted tour of this museum honoring the Hollywood starlet.
Mount Vernon is providing a digital insider’s look at where George Washington once lived.
The National Cowboy Museum has given its head of security the additional task of overseeing their Twitter account; it looks like he’s having a good time in doing it.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has posted 360° degree videos of their gallery spaces within their main museum on 5th Avenue, The Met Cloisters and The Met Breuer.
The Hoboken Historical Museum has an online walking tour map of eight historical sights in the New Jersey city.
Virtual tours of the Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are via their museum mobile apps on Google Play or through the Apple App Store.
Philadelphia from Home offers virtual experiences connected to the city, including museum tours, livestream Orchestra performances and a Spotify playlist.
Morris Museum’s virtual tour explores everything from their Model Trains & Railroads collection, to their Murtogh D. Guinness collection of 750 historical instruments.
Fort Worth, Texas museums are offering various content. For example, The National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame’s “Cowgirl Museum Story Time” happens every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on YouTube and Instagram.
Watch glassblowing demos on Corning Museum of Glass’ YouTube channel; there are also planned livestream presentations.
Watch performances by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra online.
Orchestras/Concert Halls
Grand Ole Opry is bringing the famous show online on Facebook and Youtube.
Montreal Symphonic Orchestra is offering concerts online along with previous YouTube recordings.
The Philharmonic Orchestra Berlin is offering classical music virtually and free of charge in the Digital Concert Hall; learn more here.
Each day, The Metropolitan Opera is presenting a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series for streaming on their website.
Saint Lucia Tourism Authority is bringing the island's culture to Instagram.
Hotels/Destinations
Pacific Sands Beach Resort in Tofino, British Columbia has a live beach cam capturing the sand and surf of the adjacent Cox Bay.
Club Med’s “Club Med at Home” weekly activity series is designed to connect past guests - and those who had to cancel trips - to the hospitality brand through virtual activities, including coloring pages, popular Club Med recipes and workout videos on Instagram Live.
The Japan National Tourism Organization made a 360-degree virtual reality movie experience of the ... [+]
The Japan National Tourism Organization’s 360-degree virtual reality movie experience features scenes at locations and experiences offered throughout the country. In Setouchi, tour the Makido Cave in Okayama, Shukkeien Garden in Hiroshima and Ozu Castle in Ehime.
Virginia City, Nev. will present a virtual and docent-led FAM tour of the city on Zoom Tuesday, March 31, from 8 to 9 a.m. Pacific Time. Register here.
I LOVE NEW YORK has a post listing of state-wide locations and attractions with online viewing.
In Barcelona, MNAC – National Art Museum of Catalonia has not only virtual tours but also a “Confinement Diary” where content and experiences are shared. The city’s Picasso Museum has put their catalogue online as well; they will be sharing activities and content via the hashtag #MuseuPicasso Virtual.
The Chattanooga Tourism Co.’s Connect Chatt brings people in Chattanooga and across the world together digitally through virtually sharing of the city’s experiences.
Through Google Earth, Visit Costa Rica highlights virtual visits to five of the country's volcanoes: Arenal Volcan, Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, Poás Volcan, Irazú Volcano and Miravalles Volcano.
The Aquarium of Niagara's daily Facebook Live shows how their animals are cared for.
Niagara Falls USA’s immersive 360-degree video brings these majestic waterfalls to your screen, as angles go from soaring over the waterfalls in a helicopter to jetting down the Niagara River on a high-speed jet boat through Class V rapids. Also, The Aquarium of Niagara’s daily Facebook Live series at 2 p.m. EST gives a look at the animals and how the staff care for them.
Visit Albuquerque has 360-degree virtual video beginning with a ride down the Sandia Peak Tramway and brief video tours based on various passions such as art, food and music.
Saint Lucia Tourism Authority’s Saint Lucia social media series via Instagram continues Tuesday, March 31, at 11 a.m. EDT, with a cooking demo by chef Shorne Benjamin. On Thursday, April 2, from 5 to 6 p.m. EDT, Saint Lucian DJ Hollywood HP will spin reggae, dancehall and soca hits. On Tuesday, April 7, at 11 a.m. EDT, Janelle from @YogawithJa will lead a beachside meditation.
Explore the galleries of the British Museum from your screen.
See Great Britain virtually with tours of locations including Buckingham Palace, Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum in London and The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Soggy Dollar, a beach bar in The British Virgin Islands, has a live webcam of the adjacent White Bay Beach.
The island of Hvar in Croatia can be viewed via a 24/7 livestream of Hvar’s port and the distant Pakleni islands.
VISIT ORLANDO is bringing viewers to some of the city's major attractions.
Visit Orlando’s The Orlando Virtual Tour touches upon 85 experiences, from theme parks and hotels to dining and shopping hot spots, with a 360-degree perspective. Via Disney Parks YouTube channel, Walt Disney World gives sneak peeks of rides such as Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. And explore Universal Orlando Resort through YouTube.
Visit Florida’s Florida Beach Finder allows for armchair traveling to its beaches.
Likewise, Myrtle Beach’s collection of live webcams also takes views to their beaches, plus the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and other stops in this South Carolina destination.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has added a live stream view of the country on YouTube, highlighting Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi and Pattaya.
