royal children's virtual tour

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne

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Your guide to the RCH

Visitor guidelines.

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In this section

An overview of visitor guidelines, facilities and resources at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).

For your safety and the safety of our patients, families and staff, people who have COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms need to stay home and take care of themselves.

For everyone’s safety, we provide surgical masks which you must wear over your mouth and nose. We also ask that you sanitise your hands regularly.

After hours

The main hospital entry doors are locked at 8.30pm each night and unlocked at 8am each morning. Parents staying by their child’s bedside overnight should speak with the nursing staff if they wish to leave and return to the hospital.  

You are welcome to bring gifts when visiting, but please make sure any balloons are latex free.

If you would like to bring flowers, we recommend checking first with the nursing staff, as some wards or patients cannot have flowers in their room.

Getting here

The RCH is located at 50 Flemington Road, Parkville.

Ticketed parking is available underneath the hospital. Access is via Entry 1, 2 or 4 from Flemington Road.  Visit our Car Parking page .

Public transport

Trams 58 and 59 stop outside the hospital. Tram route 57 also stops nearby.

Food and shops

• Our hospital has its own food court, supermarket and retail precinct on the Ground floor where you can buy meals, snacks or gifts. There are also  two ATMs  on the ground floor.
• Fridges and microwaves can be found in the  Parent Lounges  and the  Family Hub . These allow parents and carers to prepare food for their own consumption.  
• To keep patients safe we have  strict policies around bringing in outside food for patients .

Family facilities and services

We have a range of facilities on site to support parents, carers and other visitors.

• The Family Hub   is a friendly, space with facilities including kitchen, tea and coffee, magazines, showers, a quiet room and access to our friendly volunteers.
• Parent Lounges   adjacent to each ward have fridges, microwaves and tea/coffee facilities.
• Hoyts Beanbag Cinema  is a free cinema for patients and immediate family members.
• Outdoor spaces   and play areas are available within the hospital and in nearby Royal Park.
• A  Laundry   is available on Level 2 for use by parents.
• Wadja Aboriginal Family Place  provides social, cultural and emotional support, along with a Health Clinic.  
• Chaplains  offer pastoral and spiritual care.
• An Interpreter Service  is available by phone 24 hours, seven days a week.
• Hospital Social Workers  help children and families them cope with or adjust to their health condition.

Resources for you and your child

• Kids’ health info  is a suite of resources including fact sheets and podcasts. These include   A Child’s Guide to Hospital  – a video series to help explain the hospital experience.
• RCH TV  is our very own TV show – available through the entertainment system in patient rooms.
• Staff you might meet   is a web page explaining ‘who’s who’ at the RCH.

Appointments, tests and pharmacy

• Many people coming to the RCH will attend an appointment at one of our  Specialist Clinics  (also known as outpatient services). These are located on the Ground Floor.
• Our  Pathology Collection department  (for blood tests) can be found within the Specialist Clinic.
• Many families will also need to access  Medical Imaging  for X-Rays and scans.
• Medications can be collected from the  Hospital Pharmacy .  

Where Imagination Grows

Hands-on learning through play and imagination

April 12, 2020 by Where Imagination Grows

40+ Virtual Field Trips for Kids

We are living in a strange time. Never did I think that I would be searching for virtual field trips to take with my daughter and daycare children! But here we are, trying to make the best of the situation we are living in. 

Now you can experience landmarks and museums around the world with your kids from home! Check out our list of 40+ virtual field trips below. These are all interactive virtual tours that I have done with my kids. All kid-approved! 

I’ve spent the last two weeks putting together this list of virtual field trips for kids. These are all links that I have personally checked out with my daughter and daycare kids. 

Animal Virtual Field Trips

-Watch over 10 different animals, from Elephants to Butterflies, in their habitats at the San Diego Zoo with these Live Animal Cams ! We love the tiger cams! Plus they have a whole kids area on their website for fun educational activities. 

-Observe gorillas, rhinos, and even ants on the live webcams from the Houston Zoo . I love the 6 different animal cams at this zoo. Tune in between 7 am and 7 pm CST to see them in action.

– The Georgia Aquarium has some really amazing webcams you can check out. They have beluga whale webcams plus live feeds of the puffins, piranhas, gators and much more! Watch for the whale shark (!) on the Ocean Voyager cam! It’s so cool to see! 

-Learn and explore the farm like never before! Take an inside virtual tour of how farms run and how food is processed from a farm. These are really interesting and well done. My daughter loved the 360 videos on egg processing and egg breaking, the way all the machinery works together blew her mind! You can also view sheep, grain, and mink farms plus milk processing plants.

-Have a shark lover in your house? The live shark cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of our favorite live cams to view. They also have a really great aviary and coral reef cam that you can view with your kids. We also like the Monterey bay cam, it’s fun to watch the waves! 

-Walk-through the halls of the National Aquarium with this fun and interactive virtual tour. 

-Another informative and fun virtual farm tour for kids. Learn about and tour behind the scenes of a dairy farm. 

-Check-in on some of your favorite animals and don’t miss the baby Cheetahs on the animal cams at the National Zoo. 

Landmarks & Castles

-If you haven’t explored Google Earth I highly recommend that you give it a try. You can explore all kinds of amazing places on Earth. Studying somewhere specific? Check it out on Google Earth. 

-Missing your connection to Mickey and friends? Check out this free virtual field trip to Walt Disney World . 

-Learning about the Empire State Building ? Check out the live webcams perched high above the streets of New York.

-Even wondered what the white house looks like from the inside? Step inside and take a tour of this presidential building from the comfort of your own home.

-Walk the grounds of Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle with this virtual field trip of this ancient castle. 

-Walk along walls of the Great Wall of China with this stunning virtual tour!

-Have you always wanted to see the Effiel Tower ? Well, now you can take your kids on a field trip there in your pajamas! 

-Visit the Palace of Versailles in France. Explore the King’s Chamber, the Hall of Mirrors, art and much more! My kids were in awe of this one! 

-Go onboard and view the inside of Air Force One (a retired model). Explore the cockpit and see where the president sat and slept! 

-Walk-through the halls of the Schönbrunn Palace in Austria . It’s one of the most visited sites in the country and the tour is full of stunning items! 

-Visit an ancient tomb in Egypt. We really enjoyed the virtual tour of The Tomb of Menna . This is one of the most visited and best-preserved of the small 18th Dynasty elite tombs in the Theban necropolis. You can also visit the pyramids while you are “in” Egypt! 

– Head to Mount Vernon and explore the grounds and building. This was the plantation of George Washington, the first President of the United States, and his wife, Martha. 

-Go through the process of arriving at Ellis Island with this interactive tour. 

-Tour inside the state rooms at Buckingham Palace and discover some of the most treasured objects in the Royal Collection

Science & Nature 

-Visit the National Parks in realtime with their NPS Webcams ! 

-View the stunning beauty of Yosemite National Park . This virtual tour is amazing! 

-Take a hike on the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon from your living room! 

-Looking for something out of this world? Travel into space and visit Mars! That’s right, you can go on a virtual adventure on Mars ! 

-Take a tour of the international space station ! If you are learning about the stars and space this tour is a must! 

-Explore the Atlantic coast of Ireland and the Giants Causeway . This virtual field trip is one I want to take for myself! 

-Go inside Son Doong in Vietnam, it’s the largest cave in the world and even has its own ecosystem. The images are amazing! 

-Want to go on a safari? Check out these African Safari tours to view hyenas, lions, elephants and more! 

-Tour the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park . Lava tubes and volcanos make this one a favorite.

-Explore the wonder of the Carlsbad Caverns and learn about bats.  

-See the Northern Lights over Sweden with this fabulous virtual tour. 

-Follow explorers from beginning to end as they climb Mt. Everest . The 360° videos are amazing and we learned so much about what it takes to make it to the top.

-Walk around among planes from history with this free virtual field trip for kids from the Frontiers of Flight Museum .

-Get an inside look at the cockpit and interior of planes from history at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. From WWII bombers to helicopters and fighter jets! My daughter has literally spent hours exploring these. 

-Have a car fan? Learning about transportation? Take a tour of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant , the first Ford plant and the location where the Model T was developed.

-View the largest collection of Van Gogh’s artwork, including letters and drawings, at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

-Learn about the Battle of the Alamo while you tour the historic Spanish mission and fortress founded in the 18th century.

-Head to the National Museum of Natural History to learn about the history of the planet and the humans. 

-View the incredible exhibits at the Louvre , the largest art museum in the world. 

-Explore The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website for kids! The Met Kids lets kids explore an interactive cartoon map of the Met to learn more about the artwork and visitor spaces in the museum

-See all the fun to be had at the Boston Children’s Museum ! View three floors of fun children’s exhibits. 

-Virtually tour The British Museum and discover hundreds of artifacts in the museum.

–Step inside the Sistine Chapel and get an up-close and personal view of the amazing art that covers the space, including The Last Judgment  by Michelangelo.

Your turn! 

Have a favorite virtual field trip for kids that’s not listed above? Leave a link in the comments! I’m always looking for fun new options to explore with my kids. 

Looking for more crafts and activities? Check out our  index for 100+ plus kids activities ! Find activities by theme, materials, skills, age and much more!

Sharing is caring!

April 28, 2020 at 7:25 am

Thank you for sharing this list! It’s great that we can still have field trips even if we can’t leave our homes.

Don't Miss These Insider Tours of the Royal Family's Palaces

Wander Buckingham Palace without leaving your couch.

Tired of being cooped up at home? Perhaps you'd like to imagine life someplace a bit bigger, a bit grander, and a bit more, well, royal? You're in luck, because many of the British royal family's palaces and castles now offer extensive virtual tours. Whether you want to traipse around Buckingham Palace or peek down the corridors of Windsor Castle, you can get a bit closer to achieving your dreams through these interactive online resources. Test them out and remember that there's nothing wrong with a bit of escapism.

Buckingham Palace

The Palace's virtual tour includes the opulent Grand Staircase, the White Drawing Room, the vibrant red Throne Room, and the Blue Drawing Room.

Windsor Castle

While you may not have been invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding , you can imagine being there while touring the venue. Windsor Castle has been a royal home and fortress for more than 900 years. When royal weddings are not occurring, the castle acts as the Queen's home—where she usually spends the weekend—and as a royal residence where she performs certain official duties.

With this virtual tour , you can start by going inside a traditional State Banquet in St. George's Hall. Then visit the Waterloo Chamber and the Crimson Drawing Room. Make sure to click on the "i" icons for even more information about each space.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

If you want something with a bit of Scottish flair, take a look at the Queen's official residence in Scotland: The Palace of Holyroodhouse. Located in Edinburgh, the Palace was the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots starting from the 16th century. This Palace hosts visitors throughout the year, and is available for your own personal viewing online through this virtual tour .

The Tower of London

While no one currently lives in the Tower of London, the building is technically a castle and is officially known as Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London. Founded in the eleventh century by William the Conquerer, the Tower has been used as an armory, a treasury, a menagerie, a public record office, the home of the Crown Jewels of England, and, most commonly, a prison. The Tower is now mostly a tourist attraction and a place to display the Crown Jewels.

Take a virtual tour, which includes photos of many of these precious jewels, here .

10 Downing Street

If you're in the mood for something more castle-adjacent (i.e. a MASSIVE house), Google Arts & Culture offers a virtual tour of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Casually referred to as Number 10, the home is over 300 years old and has approximately 100 rooms. Number 10 was first used when King George II offered it to Sir Robert Walpole, the de facto first British Prime Minister, in 1732, so it certainly has royal ties.

On your virtual tour , you can explore the Cabinet Room, the Study, and the Grand Staircase. Each area also has accompanying informational videos, so you can really brush up on your British political history as you peruse.

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Take a virtual tour of Buckingham Palace

Members of the public can now take a tour of Buckingham Palace from the comfort of their own living room after a new online virtual reality experience was launched this week.

The new initiative allows people to take a look at some of the most famous rooms in the palace, including the impressive state rooms.

The virtual tour is like no other, as users can go right into the heart of the Royal Family’s London residence and examine the 360-degree views.

In the virtual reality experience, users can stand at the bottom of the grand staircase, visit state rooms and even make a stop at the Green and White drawing rooms and the ballroom where investitures take place.

Grand pieces of art are also on display in the picture gallery at the Old Masters, including Canaletto and other masterpieces.

The search engine Google is behind the initiative, where they set up sixteen cameras placed in a circle to capture the stunning images.

The cameras work to create a 3D effect, meaning the experience is, even more, realistic with the size and depth of rooms coming to life.

The Royal Collection Trust collaborated with to make the project some to life. Jemima Rellie from the trust said: “For schoolchildren, Buckingham Palace is one of the most iconic, magical buildings in the world.

“We’re terrifically excited that, thanks to the virtual reality potential of Google Expedition, children, their teachers and families can visit the palace wherever they live.”

Alongside Buckingham Palace, Google has also created other experiences, including the White House, Great Barrier Reef and the Borneo rainforest.

If you want to be one of the first to go on the virtual tour the virtual tour, click here to go to the British Monarchy Youtube Channel. You must be watching on a smartphone for the concept to work properly.

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All the Royal Residences You Can Tour From Home

Even the Queen's Scottish Castle!

As countries around the world impose lockdowns, airlines cancel flights , and our homes become our hotel rooms, tourist attractions are opening their doors for virtual tours. Even Harry Potter at Universal has posted a virtual ride . Now the Royal family has opened their homes to immersive digital tours including some of their most famous residences. Here's every Royal home open to virtual tourists:

Buckingham Palace

The center of the royal households, Buckingham Palace is the headquarters and administrative hub for the royal family. All royal announcements are posted on the exterior gates and the balcony has served as a national greeting point since 1851.

The Buckingham Palace virtual tour, available on the Royal Family's website , features the White Room (where Christmas broadcasts are recorded), the Grand Staircase, and the Throne Room.

Windsor Castle

This 900-year-old fortress still functions as one of the Queen's private homes. The castle opens for Easter court between March and April and holds MBE and OBE Investitures throughout the year. The grounds also include St. George's Chapel, which you may recognize from Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle. The chapel was also the site of the prayer service for The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall's marriage and the burial place of The Queen Mother, King George VI and Princess Margaret.

The virtual tour, available on the Royal website , even offers a sneak peek of the State Banquet at St. George's Hall, set for a state dinner.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

The Queen's official Scottish residence, not to be confused with her private Scottish home, Sandringham Estate, is the reception space for all events related to the Scottish people. The Edinburgh home hosts state visits, investiture ceremonies, and garden parties for a week during the summer. The palace served as the primary residence of the King and Queen of Scots until the 16th century and remains open to the public for Scottish events while the Queen is not in residence.

Available on the Royal website , the tour includes the Morning Drawing Room, the King's Bedchamber (with original fabrics) and the Great Stair.

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The 100+ Best Virtual Tours and Field Trips for Kids and Students [2024]

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1. Busch Gardens (Tampa, Florida)

2. cedar point (sandusky, ohio), 3. disneyland (anaheim, california), 4. hersheypark (hershey, pennsylvania), 5. knott’s berry farm (buena park, california), 6. legoland florida (orlando, florida), 7. peppa pig world (hampshire, england), 8. seaworld orlando (orlando, florida), 9. shanghai disneyland (shanghai, china), 10. six flags great adventure (jackson township, new jersey), 11. ski dubai (dubai, united arab emirates), 12. tivoli gardens (copenhagen, denmark), 13. universal orlando resort (orlando, florida), 14. walt disney world (orlando, florida), 15. warner bros. world (abu dhabi, united arab emirates), 16. wet’n’wild gold coast (queensland, australia), 1. georgia aquarium (atlanta, georgia), 2. monterey bay aquarium (monterey, california), 3. national aquarium (baltimore, maryland), 4. new england aquarium (boston, massachusetts), 5. oceanogràfic de valencia (valencia, spain), 6. s.e.a. aquarium (sentosa island, singapore), 1. the alamo (san antonio, texas), 2. amazon rainforest (brazil), 3. boston public garden (boston, massachusetts), 4. buckingham palace (london, england), 5. burj khalifa (dubai, united arab emirates), 6. christ the redeemer statue (rio de janeiro, brazil), 7. cliffs of moher (county clare, ireland), 8. colosseum (rome, italy), 9. eiffel tower (paris, france), 10. empire state building (new york, new york), 11. forbidden city (beijing, china), 12. grand central terminal (new york, new york), 13. the grand palace (bangkok, thailand), 14. great barrier reef (coral sea, queensland, australia), 15. the great wall of china (huairou district, china), 16. hoover dam (arizona, nevada), 17. international space station (low earth orbit, space), 18. jerusalem ( israel), 19. kruger national park (south africa), 20. leaning tower of pisa (pisa, italy), 21. the liberty bell (philadelphia, pennsylvania), 22. mars (fourth planet from the sun, solar system), 23. mount everest (nepal and china), 24. mount rushmore (keystone, south dakota), 25. mount fuji (honshu, japan), 26. nasa glenn research center (cleveland, ohio), 27. niagara falls (ontario, canada), 28. statue of liberty, ellis island (new york, new york), 29. venice ( italy), 30. the white house (washington, d.c.), 1. american museum of natural history (new york, new york), 2. boston children’s museum (boston, massachusetts), 3. the british museum (london, england), 4. children’s museum houston (houston, texas), 5. children’s museum of south dakota (brookings, south dakota), 6. the doseum (san antonio, texas), 7. glazer children’s museum (tampa, florida), 8. the metropolitan museum of art (new york, new york), 9. musée du louvre (paris, france), 10. museo frida kahlo (mexico city, mexico), 11. museu de arte de são paulo (são paulo, brazil), 12. the museum of flight (seattle, washington), 13. museum of science, boston (boston, massachusetts), 14. national air and space museum (washington, d.c.), 15. national museum of natural history (washington, d.c.), 16. national women’s history museum (alexandria, virginia), 17. picasso museum (barcelona, spain), 18. pretend city children’s museum (irvine, california), 19. the roald dahl museum and story centre (great missenden, england), 20. san francisco museum of modern arts (san francisco, california), 21. the strong national museum of play (rochester, new york), 22. van gogh museum (amsterdam, netherlands), 23. vatican (vatican city, italy), 1. black canyon of the gunnison national park (colorado), 2. crater lake national park (oregon), 3. death valley national park (california, nevada), 4. denali national park (alaska), 5. everglades national park (florida), 6. grand canyon national park (arizona), 7. hawai’i volcanoes national park (hawaii), 8. redwood national park (california), 9. virgin islands national park (u.s. virgin islands), 10. yellowstone national park (wyoming, montana, idaho), 11. yosemite national park (california), 1. camp nou, fc barcelona (barcelona, spain), 2. emirates stadium, arsenal fc (london, england), 3. hard rock stadium during miami open (miami gardens, florida), 4. maracanã stadium, flamengo fc (rio de janeiro, brazil), 5. oracle park, san francisco giants (san francisco, california), 6. yankee stadium, new york yankees (bronx, new york), 1. angkor wat (siem reap, cambodia), 2. the great pyramid (giza, egypt), 3. machu picchu (peru), 4. nijo castle (kyoto, japan), 5. the palace of versailles (versailles, france), 6. petra ( jordan), 7. pompeii (italy), 8. stonehenge (wiltshire, england), 9. taj mahal (agra, india), 10. templo expiatorio de la sagrada familia (barcelona, spain), 1. cincinnati zoo & botanical garden (cincinnati, ohio), 2. houston zoo (houston, texas), 3. san diego zoo (san diego, california), 4. smithsonian national zoo (washington, d.c.), 5. zoo atlanta (atlanta, georgia), final thoughts.

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When the world came to a stop and kids were getting restless at home, parents dreamt of the days when field trips were still something to look forward to. That’s when virtual tours became a relatively attractive alternative.

Now that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is somewhat under control and in-person visits are a reality, virtually visiting museums, parks, and aquariums can still be a great way to scout out your next vacation.

Many incredible places offer virtual tours, which are perfect for some pre-trip planning. We’ve compiled the ultimate list of virtual tours for everything from amusement parks to zoos so that you and your little ones can tour them from the comfort of your own home!

16 Amusement Parks With Virtual Tours

It may be hard to get the full experience of an amusement park from home, but thanks to some incredible videography, you can almost feel the butterflies in your stomach!

Here are some of our favorites!

Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida is known for its thrilling roller coasters. Now you can experience them from home.

Thanks to some awesome 4K footage uploaded to YouTube, the SheiKra , Kumba , and Cheetah coasters are waiting for you.

Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio is home to 71 rides, including the award-winning Steel Vengeance hyper-hybrid coaster. The second-oldest amusement park in North America, Cedar Point is known as “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World.”

Want to see why? Check out its official YouTube channel full of POV videos of the rides.

Disneyland in Southern California needs no introduction. It’s the only theme park designed and built to completion under the direct supervision of Walt Disney and has a classic feel to it despite the constant improvements. One of those improvements is Star Wars : Galaxy’s Edge .

Experience this intergalactic world and go on a video ride on the Millennium Falcon : Smuggler’s Run attraction.

Hersheypark is a family theme park about 100 miles outside of Philadelphia, and is, you guessed it, owned by The Hershey Company, one of the largest global chocolate manufacturers.

While you might not be able to go on a factory tour and tasting from home, you can grab a Hershey milk chocolate bar, sit on the couch, and take a virtual tour on 15 of the park’s roller coasters .

Knott’s Berry Farm is not what the name suggests, although it once was. What started as a small berry farm is now a very popular theme park full of attractions and entertainment for all ages in southern California.

If you want to check out the 10 fastest rides and roller coasters at the park , check out this YouTube video .

LEGOLAND gets overshadowed by a couple of other theme parks in the Orlando area, but this park is no joke. With some great roller coasters, including a virtual reality option , there is something for everyone.

If you are interested in VR, you’ll want to check out this video of The Great LEGO Race .

Hop across the pond and visit the fun little world of Peppa Pig and her family! Go for a ride on Grandpa Pig’s Little Train, Miss Rabbit’s Helicopter, and of course, jump in some muddy puddles!

Check out the official virtual tour video .

SeaWorld has made some serious investments when it comes to its roller-coaster game. Mako, Kraken, and Manta are a few of the top rides in the area .

Enjoy this 4K POV video onboard Mako from the safety of your own home.

Shanghai Disneyland is home to the world’s only TRON Lightcycle Power Run ride, though another is still scheduled to open at Walt Disney World in Orlando. It’s one of the best rides in the world, and many Disney fans admit that it is better than most other Disney roller coasters.

Fortunately, you don’t need to fly to China to experience this futuristic ride. You can ride along in HD thanks to this YouTube video .

Situated between New York and Philadelphia, Six Flags Great Adventure is a popular theme park thanks to its fast and high-tech roller coasters, family and kids rides, and wildlife exhibits.

If you are in the area, you can visit the drive-thru safari, but if not, there’s still plenty to check out including the world’s tallest VR drop ride free fall POV of Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom .

Dubai truly is impressive. Who would think that you could go skiing in the middle of the Arabian Desert? And not sand skiing — on real snow!

Thanks to some impressive engineering (and a hefty electric bill) visitors can take their shot at the world’s first indoor black diamond run .

Think we’re joking? Strap on your VR goggles and check out these 360-degree videos .

At more than 150 years old, Tivoli Gardens is the oldest amusement park in Europe . Besides the gorgeous decorations and history, the park offers dozens of rides for all ages.

Go for a virtual ride on The Demon roller coaster thanks to this fun video.

Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure in Orlando have long been known for their excellent and thrilling rides. With near-constant updates and new additions being made, thrill-seekers are always in for a treat.

Be sure to check out these great videos of the rides including Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit  and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Universal also has some excellent videos on its YouTube channel with more rides and the very interesting “ The Science of Universal Orlando Resort .”

When it comes to theme parks, the gold standard is Walt Disney World. With that special Disney magic paired with some of the most sought-after rides in the world, you may find yourself taking frequent virtual tours.

While many rides generate hours-long wait times, you can skip the line and take a virtual tour any time that you want. Some of our current favorites are Star Wars : Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios.

For the real Disney fans out there, it will be hard to run out of fun content. Be sure to check out this Disney On Stage educational content that is full of fun theatrical activities to do at home, broken down by age groups.

If you are feeling crafty, these DIY projects from Disney Family are sure to be a hit.

And, lastly, #DisneyMagicMoments is full of magical activities with everything from learning how to cook Disneyland’s Big Thunder Ribs to learning how to draw your favorite Disney and Pixar characters.

Hot Tip: Are you planning a trip to Orlando? Be sure to check out our article on the best places to stay in Orlando for your Disney vacation before you book.

When you think of the United Arab Emirates, the phrase “world’s largest” gets used a lot… and its theme parks are no exception. This time, the title of “World’s Largest Indoor Theme Park” goes to Warner Bros. World in Abu Dhabi.

Get comfortable and explore all of the park’s rides with this 18-minute long 4K video .

Who doesn’t love a good waterpark? You’ll find one of the best in Queensland, Australia at Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast.

With some massive slides for thrill-seekers to more family-friendly options, this park will give you one more reason to want to visit Australia.

If you don’t want to wait, you can go for a ride via this POV GoPro video .

6 Aquariums With Virtual Tours

With more than 10 million gallons of fresh and saltwater tanks, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta holds the record as the third-largest aquarium in the world (formerly the largest from 2005 to 2012).

With creatures from whale sharks and beluga whales to lizards and seahorses, this aquarium has much to explore.

You can check in on your favorite animals from home thanks to these awesome live webcams . The At-home Learning page offers lesson plans and resources and also provides updates and details for the animals in the facility.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a gorgeous aquarium on the edge of the central California coast. While you should certainly add a visit to this aquarium to your list (because who doesn’t need an excuse to drive the California coast?), until then, we’ve got you covered.

The aquarium has 10 live webcams that you can tune into and watch some of the most beautiful creatures swimming around.

Whether you want to check in on the penguins, sharks, sea otters, or watch the Open Sea Exhibit, all you need to do is click here !

The National Aquarium in Baltimore has over 2 million gallons of water and more than 750 species for visitors to learn about.

Out of all of the aquarium virtual tours, this is one of the best. as you can “walk” through all of the exhibits at your own pace and enjoy 360-degree views along the way. Start exploring now !

The New England Aquarium has everything for your virtual field trip. From live videos and demonstrations to activities to complete at home, you and your kids will be entertained for hours.

For more information, visit its website.

Visit Europe’s finest and most futuristic marine complex from home! Comprised of 9 elegant underwater towers designed by the famous Spanish architect Félix Candela, you may be just as impressed with the avant-garde architecture as you are with 500+ different species swimming around.

Take your own virtual tour .

The S.E.A. Aquarium is the world’s second-largest aquarium and is home to the world’s largest collection of manta rays in captivity , including the unique giant oceanic manta ray. With 49 different habitats to explore, you could spend all day here.

Instead, you can enjoy a virtual tour and visit the S.E.A. Aquarium Fun Academy, featuring arts and craft projects and brainteasers.

30 Famous Landmarks With Virtual Tours

The Alamo Mission in San Antonio is a historic Spanish mission and fortress compound founded back in the 18th century. In 1836, It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo. Today, it’s a museum in the Alamo Plaza Historic District.

Experience The Alamo in this high-quality virtual tour .

The Amazon Rainforest is one of Earth’s most precious resources and makes up more than half of the world’s rainforests, covering 2,700,000 square miles.

Home to an estimated 390 billion individual trees and millions of unique species from insects to dolphins, visiting the Amazon rainforest is an incredible experience. But an Amazonian trip can be quite expensive.

Fortunately, there is an incredibly in-depth educational VR experience available courtesy of Conservation International.

You can either strap on your VR headset or visit the beautifully done website .

The first public botanical garden in America , established in 1837, the Boston Public Garden is full of unusual plants, a lagoon, and the famous Swan Boats, which have operated for more than 100 years. A true gem in the heart of one of America’s oldest cities.

You can go on an interactive 360-degree tour of the park .

Buckingham Palace in London, England is the official residence of the Queen, as well as the administrative headquarters of the monarchy of the United Kingdom.

While this iconic building is open to the public for tours for only a few months per year, known as the “Annual Summer Opening,” you can visit year-round thanks to this virtual tour .

Measuring in at 2,722 feet tall, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai has held the record of the world’s tallest building since it was completed in 2009.

Design and architecture teams from all around the world worked together to create this massive structure built to withstand the strong desert heat and winds.

If you want to take a closer look, you can explore this amazing building via Google Street View, which allows you to check out different floors and even a view from a window washer’s platform up on the 80th floor.

Emerging out of the mountains, the Christ the Redeemer statue can be seen from almost anywhere in the stunning city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

The 98-foot tall soapstone statue is one of the “New7Wonders of the World” and is a symbol of Christianity worldwide.

You can now head down to Rio and explore this sanctuary via Google Arts & Culture .

Running along the ocean’s edge in County Clare, Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher make up 9 miles of stunning terrain.

With 1.5 million visits a year, the cliffs are one of Ireland’s most visited tourist sites.

If you haven’t been, you can start by taking a Google Earth virtual tour . Start at the visitor’s center, then walk your way down by the sea.

Located in the center of Rome , the Colosseum was the largest amphitheater ever built at the time (A.D. 72) — holding between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators.

The Colosseum was used for many things, including gladiatorial contests, dramas based on Classical mythology, and other events, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, and reenactments of famous battles.

You can take your own Google Arts & Culture virtual tour around the arena’s underground, learn more about its history, and more.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris is easily one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. The 1,063-foot tower has 3 levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels and an observation deck on the top level.

Visited by almost 7 million people last year alone, it can get a bit crowded. Fortunately, there is a great virtual tour that you can take from home!

Enjoy 360-degree views, a sunrise, and an ascent to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the official virtual tour .

The Empire State Building is of the most recognizable buildings in New York City . The 102-story skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan is home to many corporate offices and 2 observation decks.

You can enjoy a 360-degree view from the 102nd floor thanks to this interactive experience .

China’s best-preserved imperial palace, the Forbidden City is a complex located in central Beijing. Dating back to the Ming Dynasty, this historic palace complex was home to the former Chinese imperial palace and state residence of the emperor of China until 1924.

We have found an excellent virtual tour that allows you to explore the main areas of the complex, including:

• Hall of Supreme Harmony
• Imperial Gardens
• Meridian Gate
• Pavilion of Ten Thousand Springs

Although it is only the third-busiest train station in North America (behind New York Penn Station and Toronto Union Station), Grand Central Station in New York City has earned multiple landmark designations thanks to its incorporated works of art.

Not including train and subway passengers, Grand Central is one of the world’s 10 most visited tourist attractions according to Travel + Leisure, with more than 21 million visitors in 2018.

Take a stroll through this famous landmark via this virtual tour .

Located in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand, the Grand Palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (now Thailand) since 1782.

The stunning complex of buildings welcomes visitors from around the world to see its famous temples, chapels, and more.

Take your own virtual tour from home.

As the world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef stretches over 1,400 miles off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, and is the biggest single structure made by living organisms on Earth.

Fans of nature documentaries will love to hear the voice of David Attenborough as he guides an interactive, underwater tour of the Great Barrier Reef .

Experience interactive time-lapses, videos, and weather maps of Earth’s most bio-diverse ecosystem.

With sections dating back to the 7th century B.C., the Great Wall of China is recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history. Combing all of the sections of the wall, trenches, and natural barriers, the Great Wall measures 13,171 miles.

Originally built for defense, then later, trade control, today it is best known as a tourist attraction.

If you aren’t planning on visiting China any time soon, you can take a virtual tour .

With more than 1 million annual visitors, the Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada is one of the most visited dams in the world.

Spanning 2 time zones, this architectural marvel controls floods, provides irrigation water, and produces hydroelectric power.

Experience the Hoover Dam virtual tour .

A partnership of the U.S., Russia, Japan, Europe, and Canada, the International Space Station is a microgravity and space environment research laboratory focusing on a wide range of fields.

Although it is technically possible to visit the ISS as a “space tourist,” you may need to settle for this virtual tour instead unless you have $40 million to spend.

As a consolation prize, enjoy this video of astronauts playing with slime in zero gravity!

Located in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and is considered holy land to 3 major religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

You can almost feel the energy of this special city when you immerse yourself in the 360-degree footage of this virtual tour of Jerusalem .

Kruger National Park in South Africa is one of the largest game reserves on the African continent with an area of 7,523 square miles.

Home to the “Big Five,” safari-goers will be excited to see lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, buffaloes, and dozens of other wild animals.

If you’re interested in checking out a safari, be sure to tune in to the WildEarth YouTube channel daily for sunrise and sunset tours.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a belltower famous for its lean due to an unstable foundation. Over the years, the foundation has been stabilized and the structure currently leans at 3.97 degrees. Visitors can climb the almost 300 step staircase to reach the top and view the city below.

If you don’t plan on visiting Pisa any time soon, you can take this 360-degree VR video tour from inside the tower or take a virtual tour of the grounds.

Famous for being rung to mark the reading of the United States Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American independence.

Built in London and now residing in Philadelphia, the mostly copper bell has been cracked and repaired multiple times during its usage and traveling tours between the years of 1776 and 1915.

Get an up-close look at this iconic monument .

Mars, also known as the “Red Planet” due to the color of its surface, is the second smallest planet in our solar system. With days and seasons similar to those on Earth, scientists have always wanted to learn more about potential life there.

Currently, Mars is being explored by a NASA rover named Curiosity. Curiosity is about the size of a car and has been on the Red Planet since 2012.

If you want to explore alongside the rover, check out this interactive tour .

At 29,029 feet, Mount Everest is the tallest and one of the most dangerous mountains in the world. This massive climbing destination located on the border of Nepal and China attracts adventurers from around the globe, despite its risks.

As of last year, more than 300 climbers have died trying to reach the summit due to altitude sickness, weather, and avalanches. Y ou can experience some of what it’s like to climb Mt. Everest without the ever-present danger thanks to some virtual tours that we found.

You can experience the climb with your VR equipment, but if you prefer to watch a video instead, check out this YouTube summit climb .

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture featuring 60-foot heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hills of Keystone, South Dakota.

These 4 presidents were chosen to represent the nation’s birth, growth, development, and preservation, respectively.

If you’re interested in getting up close, you can actually “climb” the faces or take a virtual tour .

Mount Fuji is one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains” and is the tallest mountain (and active volcano) in the country at 12,389 feet tall.

Often depicted in artwork and photographs, this snowcapped symmetrical cone is easily one of Japan’s most recognizable landmarks. If you want to see what it’s like to visit the top of this majestic mountain, you’ll love the Google Street View virtual tour .

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio was created to develop science and technology for use in aeronautics and space. Needless to say, it has some pretty interesting stuff to check out.

If you want to see some testing in action, view one of 10 virtual tours .

Straddling the U.S. and Canada border, Niagara Falls is a group of 3 waterfalls that attract visitors from all over the world.

One of the most popular attractions is “Journey Behind the Falls,” located on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Now you can experience it in virtual reality.

Ditch the rain poncho and visit Niagara Falls virtually .

A gift from the people of France to the people of the United States commemorating the national abolition of slavery, the Statue of Liberty has come to commemorate ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity.

The Statue of Liberty was the first thing that most of the 12 million immigrants saw when they arrived at the Ellis Island processing site and is one of the most recognizable monuments in the world .

Get a close-up tour of Lady Liberty and learn more about Ellis Island .

Venice is perhaps one of the most recognizable cities in the world thanks to its canals being as common as roads are in other cities. This special city is made up of 118 small islands that are linked by more than 400 bridges.

While it may not be the easiest city to get around for some, thanks to the Google Street View tour of Venice , you can travel the canals, walk the streets, and cross the famous bridges from the comfort of home.

The official residence and workplace of the president of the United States, The White House has been the residence of every U.S. president since 1800.

The White House is the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public free of charge.

Check out this excellent virtual tour of The White House by Google Arts & Culture .

Hot Tip: The White House is an incredibly popular attraction and tickets are in high demand. If you want to visit in-person, learn how to best arrange your tour and maximize your visit with our helpful guide .

23 Museums With Virtual Tours

“Ology” means “the study of,” and OLogy: The Science Website for Kids from the American Museum of Natural History focuses on the study of many topics geared towards kids, with games, stories, videos, and hands-on crafts.

The museum also offers 360-degree virtual tours of exhibits from the past, present, and permanent collections, as well as research stations.

The Boston Children’s Museum is an incredible option for parents looking to entertain and educate their children.

The second-oldest children’s museum in the U.S. is full of unique exhibits meant to teach our younger generation everything from racial diversity to science, arts, and more.

Take your little one on a virtual tour today! The museum also offers a Play and Learning Resources page featuring activities, teaching guides, curriculum, and more.

The first public national museum in the world, the British Museum is dedicated to human history, art, and culture, with more than 8 million pieces of work in its collection.

Highlighting over 2 million years of history, it is no surprise this is one of the most popular museums in the world.

Don’t wait — take your Google Arts & Culture virtual tour of more than 60 galleries today. The museum itself also offers 2 virtual galleries .

The Children’s Museum Houston is famous for its awesome exhibits and events, and they have gotten creative when it comes to going virtual. With options for learning at home , 3D Virtual Field Trips , and All-Time Access , you and your kids can stay connected and entertained from home.

The Children’s Museum of South Dakota is an incredible asset for parents and kids, and now families from around the world can take part in the creativity from home. 

The museum has created a Play Along at Home page full of resources and recipes for play! Even better, it offers a page just for parents to help with ideas for activities and more.

The DoSeum is well-known for its award-winning exhibits for kids and brings the same high quality to virtual content.

The museum has created an entire page dedicated to parents and kids to “ DO It At Home ,” which is full of DIY activities, storytimes, and more.

Glazer Children’s Museum has always had a mission of creating a learning laboratory where children play, discover, and connect. The museum has continued to innovate online.

The museum offers GCM at Home , a source of learning at fun for kids of all ages with experiments, recipes, games, and more.

While the largest art museum in the U.S. may not sound too exciting for many kids, the Met has put together a nice section on its website dedicated to getting the little ones engaged.

Check out interactive maps, a time machine, and videos on the MetKids page .

The Louvre in Paris is the world’s largest art museum at over 782,910 square feet and is also the most visited with 9.6 million visitors in 2019.

With around 38,000 pieces of work — including the famous Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Hammurabi’s Code — the Louvre is easily one of the world’s most well-known museums. Fortunately for art lovers, the Louvre has multiple virtual galleries on display to enjoy, without the queues.

View the Louvre’s virtual tour page .

Take a virtual tour of “the Blue House,” the former residence where renowned artist Frida Kahlo lived and created masterpieces.

Google Arts & Culture has created a Street View tour of Museo Frida Kahlo so you can walk through La Casa Azúl from home.

Head to Brazil, courtesy of Google Arts & Culture, and explore the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (Museum of Art of São Paulo). With more than 8,000 pieces of art, including paintings, sculptures, objects, photographs, and costumes, there is plenty to explore.

Start your virtual tour of 6 unique online galleries .

The Museum of Flight, located just outside of Seattle , is the largest private air and space museum in the world. With more than 150 aircraft on-site, the museum attracts over 500,000 annual visitors.

In addition to being a museum, the Museum of Flight also hosts the largest K-12 educational programs in the world, welcoming more than 140,000 students yearly through its onsite programs.

If you can’t visit anytime soon, you might enjoy the 360-degree virtual tour .

Hot Tip: Check out our guide to virtual tours of aerospace museums , covering aviation, military, and space!

The Museum of Science, Boston, dates back to 1830 when it opened as the Boston Society of Natural History. Now receiving over 1.5 million visitors annually, this museum (and indoor zoo) is one of the region’s most popular destinations for children and adults.

With more than 700 interactive exhibits and over 100 rescued and rehabilitated animals, visitors always leave wanting more. Conveniently, the museum offers an excellent virtual tour full of digital exhibits, videos, and audio presentations.

The National Air and Space Museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is a center for the history and science of aviation, as well as spaceflight, planetary science, terrestrial geology, and geophysics.

With over 6 million visitors last year, it was the fifth most-visited museum in the world, with tourists coming to see the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, the Wright brothers’ Wright Flyer airplane, and much more.

You can take your own 360-degree virtual tour of the entire museum.

The 325,000 square foot National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. has the largest natural history collection in the world. With over 145 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and cultural artifacts, visitors come from all over the world to explore this special collection.

Open 364 days per year (closed on Christmas) with free admission, this collection can get quite busy with crowds. To avoid the rush, you can enjoy dozens of online exhibits that can all be accessed via the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History virtual tour .

Learn more about the brave women who educated, inspired, empowered, and shaped the future for new generations. With everything from the Civil Rights Movement to women in the Olympics, the National Women’s History Museum is full of well-curated material.

Explore the National Women’s History Museum’s 29 online exhibits.

If you are one of the millions who stroll through Barcelona’s Latin Quarter, you are sure to know about the Picasso Museum. Art lovers can take in some 4,000+ pieces of the famous painter’s work and medieval architecture in this impressive museum.

Fans of Picasso can enjoy the Picasso Museum virtual tour, which offers a large selection of his finest works as well as tours of the museum’s beautiful courtyards.

Pretend City is a great experience designed for kids to expand their imagination. With 17 exhibits including a cafe, farm, gas station, post office, grocery store, and more, your little one can explore a miniature version of a grown-up’s world.

Take an interactive tour of the Pretend City Children’s Museum .

Winner of the “Best Small Visitor Attraction,” the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre is the home of the late children’s and short story writer, Roald Dahl.

Take a step inside and see where he wrote manuscripts, business and personal correspondence, and his “Ideas Books.”

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts lets artists take over its website and create special broadcasts on its YouTube channel.

Check out multimedia features on the art and artists featured in the museum on its Stories page.

Known as “the ultimate play destination,” t he Strong National Museum of Play is built around research, exhibits, and other interpretive and educational activities that serve a diverse audience of adults, families, children, students, teachers, scholars, collectors, and others around the globe.

Thanks to a  Google Arts & Culture virtual tour , you can experience this incredible museum from home.

Housing the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh, this Amsterdam museum welcomes over 2 million visitors per year looking to see the artist’s paintings, drawings, and letters.

Stroll through the museum at your own pace via this excellent Google Arts & Culture virtual tour . The museum’s website also offers a variety of tools for young children, including school lessons and coloring pages.

With multiple museums, the Vatican is home to some 70,000 works of art, including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world.

Founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century, the museums have been a stunning attraction for hundreds of years. Prior to the pandemic, the museums welcomed nearly 7 million visitors annually.

Take your own 360-degree virtual tour .

11 U.S. National Parks With Virtual Tours

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a national park in western Colorado famous for its steep cliffs and craggy spires throughout.

The Gunnison River has flowed for over 2 million years, carving its way through the rugged terrain, leaving behind a breathtaking combination of water, rock, and sky.

You can start your own exploration today, thanks to this Google Earth virtual tour !

This south-central Oregon gem is breathtaking. Crater Lake was formed from a volcanic eruption 7,500 years ago and has no connections to any rivers or streams — all of its water supply comes from rain and melted snow.

Not only it is the deepest lake in the U.S. , but it is also one of the clearest and cleanest in the entire world. Unsurprisingly, the lake and surrounding areas are very popular for outdoor enthusiasts year-round.

Country music singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley is ready to lead you on a 360-degree virtual video tour of the area.

Death Valley has perhaps one of the most recognizable names of all of the national parks. It is also the hottest, driest, and lowest national park in the U.S., so the name is fitting.

Despite the morbid name, this park has a great diversity of life, especially when rainstorms bring sprawling fields of wildflowers and oases for small fish and other wildlife.

At 3.4 million acres, stretching across the California-Nevada border, it is the largest U.S. national park outside of Alaska .

You can explore this massive park courtesy of this Google Earth virtual tour . Some of the highlights include the Devil’s Golf Course, Rhyolite Ghost Town, and some incredible canyons and dunes.

Home to the highest mountain in North America , Denali National Park in Alaska is a stunning combination of low elevation forests and snowy glaciers at the higher elevations.

This massive 6 million-acre preserve only has 1 road through it, so you will be sure to see wild animals roaming free and adventurists exploring the countless outdoor activities.

If you aren’t planning on visiting Alaska soon, be sure to check out the Google Earth virtual tour of the glaciers and the stunning Denali vistas.

Spread across the southern tip of Florida, Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S. In addition to being a national park, the Everglades are also listed as a Wetlands of International Importance and a World Heritage Site.

The unique network of wetlands and forests makes an ideal home for many species, including rare and endangered ones such as the manatee, American crocodile, and Florida panther.

In addition to being home to dozens of species of mammals and reptiles, the wetlands are an essential habitat to over 350 species of birds and 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish.

Start your own adventure in the Everglades on this virtual tour via Google Earth .

Hot Tip: The Everglades are featured on our list of the best road trips in the U.S. The Overseas Highway starts in Miami and finishes over 150 miles later in Key West.

One of (if not the) most well-known of all the national parks is the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. This park is a stunning 277-mile steep-sided canyon carved out by the Colorado River.

Just a quick (and popular) helicopter ride from Las Vegas, visitors can enjoy rafting, hiking, running, and camping along the North and South Rims of the canyon.

If you want to start exploring this incredible national park, check out this awesome virtual tour by Google Earth .

Located on the main island of Hawaii, the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park rests on top of 2 active volcanoes : Kīlauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world’s most massive shield volcano.

The volcanoes are home to some of the most unique biological, geological, and cultural landscapes in the world. Visitors come to learn about the volcanoes, their history, the local culture, and the incredible biodiversity on the island.

You can immerse yourself in one of the most comprehensive tours on the internet thanks to this Google Arts & Culture virtual tour .

The 39,000-acre Redwood National Park is located on the picturesque, rugged coast of northern California.

Home to the famous Redwood trees — the tallest trees on earth  — this national park is also home to wild riverways, vast prairies, and oak woodlands.

You can start your own tour from home — including a scenic drive through the Klamath Tour Thru Tree — courtesy of this Google Earth Street View virtual tour .

Famous for its white-sand beaches and excellent snorkeling, the Virgin Islands National Park protects about 60% of the island of St. John , about 5,000 acres of ocean, and almost all of Hassel Island.

“America’s Paradise” also attracts visitors for its sugar plantation history and ancient petroglyphs carved by the Taino Indians.

Thanks to Google Earth tour of Virgin Islands National Park , you can explore the park’s luscious forests, Danish sugar plantation ruins, and gorgeous beaches.

Stretching across 3 states (Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho), Yellowstone National Park was the very first national park in the U.S.  The park is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera lake, which is the largest supervolcano on the continent .

One of the more famous (and less threatening) attractions is Old Faithful Geyser , which is known for its regular eruptions.

Every year, visitors from around the world come to explore the thousands of other hot springs, geysers, and mud pots that dot the wild landscape.

You can now take your own Google Earth virtual tour of Yellowstone — complete with geysers, waterfalls, springs, and more — from the comfort of your own home.

Internationally recognized for many of its natural features, including its waterfalls, clear streams, granite cliffs, giant sequoia groves, and incredible biological diversity, Yosemite National Park has a lot to offer.

More than 4 million visitors travel to the Sierra Nevada of central California to explore the 748,000-acre park each year.

You can explore this park from home, including the iconic Half Dome and El Capitan monoliths, thanks to Google Earth’s virtual tour of Yosemite .

Bottom Line: You can enjoy the incredible natural beauty of our national parks without leaving home thanks to our detailed list of virtual tours of iconic national parks around the U.S. ! 

6 Sports Stadiums With Virtual Tours

The home stadium of FC Barcelona since its completion in 1957, Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe with over 99,000 seats.

Having hosted some of the most high-profile matches ever, including the European Cup/Champions League finals, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup finals, the opening game of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, and the football competition final at the 1992 Summer Olympics, it is easily one of the most famous stadiums in the world.

Experience what it’s like to walk around the stadium from the bleachers to the pitch thanks to this virtual tour .

Get a view of this gorgeous stadium from one of the 60,000+ seats in this 360-degree tour to get a feel for how big it is.

The club also has Arsenal Home Learning player packs available to download on its Junior Gunners site .

Changing names 8 times since opening in 1987, Hard Rock Stadium is best known as the home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team and Miami Hurricanes NCAA team.

The stadium can hold up to 80,000 fans depending on its configuration, which is quite flexible as it has been host to multiple NFL Super Bowls, MLB World Series, BCS National Championship Games, and is now also the home to the Miami Open tennis tournament.

Take a walk through the stadium during the Miami Open via this virtual tour of Hard Rock Stadium .

Step inside this massive 70,000+ seat stadium, home of the most famous football (soccer) club in Brazil, Flamengo.

A centerpiece for both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, this gem in the heart of Rio de Janeiro is on the bucket list for many sports fans.

Go along on a virtual tour of Maracanã Stadium .

For over 20 years, Oracle Park (formerly Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park) has been home to the San Francisco Giants MLB team.

The 42,000-seat park sits right on the edge of San Francisco Bay, making for some gorgeous backdrops.

If you are interested in what it would be like to attend a baseball game at Oracle Park, check out this fun 360-degree virtual tour .

The Giants have also created Junior Giants at Home , featuring learning resources and training from the Giants’ manager and coaching staff!

Yankee Stadium is one of the most famous baseball stadiums around. If you haven’t been, you can now visit the “Virtual Venue,” which has views from all around the park.

Start your own virtual tour of Yankee Stadium .

The Yankees also have a Yankees Kids page with at-home activities, games, activities, and more!

10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites With Virtual Tours

The largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia measuring over 402 acres.

What started as a relatively small tourist destination with only 7,000 visitors in 1993, the site received 2.6 million foreign visitors in 2018.

You don’t need to fight the crowds to see the temples, but this Google Earth tour of Angkor Wat may inspire some wanderlust!

The oldest of the 7 Wonders of the World, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years.

The Great Pyramid was built as tombs for Pharaoh Khufu and his wife, and construction was estimated to take 20 years due to the 2.3 million blocks of limestone and granite, some weighing as much as 80 tonnes.

Walk alongside The Great Pyramid and its neighboring massive pyramids from home via Google Street View Treks .

Just outside of Cuzco, Peru, this 15th-century Incan citadel is located almost 8,000 feet up a mountain above the Sacred Valley.

The site was virtually unknown to the outside world until 1911 when an American historian brought it to international attention. It is believed that the Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest.

Experience Machu Picchu without the climb via this virtual tour .

Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994 to help preserve this historic residence.

Built in 1603, it was the residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period until Tokugawa Shogunate fell in 1867. For a period of time in the 1800s, it was used as an imperial palace before being donated to the city and opened up to the public as a historic site.

“Walk” these special grounds via this Google Earth Virtual Tour .

The Palace of Versailles started as a simple hunting lodge, but when expanded later, became the principal royal residence of France. Eventually, the entire royal court and the French government relocated to Versailles as well.

Many notable historical events have occurred on the property, including World War I ending in the palace with the Treaty of Versailles. The popular tourist destination received nearly 8 million visitors in 2017 — more than the Eiffel Tower.

Take your own virtual tour today via Google Arts & Culture .

An ancient city established as a capital for the Nabataean kingdom as early as the fourth century B.C., Petra is famous for its sandstone walls and stunning carved structures.

On your Google Street View Trek , travel through the Siq and discover nearly 20 sights from the Treasury to the Monastery while learning about Petra’s inhabitants.

Pompeii is an ancient city in Italy that was buried in 20 feet of volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius back in A.D. 79. Excavators found a snapshot of Roman life as they dug out the city that was frozen in time.

With 2.5 million visitors annually, Pompeii is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy.

Take your own walking tour of this unique, formerly thriving town via Google Earth .

Stonehenge is one of the world’s most puzzling prehistoric monuments. While certainly beautiful, the more you learn about this structure, the more intriguing it becomes.

Now, widely agreed that it was once a burial ground, historians still don’t know how 100 massive stones were placed upright in a circle back in 3000 B.C. to 2000 B.C. — before the invention of the wheel or other helpful tools.

Take a stroll around this curious masterpiece on your own virtual tour .

The Taj Mahal is an immense mausoleum of white marble built in 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in memory of his favorite wife.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a  UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”

Walk along the gardens in this stunning complex from home thanks to Google Earth .

The Basílica de la Sagrada Família, also known as the Sagrada Família, is a large Roman Catholic minor basilica in Barcelona.

Construction began in 1882 and has been slow, to say the least. When it was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936, it was only about 30% complete. As of 2015, it was estimated that the construction was only about 70% complete with a likely completion around 2032.

The inside, however, is complete and stunning. Take a Google Earth virtual tour or visit the official website’s virtual tour of 10 locations within the cathedral, including audio.

5 Zoos With Virtual Tours

Tune in to the Cincinnati Zoo’s Home Safaris , when zookeepers showcase specific animals.

The zoo also has a Home Safari Resources page featuring games, crafts, quizzes, and more!

Each Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. CST, the Houston Zoo hosts a Facebook Live event with the zookeepers and animals. Tune in to see what your favorite furred, flippered, and feathered friends are up to.

You can watch all videos, including past ones here .

The San Diego Zoo has put together a special page on its website just for kids . You can watch videos, read stories about animals, play games, and more.

One of the oldest zoos in the U.S., the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. is split into 2 campuses that are home to about 2,700 animals of 390 different species — about 20% of these animals are either endangered or threatened.

If you’re curious about what some of your favorite animals are up to, including cheetah cubs, check out these webcams . The zoo also offers a variety of educational at-home activities .

Are you a fan of pandas? Then you don’t want to miss Zoo Atlanta’s live Panda Cam . Check in on your favorite bamboo-chewing bear any time.

The zoo also offers at-home lessons that feature stories, crafts, virtual events, games, and a virtual petting zoo tour.

Even though travel has started to rebound, it’s always a good idea to do some research before your next trip.

As attractions start to open up again, you may have the opportunity to check out some of these virtual field trips in real life. So there is no better way to make the most of your trip than to build up some wanderlust and start planning which of these awesome locations you’re going to visit first!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the white house offer virtual tours.

Yes! You can “visit” the White House from the comfort of your own home for free. This famous presidential residence is normally open to the public as well, but why wait? Just click the link and start touring today!

What is a virtual field trip?

A virtual field trip is a guided virtual tour through some of the world’s most unique and interesting locations. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of everything from amusement parks to zoos, showcasing the best tours we could find on the internet. Enjoy!

What museums have free virtual tours?

Almost all of the top museums in the world offer some sort of free virtual tour. Sometimes that can be some nice photos, videos, or even a 360-degree photo tour. We’ve compiled some of the best virtual tour and field trip options for kids and students all in one place so that you can start exploring from home.

Do UNESCO World Heritage Sites have virtual tours?

Yes, many UNESCO World Heritage Sites have some version of a virtual tour. Many sites offer a Google Earth walking tour, while some others have more in-depth photography and videography. But you don’t need to go searching any longer: we’ve found the best options and put them all in an itinerary for you!

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About Chris Hassan

Chris holds a B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management and managed social media for all Marriott properties in South America, making him a perfect fit for UP and its social media channels. He has a passion for making content catered toward family travelers.

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Take a 360 virtual tour around Hyde Park’s Crystal Palace of 1851 - from your sofa

For the first time in 169 years, visitors can take a 360 tour around The Crystal Palace, the venue of the formidable 1851 Great Exhibition held in Hyde Park – but this time without leaving your home.

The Royal Parks, the charity which manages London’s eight Royal Parks has partnered with educational virtual reality company, Seymour & Lerhn , to create the first virtual tour of the historic building, on location in Hyde Park .

The Crystal Palace was a marvel of its time when it opened in Hyde Park on May 1st 1851. It was an enormous structure constructed from glass and cast iron, measuring around 563m by 138m, and 39m high. The giant building hosted the thousands of global exhibits of The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, the brainchild of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, to celebrate the industrial technology and design of the Victorian age, showcased to more than six million people.

And now, on 1 May, 169 years since the exhibition opened, visitors can step back in time and explore the building once again, using their phone, tablet or PC. A combination of CGI and 360° photography which overlays the historic building onto the present-day site, allows visitors to switch between then and now. Users can marvel at the huge scale of the site. People can discover intriguing stories as they navigate: you can find out about the first ever public toilets and the lady who walked from Cornwall to attend, becoming a celebrity in the process.

The building was regenerated digitally using The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851’s archive of plans and images, as well as The Royal Parks’ historical documents such as old maps.

The Royal Parks was the winning entry to a competition set by Seymour & Lerhn which invited organisations to put forward proposals for a virtual reality education resource and built the virtual reality tour of The Crystal Palace as the competition prize.

Ledy Leyssen, Head of Learning at The Royal Parks, said: 

“The Great Exhibition opened on 1st May 1851 in London’s Hyde Park to showcase the arts, science and technology of the day, yet nothing remains of the structure now. So, 169 years later we’ve harnessed today’s technology to bring the Royal Parks’ heritage to life, uncovering the park’s past for everyone to enjoy, especially those who aren’t able to visit in person.”

The Royal Parks will seek funding to further develop the project by populating The Crystal Palace with the artefacts of The Great Exhibition.

Charlie Power, Head Honcho, Seymour & Lerhn, said: 

“The Great Exhibition of 1851 'Crystal Palace' was a truly incredible feat of engineering, and we're delighted to see it brought to life on its 169 th anniversary! With the lockdown continuing, the virtual tour offers a unique way for people to ‘get out of the house’ and explore the history hidden within Hyde Park - all without actually having to leave their homes.”

Further reading

The Great Exhibition Augmented Reality Experience

Go back in time in Hyde Park to experience the Great Exhibition using augmented reality

The Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park

The Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park

Discover Hyde Park's heritage and lush landscapes in the heart of London. A green sanctuary perfect for relaxation and leisure.

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Virtually There – How to Create Effective 360° Virtual Tours

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With holiday and leisure plans on hold for the foreseeable future, it’s little wonder that Google saw a 100% spike in searches for virtual cultural experiences in the month of March with visitors looking to connect and engage with cultural sites from home.

But what makes a virtual tour stand out, and what can you do to get more engagement from digital audiences?

We’ve taken a look at some of the best digital tours in the market, from Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral to emerging favourites such as the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College (included in  Britain’s Best 360 Tours ). There are many lessons to be learned from these examples and in this article, we will set out some best–practice tips.

When we think of virtual tours, we normally think of a traditional 360° tour experience like the Buckingham Palace tour that was created in 2016. However, today’s more digitally sophisticated audiences desire more interaction and the  Painted Hall at Old Royal Naval College  is the perfect example.

The Painted Hall 360° Virtual Tour’s stunning ultra-high definition gigapan images are what stand out the most, delivering a high-quality look and feel – users can explore and zoom in on brushstrokes and tiny details of the magnificent ceiling. The virtual tour also includes 3D audio soundscapes, interactive hot spots, text transcripts and a British Sign Language version. Users can roam the Painted Hall freely or activate an automatic highlights tour.  Read more about the project here.

Here are some of our top tips for creating the perfect virtual tour  :

• What is the purpose of this project – we like to ask clients: “in 12 months after launch, what would deem this a successful project?”. (Visits / shares / engagement) – think about and measure the criteria by which you are designing the virtual tour for.
• Closely aligned to the first point – who is this for? Who are your audiences and what are they looking for in this type of experience? Do you need to create versions for types of audiences (adult, families, international), or have a variety of interpretive styles in the single design. Be careful not to be everything to everyone, this approach can dilute some great ideas.
• What platform should you use for your virtual tour? Native app, web app or website? We’d suggest you keep this question in mind as you work through this list. Two main questions (for Museums & Cultural sites) will be which is the most accessible for your visitors (it needs to be easy for your visitors to access and share), and which is most financially sustainable (not just in initial design & build, but hosting and support).
• Set the scene to the experience and don’t assume technical knowledge of the visitor – think about opening with a high-quality introduction video to tease the highlights and ease-of-use (use this video as promotional content too).
• Digital wayfinding (or user experience) is as important in the digital world as it is in the physical – make sure the interface and the tour is easy to follow and consider the use of graphics, maps, audio and text to guide your visitors through the experience.
• Content should be engaging, entertaining and ideally suitable for all age groups. Explore the use of copy, audio descriptions, video and background sounds to create a truly immersive experience.
• Give the visitor a purpose to be there, a short / bite size, high-quality virtual tour will give visitors a better user experience than a large “able to go anywhere/everywhere” with little or low-quality content that creates visitor fatigue and disorientation.
• Consider giving visitors a goal to complete in the virtual tour. This can be as simple as ‘find a particular item’ but that simple extra level of engagement will increase the time spent on the tour, which in turn, improves your SEO ranking.
• Use the tour to gain publicity. A unique digital tour with memorable and distinctive content will help it to stand out and catch the attention of leisure and family publications.
• Promote your virtual tour across social media channels and spread your posts out to highlight different aspects of the tour each day.
• Make sure that visitors can easily share and link to the virtual tour (ideally from within the tour experience) so it can be easily promoted across social media channels.
• Create a tour that is consistent with your brand. Apply brand guidelines at all times and avoid generic templates. Although this is a digital experience, you will want potential future visitors to conclude their tour with a positive perception of your institution.

Reflecting on their experience of creating a virtual tour, Claire Kirk of the Old Royal Naval College is delighted with their tour of the famous Painted Hall:

“We are thrilled that, for the first time, people can get up close to this magnificent Baroque interior from the comfort of their own homes and from all over the world. Zooming in our Painted Hall ceiling in ultra-high-resolution reveals details you can’t see from the ground – fire breathing serpents, glistening jewels and bubble blowing cherubs. With this new tool everyone can appreciate not only the mastery of Thornhill’s brushwork but also the incredible quality of the conservation works recently carried out. It’s like a scaffolding tour but with your feet firmly on the ground!”

If you would like to learn more about creating a virtual tour,  get in touch with us  to discuss your options on how best to present your offering to potential future audiences.

• New Technological Approaches To Hybrid And Remote Guided Tours May 21 2023
• How the Creative Use of Museum Audio Tours is Attracting New Audiences January 15 2024
• Terentia: creating digital infrastructure and ecosystems to manage museum collections, assets and create experiences September 14 2021
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to create digital archive for The North Face October 14 2021
• FIFA World Football Museum to create exhibition with cultural objects from 211 associations October 28 2021

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Family Travel

50+ virtual field trips and virtual tours for kids they can enjoy from home.

Tried and tested selection of the best virtual tours for kids and the best family virtual field trips for children: virtual tours in museums, world landmarks, virtual zoo visits, animal cams and more!

Virtual field trips are all the rage now.

As we find ourselves unable to travel, we seem to all find solace in remembering that our beautiful world is still out there and thankfully, technology is here to help.

In the last few days, my Facebook and Whatsapp feed has been filled with images, videos and news of virtual yours that would allow me to visit faraway places without leaving my house.

Through them, I have visited museums, seen panoramas from the top of towers I have never climbed and cough myself smiling at the antiques of penguins and koalas in aquariums and zoos around the world.

Most of these virtual tours are aimed at adults or at least, are more enjoyable for adults. However, I have also found many that my kids loved, and these are the ones I am sharing with you today 

I find them invaluable for this time at home but also as a trip planning tool . 

Table of Contents

How to use virtual field trips for kids

Virtual field trips are a wonderful form of entertainment and education for kids of all ages and they can also come in handy for planning a family trip.

You know when you plan a trip and you are just not sure if an attraction is suitable for kids (hello, Vatican Museums with kids , the most asked questions in my Italy family travel forum !)? 

Virtual tours can help : the tours are a wonderful way to get a sense of what a museum is like and can help you make an educated judgment about whether your specific child will be able to enjoy them or not. 

They can also help your child get excited about a place.

My daughter got excited about seeing Zion National Park months before we went thanks to a google earth tour and spent the time there squealing in delight for recognizing the places!

Also, you can use the tours as an aid to your homeschooling efforts, making places and concepts come to life and adding extra sensorial stimulation, a great way to make learning easier and the knowledge longer lasting. 

These are our favorite virtual tours for kids.

Kids Virtual Field Trips of US National Parks

Yosemite np, california, usa.

Yosemite is the first National Park we visited with the kids and while nothing can compare with the majestic presence of its mountains, the virtual tour offered by the park itself is so good and the scenery so stunning, it is definitely worth watching.

You can find it here: just click on this link  , select a location from the list (one at a time) and start your adventure!  

Keep the volume up to hear the gentle noise of the Yosemite Falls. 

Did it make you wish to plan a trip? Find our family guide to Yosemite here

Kenai Fjords, Alaska

We have never been to Alaska but all it took was a glance at the Kenai Fjords virtual tour to persuade me that this wonderful State needs to climb to the top of our travel list!

The virtual tour starts with a wonderful video to introduce the park and then follows a ranger who explains the most wonderful and interesting characteristics of the park and leads you on adventures.

Would you climb down a crevasse? With this tour, you can!

It is wonderful and the landscape is so beautiful and inspiring your kids will quickly forget they are home! It simply transports you there!

You can watch and dream here  

Hawaii Volcanoes, HI

I am sure my children are not the only ones intrigued by volcanoes and there is no better way to get acquainted with them than to go to the volcanos in Hawaii! 

The Hawaii Volcanos virtual tour is beautiful to watch but also full of information about volcanos that you can use not just to get excited about future travels but also on your earth science homeschooling lessons. 

Have a look here!

Carlsbad Caverns, NM

Adventurous kids will LOVE the virtual yous of the Carlsbad caverns.

Here you can not only see the caverns themselves, which are impressive (and scary, I am glad this is a virtual your only!) but you can also loo nat the world from a very special viewpoint: that of a bat!

To see what I mean, just click here!

Bryce Canyon virtual tour, UT

The virtual tour of Bryce Canyon got me emotional.

We were in Bryce last summer and it was such a wondrous, beautiful, inspiring place, I would have no hesitation hopping back on a 14-hour plane + car journey just to see t again!

The Bryce virtual tour for kids gives justice to the park incredible scenery and also allows you to go stargazing, something special in this place of dark sky!

You can take the tour here

Dry Tortugas, Fl

We haven’t been to Florida but if there is one thing that can persuade us to plan a trip, is this National Park!

It is very different from the others on this list as most of it is underwater!

You can follow rangers as they dive into the crystal clear Florida waters and learn and marvel at the corals underneath the surface.

This is a wonderful virtual field trip to kids who are fascinated by the sea especially. 

Click here to get started

Other US National Parks offering virtual tours for kids

The virtual field trips for kids above are actual virtual tours for children, created for them to explore the parks from home.

As such I have not found them for other parks however, google earth offers a good alternative. 

While not as educational or guided, you can visit 31 US national parks via google street view.

Click on this link and then on the yellow figurine on the bottom right corner to start your trip!

Some we loved were Arches, Zion, Yellowstone, and Joshua Tree !

Some of them we have visited so if you fancy planning a future trip, don’t forget to check out our guides

Virtual tours for kids: world famous buildings and landmarks

Landmarks and famous buildings are often one of the first things to catch the attention of kids about a new city.

Tall, distinctive, record-breaking, unique.

These are some that need no introduction and offer excellent virtual tours for kids or 360-degree panoramic photo[graphy to feel like you are there, without having to leave your house!

Tour Eiffel virtual tour, Paris

Take a virtual tour to the top of the Eiffel Tower and see Paris from above with this incredible interactive panoramic view finder. Before you do so, check out these facts about the Eiffel Tower for kids : they are fun and help understand even more about this special tower!

Burj Khalifa virtual tour, Dubai

There is something otherwordly about the view from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai : desert, water and man-made architecture make it one of the most unique and distinctive views in the world.

Plus, this way you can say you ‘climbed’ to the top of the tallest building in the world. Quite a field trip, no?

The Great Wall of China virtual tour

What child has not dreamed, at least one time, to walk along the Great Wall of China?

Click here to give them, remotely, a close-up experience of the wall

The Statue of Liberty, New York

A famous landmark and a National Park, the Statue of Liberty is always a hit with kids.

I find the best virtual tour for kids is this one , which allows you to snoop around the island at your own leisure.

You can also watch images, videos and learn incredible facts about the Statue on the National Park website here

Top of the Rock & Empire State Building, New York

More impressive views can be seen from the Top of the Rock, New York: just click here to access to the tour.

More intrigued by the Empire State? You can go there too, just click here

Travel tip! When we went to New York, we didn’t know whether to prioritize the Top of the Rock or the Empire State. You can use this tour to make up your mind for your next trip and see the one you prefer!

Nasa Virtual Tours, USA

have a child who loves space? Me too! No need for presentation or to drum up the excitement about the several virtual yours Nasa has on offer on their official website .

Casa Battlo’, Barcelona, Spain

Architecture can be interesting for kids as this outstanding virtual your of Casa Battlo in Barcelona prooves!

Click here to wander among the incredible shapes and colors if this Barcelona landmark: it’s a dream!

Virtual Tour of the White House, USA

Ever wondered what the Whilte House looks like inside? Or maybe dreaming of one day sitting there and make important decisions?

You can now get acquainted with its elegant interiors thanks to google arts and culture: click here to get access!

Museums virtual tours for kids

Ann frank house virtual tour, amsterdam.

I am going to be honest, this is the one tour on this list I haven’t taken myself, part because it requires downloading an app (free) and part because I find the topic too harrowing right now.

However, the tour is award-winning and I believe will be of interest to older children, so I decided to include a link to it here

Smithsonian Museums, Washington

The fabulous Smithsonians have several free virtual tours kids will love. Check out the Smithsonian Natural History Museum virtual tour , the Museum of African American History and Culture and also have a peek a their Air and Space museum here

British Museum, London

The Brutish Museum is incredible in real life and so is its virtual tour!

Thanks to this tour, you can travel not only in space withing the museum but also in time!

This is one of the best museum virtual yours for kids of all!

Click here to get started!

The Louvre, Paris

The Louvre in Paris offers quite a selection of virtual tours, some interesting for kids, such as the one of their Egyptian room!

Find them all here

Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, Rome

One of the questions I receive most often, about my home city of Rome , is: can we go to the Vatican Museum with kids or are they just too big and too boring?

You can find the full answer about the Vatican with children here but I also highly recommend you get your kids to take the virtual yours below and make up your own mind!

Check out St Peter’s basilica here , the Sistine chapel here and parts of the museums here

Trajan’s markets, Rome

I haven’t found a virtual tour of the main part of the Roman forum nor of the Colosseum, however, I have found one about a place that is at least as interesting: the underrates Trajan’s Markets in Rome!

The virtual tour is very well made and brings you right at the heart of this well-preserved part of the Imperial forum, right in the center of Rome. Access it here

Boston Childrem Museum virtual Tour

The Boston children musum also can be visited via google but it more a planning tool than an actual visit as the museum is meant for kids to touch and play!

Their website however has lovely educational resources, you can access it here (go to menu > resources)

Zoo virtual field trips and animal webcams from aquariums and wildlife parks

For little kids, you cannot beat a virtual field tri to the zoo or an acquarium!

San Diego Zoo Virtual Field Trip, CA, USA

World-famous San Diego Zoo gives you a wonderful animal fix from the comfort of your own home thanks to its animal live cams!

Panda cam, Baboon cam, Penguin cam, koala cam and more make this the perfect virtual field trip for animal-loving kids. Click here for the full list!

Monterey Bay aquarium, CA, USA

The Monterey Aquarium is one of your favorite kid-friendly places in California and we were delighted to discover we are not able to peek inside it from home!

You can access their live cam and get a fix of their delightful otters and more here

Atlanta Zoo, GA, USA

Kids who love pandas will adore the live panda cam from Atlanta Zoo!

Just make sure you take into account the time difference if you are far away: being a live cam, how much activity you see varies, especially if your day/night doesn’t coincide with that of the pandas!

Find it here

Houston Zoo, TX, USA

Houston Zoo also has amazing live cams for gorillas, giraffes, elephants and super busy ants! Find them all here

Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa: a virtual tour for kids to see elephants in the wild!

With the love cam from Tempe Park, your kids can see elephants in their own habitat! Make sure you have the volume on to immerse youself in the lovely sounds of this incredible place. Find the webcam here

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Australia

If your kids binged on Netflix’s cute Koala series, then they are likely to love having a peek at them via the webcams of Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary – you can find them here

I hope you enjoyed this selection of virtual field trips for kids and kid-friendly virtual tours.

This list is a work in progress and I will add kids’ virtual tours as we test them. Safe (virtual) travels!

Marta Correale

Marta Correale is the creator, writer and creative mind behind Learning Escapes. A travel loving mama of two from Italy, Marta currently lives in Ireland with her husband and two kids, they take frequent trips to European destination, the US and beyond. A professional travel blogger for over a decade, Marta is passionate about traveling with kids and helping others to travel more and better as a family.

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15 Amazing Palace and Castle Tours you can View Virtually

If you’re like me, you’re getting bored of your houses’ four walls. And you’re dreaming of adventures and new places to explore. But while we wait out this period of stay-at-home orders, there are still ways we can travel the world virtually ! Many times in my travels, I’ve long admired the beauty of grande palaces and fairytale castles. There is nothing I like better than walking the gilded halls of royal residences. All the while imagining what it must have been like to live in these fantastic places. Well, now you can imagine it for yourselves, but in the comfort of your own home. And best of all – without any tourists to scramble past or queues to wait in!

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace  was the primary summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, Vienna. The name  Schönbrunn  means “beautiful spring” as the palace was located beside a large freshwater reserve. The palace is perhaps best known for the 1,441 fantastical Baroque and Rococo interiors. The amazingly preserved nature of the palace has been deemed a UNESCO world heritage site . You can walk through the palace room by room through Google Arts and Culture virtual tour . To support the tour, you can go to the palace’s website to get more information on the history of each room. On the site, you can get details on the design of the interior and the incredible decorative arts which embellsih each of the incredible rooms.

If you would prefer a video tour, then you can watch the 4K video below. This video leads you throughout the exterior and interior of the palace. The beautiful classical music playing throughout provides an immersive experience. With the music surrounding you, one can better imagine what it would have been like to attend a lavish court ball in the palace.

Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles was the main royal residents for the kings and queens of France since 1682. The palace was built under Louis XIV, who originally owned a small hunting lodge on the grounds. Over the years, he transformed the small lodge into this incredible chateau! Google Arts and Culture have set up an amazing set of stories, tours, photo galleries, and more to help visitors digitally experience the history and wonder that is Versaille .

If you’re looking for something absolutely 21st century, then you need to check out “ VersaillesVR The Palace is Yours .” On this app, Versaille has been captured in VR. This allows anyone with a VR headset to explore the palace in 360° . Everywhere you move your head, the camera follows like you are really there. You can see the King and Queen’s State Apartments, climb onto the stage in the Royal Opera House, discover the Hall of Mirrors, and walk right up to tapestries, paintings, sculptures and furniture! You can even switch to night mode to explore the palace by the light of the chimney fires.

If you don’t own a VR headset, you can still explore the rooms in 360° using the website Poly . On this site, you can click on a variety of Versaille’s interior rooms and explore them in detail . There are even info icons that are clickable to see more information. From there you are able to learn all about the history of the rooms you’re exploring.

Buckingham Palace

Pretty much everyone has heard the name Buckingham Palace , but I’m guessing far fewer of you have been inside. Buckingham Palace, located in London, is the royal residence of the Kings and Queens of England. If you’ve been watching the Netflix series, ‘ The Crown ‘ you’ll be even more interested to learn and see the REAL interiors which the show tries its best to emulate.

The palace is home to 775 rooms, the most lavish of which are the State Rooms . These are used for official and state entertaining. They are only open to the public during August and September. The reason for this is that the royal family spends their summers in Balmoral and are not in royal residence. Since the public has such a small window to view the rooms they remain a rare sight to see. But not anymore!

The Royal Collection Trust has created an online gallery and tour of the palace’s State Rooms . Some of the rooms can be explored in 360° so you can look all around you like you were really there! Throughout the scenes, you can click on the information icons to get more details about the space.

Doge’s Palace

Found in the fairytale city of Venice is the incredible Doge’s Palace . A Doge was the Venetian chief magistrate and the closest thing the city would get to have their own King. The palace was built as his residences in the center of Venice, right on St. Mark’s Square . It was originally built in 1340 but modified many times throughout the centuries. In 1923 it was transformed into a museum with some of the cities most precious works of art. Today, you can view the interiors of the palace through a Google Arts and Culture virtual tour. With this guide you can explore and learn all about the history of the building as well as walk through their masterful gothic interiors.

If you’re looking for a more complete tour of the palace, then head over to Musement for one of their guided virtual tours . With this tour, you can explore the Doge’s Palace along with a complete audio narration. To go along with the audio track are beautiful pictures of the building, as well as satellite and views of the palace and its surroundings. Through the power of storytelling, you’ll really feel like you’re there.

Pena Palace

I’ve been lucky enough to visit many different palaces throughout my travels. But my favourite of them all has got to be Pena Palace! Located outside of Lisbon , in the town of Sintra , Pena Palace is the ultimate in romantic castles. The palace was built atop the foundations of an old monastery. King Ferdinand took ownership of the land in 1838 and set out to transform the ruins into a fantastical summer residence for his family.

The bright red, yellow and purple-grey colours of the facade immediately made it so unique. The multicoloured Portuguese tile, Azulejo , add another magical touch that makes the palace such a visual draw. Today you can view the palace from high above as if you were flying over it in a helicopter. AirPano gives us a bird’s eye view over the top of this amazing palace. From up high you can study parts of the structure that you’d never be able to see otherwise.

If you’re are looking for a more informative tour, you can check out my Ultimate Self Guided tour . I have so many pictures and a detailed account of my time there. While it was written as a guide for people visiting the site in person, with all the pictures and descriptions I think you’ll be able to imagine what it’s like to really be there.

The Château of Chambord

The Château de Chambord is one of the great palaces of France. Built in the 16th century for Francis I , the place is located in the center of the stunning Loire Valley . The palace blends French Renaissance architecture with traditional medieval structures. The most iconic part of the castle is surely the 800 sculpted columns and elaborately decorated roof. Francis, wanted these columns to resemble the skyline of Constantinople. The Google Arts and Culture exhibit studies the history of the castle. It features a multitude of archaeological discoveries, which delves into the wonders of its construction. Seeing the palace in both photographs and architectural layouts allows you to appreciate the technical skill which was involved in creating such a masterpiece. And hundreds of years ago, without modern technology to boot!

Once you’ve finished reading the article, you can head inside the castle and explore it virtually . My favourite part of this castle is all the intricately sculpted bits of stone decor. Near the grand staircase, you’ll find 200 finials and a patterned ceiling with a variety of characters, both mythological and religious, dotting the vaults. Looking down on you like little spies.

Bolsover Castle

Bolsover Castle , located in the small town of Bolsover in the English countryside, is known as the “ little castle. ” The name comes from the fact the main “castle” structure is surrounded by these large fortifications. The juxtaposition of the expansive courtyard and huge winged terrace makes the castle appear even smaller. The castle was built in the 17th century above the ruins of a 12th-century medieval castle. Today, it remains one of the best examples of Jacobean architecture. The palace was built as a retreat for banqueting and pleasure by William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle. While the castle might not strike you as anything special right away, its secrets are hidden inside. William was obsessed with creating puzzles to flatter and amuse his guests. The Google Arts and Culture exhibit aims to help you unravel the mysteries inside Bolsover’s Little Castle . 

Neuschwanstein Castle

To view the interiors of the palace , you can head over to their official website . From there you can follow along with their visual tour. It’s amazing to see the level of decoration and detail which went into the castle. So many aspects of the castle look more like a Byzantine church than a castle. My favourite room of the palace has got to be the ‘ Singers’ Hall .’ This was also the King’s favourite room in the entire palace. It occupies the whole of the fourth floor. The room’s design pays homage to the German legends of Lohengrin, the Swan Knight. Look closely for little swan icons hidden in the frescoes.

Bran Castle

Bran Castle , located on the Transylvanian side of Romania, is better known by the public as “ Dracula’s Castle” . While there is no evidence, Bram Stocker even visited the castle, and the castle itself bears no resemblance to the one in the book, the legend remains. Perhaps the main reason for the connection is due to its revelance to Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was the true to life inspiration for the character of Dracula. Vlad III or Vlad the Impaler was the ruler of Wallachia from 1448 to 1476. His legendary name comes from the fact that Vlad had the bodies of his enemies impaled on large spikes to ward off invading Ottomans and Hungarian. His rule was rutheless and he would punish his enermies as well as his citizens just a brutally.

While Vlad never owned Castle Bran , there are rumours that he was once imprisoned there after his capture by the Hungarians. Historical records show that he was imprisoned in Budapest. But since the castle is so foreboding and dramatic, it was colloquially referred to as his prison.

Today the castle is now a museum playing host to objects and furniture collected by Queen Marie , the last Queen of Romania. You are able to explore the exterior and interiors of the building through google street view. While the Romanian castle might not be as opulent and grand as others around Europe, I think seeing this kind of art and architecture is such an important and interesting contrast.

The castle’s official website also offers visitors video tours of the castle . I especially love the video filmed of the Castle during a winter snowfall. It looks both so picturesque and haunting at the same time in the chill of winter. There is also a complete castle gallery to get a better look into the furnishing and art inside the palace. 

The Taj Mahal also called the ‘ Crown of the Palace ‘ was commissioned in 1632 by emperor Shah Jahan . He had the palace made as a tomb for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal . And when he died, he was buried there as well, with his true love. It’s fascinating to know that one of the most beautiful structures in the world is actually a giant tomb. The ivory-white marble mausoleum sits on the southern bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. Today it is one of the 10 “ Man-Made Wonders of the World “. The Google Arts and Culture exhibit , ‘ Four Secret Spots at the Taj Mahal ,’ takes you a street view tour of the lesser-known corners of India’s most iconic structure. There are so many discoveries I made looking through this virtual guide and I loved learning about those otherwise unknown secrets.

Miramare Castle

Miramare Castle is one of the great Italian castles. Built in the 19th-century on the Gulf of Trieste , the castle was made for Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium , who would go on to become Empress Carlota of Mexico . The interiors of the castle have been captured in 360 , and you can walk the halls of the palace yourself! 

To view the exteriors of the castle, there are some great videos online which make you feel like you’re really there! The castle’s grounds were designed by the archduke himself. They include some incredible landscaping featuring tropical species of trees and plants. The videos just make you want to jump right into that blue water that surrounds the castle.

Chapultepec Castle

A perfect segway from Miramare Castle is over to Mexico to Chapultepec Castle . This was Charlotte of Belgium’s residence when she became Empress Carlota of Mexico. I was amazed upon visiting the castle that such a thing existed in the modern metropolis of downtown Mexico City. Chapultepec Castle’s name comes from the Nahuatl word” chapoltepēc”, which means “at the grasshopper’s hill.” The hillside was for hundreds of years a sacred place for the Aztecs. In the 18th century, before the palace was built, the hillside was home to a gunpowder warehouse and military academy. Then in 1864, it became the official residence of Emperor Maximilian I and his consort Empress Carlota.

Carlota went to great care and expensive to remodel the palace into a luxurious residence. It was used as an official residence of the President of Mexico from 1883 until 1939. After which it was turned into a museum. My blog all about my visit to the castle is a highly detailed summary of all the wonders you’ll find there. YouVisit also has a wonderful virtual tour you can take to view parts of the palace in 360 degrees!

Catherine Palace

The Catherine Palace is a Rococo palace in Tsarskoye Selo just outside St. Petersburg , Russia. This was the summer residence of the Russian tsars, built in 1710 by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine I. The original palace for Catherine was only 16 rooms large, a fraction of the size it is now. When Catherine the first died, the palace was inherited by her daughter Elizabeth I. Elizabeth took upon expanding the palace into the grand structure it is today. Although none of the original rooms from Catherine’s time remain, her daughter loved her so much she always wanted it to be named after her.

In this 45-minute video tour, you are lead through the palace by guide  Nadezhda Mironenko . You can see the details that architect Rastrelli took such great care in creating. He was a baroque visionary and took such great care in ensuring the palace was the gem of the baroque age. You’ll visit the Grand Hall, the Golden Suite and the  Amber Room  (the so-called eighth wonder of the world). The Amber Room is a chamber covered floor to ceiling in amber panels, backed with gold leaf and shimmering mirrors. The interior is absolutely overwhelming, and even though you can’t be there in person, you can still be in awe of the spectacle in front of you.

Matsumoto Castle

Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan’s best-preserved historic castles. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture. The castle also goes by the nickname “ Crow Castle ” because of its black exterior. Because the original wooden interiors and external stonework remain from the 16th century, it has been listed as a National Treasure of Japan. The Discovery Makes Knowledge youtube channel has a lovely video guide that leads you through the castle. Throughout the video, you get a great understanding of the history and meaning behind so many aspects of the palace.

After getting a primer with the video, head over to the Palace’s official website to get extremely detailed explanations about everything around the castle. You can use google street view to walk the castle’s ground and follow along with the website’s guide.

Lobkowicz Palace

The Lobkowicz Palace is one of the largest palaces inside Prague Castle. It was built in the 16th century by the Czech nobleman Jaroslav of Pernštejn . For many years, their doors remained closed to the public, used only by the palace’s residents. But in 2007, the building was transformed into a museum. Inside it features a great collection of artworks and decorative items from the Lobkowicz Collection . You’ll find paintings by Antonio Canaletto, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Lucas Cranach the Elder, and Diego Velázquez hung on the walls. You can also see musical instruments, original manuscripts and early prints of composers, including Beethoven and Mozart .

One of my favourite Czech youtube channels, The Honest Guide , produced this fantastic exclusive video during the height of lockdown in Prague. Lobkowicz Palace is a privately owned building and the channel was given private access to tour their collection. Since Prague was in lockdown there were no public visitors so they had the whole place to themselves.

Start the video about 12 minutes in to begin right as they enter the museum. What makes the tour so interesting is that the guide is actually a descendant of the family who owns the palace! His stories and selection of favourite pieces inside the museum really make it feel more intimate and personal experience. They had some technical difficulties with the sound but stick with it as the information you get is fantastic!

I hope you enjoyed this guide of my favourite palaces around the world you can still visit online! In one day you’ll be able to travel across the globe and see some of the most opulent and ornate state rooms and royal galleries! Let me know in the comment what your favourite palace was or where you would like to visit virtually!

Happy (virtual) Travels, Adventurers!

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Making Virtual Tours for Kids Interactive

Learn how to make virtual tours for kids more interactive and fun, plus a list of over 35 destinations for virtual tours and virtual field trips with links to get you started.

People often use virtual tours to help prepare for an upcoming vacation or field trip. 

But if you aren’t able to go somewhere in real life, virtual tours can also be used to plan a virtual vacation. 

Of course, just doing a virtual walk through a destination isn’t going to be too much fun for kids.  Can you imagine taking your child to Disney World, and only letting them look at the rides?

That’s why planning interactive virtual vacations and field trips needs to involve more than just the virtual tour.

By adding in videos of rides or animals, live camera feeds, educational webpages, and planning fun at-home activities, your kids will stay engaged and have fun.

Whether you’re a teacher trying to plan an interactive virtual field trip for students, or a parent looking for something fun to do with your kids while stuck at home, these ideas will help you turn a boring virtual tour into a day of fun.

Planning Your Interactive Virtual Tour

The first step in planning an interactive field trip or virtual tour for kids is to choose where to go.  Pick a destination you know your kids will enjoy, or let them help pick the place you will visit virtually.

Read How to Take a Virtual Vacation to learn how to find places with virtual tours, how to plan out your day, and how to organize the activities you plan to do along with the tour.

If you aren’t familiar with Google Street View, read this article to learn how to navigate.

Once you have your destination picked out and have started on your virtual vacation plan, it’s time to start coming up with activities to make this virtual field trip more interesting.

Start by getting to know what your destination has to offer by doing a virtual walkthrough of the destination. Then check out their website and other travel blogs about the destination too. 

Look at the activities they offer to come up with creative ways to do similar activities at home.

Virtual Field Trips for Kindergarten and Younger

While some of the activities listed below for each type of attraction will be fun for younger kids too, most are geared towards school-age kids.  Here are some ideas to make virtual field trips for preschool and kindergarten aged kids more interactive too.

Dramatic Play Centers

Set up dramatic play centers in your house that are based on your virtual vacation destination.

Planning a virtual vacation to another country?

Set up an airport area using some of these ideas from Pinterest . 

Want to make virtual aquarium tours more interactive?

Set up an aquarium dramatic play center like this one from Pocket of Preschool .

Whatever destination you are visiting, you should be able to find some related dramatic play area ideas on Pinterest or Google.

Another play-based activity idea is to use playsets, or make your own playsets, related to the destination.

If you’re planning a virtual zoo trip, use a set of zoo animals to make a zoo sensory table like this one from Pondering Parenthood.

Need ideas for an amusement park virtual tour?

Use Knex roller coasters or Lego amusement park sets. 

Don’t have anything at home that would work?

Search Pinterest for the attraction and “DIY”. Here is an example of what you can find for “ DIY amusement park ”

Scavenger Hunts

To help keep younger, and older, kids engaged during the virtual tour create your own scavenger hunt. 

Do a virtual walkthrough of the destination ahead of time. Look around and type out some of the objects you see. Print off your list and have your kids find the objects when you do the tour together.

Here is an example of a scavenger hunt for a Canada’s Wonderland virtual tour.

Arts and Crafts

Another great way to make a virtual tour for kids more interactive is to take breaks during the tour to do some crafts. 

Pinterest, of course, is also a great place to search for crafts related to your attraction or destination. 

Here are some ideas for crafts and other activities you can find for zoos or museums , or even for countries like Egypt or France .

Amusement and Theme Park Virtual Tours

Amusement parks, like Canada’s Wonderland or Disney parks, are the easiest virtual vacations to plan because there are lots of virtual ride videos for them.

To plan virtual tours for kids to an amusement park, start by looking at the park’s website to see all the rides they have.

Then search for them on YouTube with the term “POV.  You can also search for 360° rides if you want to be able to look around during the virtual ride (which is great for some Disney rides).

Don’t forget to check out some of the shows, parades, and other entertainment at the parks too. Look at their website for entertainment information, then search on YouTube to find videos for any you are interested in seeing.

Read this article on at-home activities for amusement parks , for ideas on how to set up your own carnival games and other off-screen activities for amusement park virtual tours.

Don’t forget to plan some food for your vacation day too. 

Planning your meals around foods that your virtual vacation destination serves is another way to make the trip more fun.  Check out the menus on the theme park’s website to see what you could make (or order in) at home that is similar.

Some theme parks have been releasing the recipes for their famous foods too. Like Disney with their Dole Whip and Canada’s Wonderland with their funnel cakes .  If you can’t find an official recipe for the treat you want to try, there are lots of copycat ones too.

Need an example of how to plan a virtual theme park or amusement park virtual vacation day?

See my Canada’s Wonderland Virtual Tour Guide for a step-by step plan, with links for all of the virtual rides and shows.

Virtual Field Trips: Zoos and Aquariums

Several zoos are offering virtual zoo tours for kids, and there are a few aquariums with virtual tours too.

The first place to look for ideas to make these virtual tours for kids more interactive, and a bit more educational, is the zoo or aquarium’s website.  Many of them will have online resources and other educational materials.

Many zoos and aquariums also have live cameras of some of the animals.  If they zoo you chose to tour doesn’t have videos of an animal you would like to see, you can find other live camera animal videos on earthcam.com

Some other things you may find on the zoo/aquarium’s website are:

• Information pages for the animals or habitats (sometimes with videos)
• Animal videos
• Educational videos
• Virtual courses
• Online games
• Videos or blog posts with instructions for activities you can do at home
• Printable coloring pages, activity books and worksheets

You can also check out the zoo/aquariums Facebook and other social media pages for more videos and resources.  Many of them have been posting special videos of the animals, like the Penguins at the Shedd Aquarium exploring the closed aquarium.

Of course, some zoos and aquariums have more to offer than just walking around and looking at animals.  Look through their websites to see what other attractions they have, then search for videos of them on YouTube.

You may be able to find videos of:

• Playgrounds
• Splash pads
• Behind the scenes tours
• Animal feedings
• Zookeeper talks
• Animal encounters
• Other special events

Want a step by step plan for a virtual aquarium tour?

Read this Monterey Bay Aquarium Virtual Tour Guide .

Art Galleries, Museums, Children’s Museums, and Science Centers

Just like with the aquariums and zoos, you will be able to find a lot of activities and online resources to make virtual museum tours more educational from their websites.

Here are some examples of what you can find

• Online exhibits
• Information and videos about the exhibits
• High-quality images and information about the objects in the exhibits
• Online events and webinars
• Articles for kids
• Activity and science experiment videos
• Teaching resources with activity ideas
• Coloring pages and other printable resources

Children’s museums and science centers offer a lot of hands-on activities and play areas.  Just because you aren’t visiting in real life, doesn’t mean you can’t set up your own at home. 

First take a virtual walk through each play area and read about what activities there are in that area on their website. Then come up with similar activities you can make with the toys and other materials you have at home.

You can easily set up blocks and Legos for any construction activities.  For museums with a mini city play area, set up your own restaurant or store.  For science areas look up easy science experiments for kids.

If you get stuck for ideas, just search on google or Pinterest for the theme of the exhibit and the terms “DIY activities”, “homemade toys”, “activities for kids”, “preschool activities”, or “educational activities”.

Doing a walk through a dinosaur exhibit?

Look at everything you can find for “ dinosaur activities for kids ” on Pinterest.

You can also find educational videos related to the topic of the exhibits on YouTube, like these educational videos on dinosaurs . 

For some exhibits you may be able to find online games (like this one on dinosaur facts ) that can help your child learn more interactively too.

Want to take a trip to a children’s museum without having to create your own plan

Check out this Boston Children’s Museum Virtual Tour Guide .

Around the World

While exploring museums, zoos and theme parks is fun, the nice part about virtual travel is that you can explore places you likely won’t be visiting in real life.

Pick a country you have always wanted to visit or let your kids pick a country they would like to learn more about.

There are lots of things you can do to explore a different country (or state or city) virtually, and lots of ways to make it more fun and interactive for kids.

• Walk the streets of their most famous cities on Google Street View.
• Find the countries famous landmarks in Google Maps and look at them in Google Street View.
• See if any of their museums or other attractions have Google Street View tours or other virtual tours.
• Look on 360cities.net and see if there are any 360° pictures or videos from the country you can look at.
• Find videos of special events the country hosts.
• Listen to music that is traditionally played in the country.
• Find YouTube videos of traditional dances and other cultural traditions. 
• Search for videos of people from the country talking about their culture, how they live, and their history.
• Find movies you can watch that are set in that country.
• Learn about their language and use Google Translate to learn how to say phrases you would need to know if you were traveling there.
• Do an activity that the country is known for, like having afternoon tea for England or eating Crepes for France.
• Find recipes for traditional foods from the country and make it as a family. Or look and see if there are any local restaurants near you that you could order it from.
• Look up animals that are native to that country and see if there are any live camera feeds on explore.org you can view them on. 
• Find crafts your kids can make related to that country, like making a Hawaiian lei for Hawaii.
• Make a paper flag for the country.
• Have your kids make postcards, either hand-drawn or with screenshot pictures on the computer.

Educational Virtual Tours for kids

There are many ways to make virtual field trips for kids more educational too.

Look through the educational resources in the educators’ section on the destinations website to see if they have any project ideas or worksheets you can print off.

You can make the virtual vacation more educational by doing a follow-up activity or using it for research for a project.  Have your child fill out a field trip research worksheet or write a journal entry about the destination.

For zoos or aquariums have your child do a zoo animal report or an animal webcam observational study .

Have your child pick their favorite piece of art, learn more about it, then recreate it at home, for an at-home activity for art galleries,

And for museums, older kids can take screenshots of their favorite exhibits and create a slideshow with them.  Then have them learn more about the exhibit from the museum’s website and add some information about the exhibit to their slides. 

Younger children could make a simple ad or brochure for the field trip destination.

For hands-on activities, have children build their favorite monuments from the destination with Lego or crafts supplies.

Destination Ideas for Interactive Virtual Field Trips and Tours

Theme park virtual tours.

• Disney World’s Magic Kingdom , Hollywood Studios , Epcot , and Animal Kingdom Park
• Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure
• Legoland Resort
• Sesame Place
• Canada’s Wonderland

Aquarium and Zoo Virtual Field Trips

• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• National Aquariums Baltimore
• Toronto Zoo
• Zoo Atlanta
• San Diego Zoo
• Kansas City Zoo
• St. Louis Zoo

Virtual Tours of Museums

• Boston Children’s Museum
• The Franklin Institute
• The Royal Tyrrell Museum
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
• Cincinnati Museum Center
• The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
• Guggenheim Museum

Educational Social Studies Virtual Field Trips

• Gogle Earth United States National Parks
• The White House
• The Liberty Bell
• Ellis Island
• Turn Back the Clock virtual exhibit from the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.
• Anne Frank House

Now that you have ideas for how to plan fun and interactive virtual tours for kids, plus a list of destinations with virtual tours to get you started, I hope your kids enjoy their virtual vacations as much as mine have.

Follow me on Facebook so you don’t miss any new posts with ideas for virtual field trips and virtual tours for kids or any new virtual travel guides I post. 

Do you know of a great destination that has virtual tours for kids? 

Let me know how your virtual vacations went, and any other fun destinations you know of, in the comment below.

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Welcome to our virtual hospital tour

We’re proud to bring specialized physical and mental health care to sites across Alberta — serving kids from backyards across Western Canada.

Please choose the site you’d like to visit by selecting the Hospital below, then navigate to a particular space using the markers on the map or the listing on the right.

Stollery Children's Hospital

Information coming soon!

George likes to explore outdoors, be silly and spend time with his family and dogs. After having …

The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation is a proud member of Children’s Miracle Network (CMN). This is a non-profit North American organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children in local communities by raising funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals, 13 of which are in Canada.

The Foundation’s relationship with Children’s Miracle Network includes 30+ national partners.

When you see the CMN balloon symbol in Edmonton and northern Alberta, you’re supporting these proud partners and Stollery programs to help kids in your own backyard.

Congratulations to the top 10 CMN partners for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation across northern Alberta, displayed on the plaque below.

The Stollery Diabetes Education Centre team, which consists of endocrinologists, registered nurses, social workers and registered dietitians, is involved with ongoing diabetes research and uses state-of-the-art technology in the field of endocrinology. They provide assessment, treatment, education and follow-up care for children with diabetes. They also offer help with insulin adjustments and changes to therapy, education for schools through the teacher’s workshop, education for alternate caregivers through the caregiver’s workshop and insulin pump therapy in co-operation with the Alberta Provincial Insulin Pump Program.

The Stollery Diabetes Education Centre is located in unit 1C4 and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Emergency support is available 24/7 over the phone for diabetes-related emergencies.

For the best viewing experience, use the Google Chrome web browser and click the full screen option in the bottom right corner of the window below.

For tips and tricks to navigate the virtual tour, click “Help” in the bottom right corner of the window below.

The Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation is proud to recognize the generosity of our donors for their gifts annually. To read more about your impact, click here .

The Stollery Kids Store is owned and operated by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, with all proceeds supporting the Stollery Children’s Hospital since 2001. The Stollery Kids Store is primarily a children’s store, offering young and old alike an opportunity to reawaken their inner child. From Stollery-branded items and toys to snacks and greeting cards, find something for all ages in all price ranges. Gifts can be purchased for room delivery and sent to the patient’s unit within the Hospital or shipped to your door through our online store! The Stollery Kids Store is located at 1H1.31 on the main floor of the Stollery Children’s Hospital.

Hours of operation:

Monday and Friday: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday: noon to 4 p.m. Sunday: closed

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In the summer of 2000, Sam Abouhassan and Kevin Lowe founded the Tee Up For Tots Golf Invitational. Since its inception until 2011, the annual event raised more than $7 million for Stollery kids, with a majority of the funds directed to the development of the Stollery Emergency, the only dedicated pediatric emergency in northern Alberta. This donor wall honours the generosity of those who supported the Hospital through the event over the years.

On June 16, 2014, 38 cyclists and 10 crew members gathered at Mile 0 on the Yellowhead Highway in the village of Masset in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. There began the Haida Gwaii Totem Tour, a 16-day, 1,760-kilometre journey to bring this beautiful work of art to Edmonton and to raise money to advance physical and mental health care access and programming for Indigenous families at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. The event raised more than $400,000.

The totem was designed and carved by the late Ben Davidson as a tribute to families whose children never returned home from the Stollery. At the bottom, a bison’s likeness honours Prairie First Nations people, while further up a mother bear and her cub signify a family bond.

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2024 Theatre Children's Show: Tortoise vs. Hare 2

Everyone knows that the slow-and-steady Tortoise beat the bragging Hare in the famous race - but when their great-grandkids Ro-Shell the tortoise and Jack Rabbit are talked into a rematch, anything could happen. The race will be on live TV, and their friends have a lot of ideas about how Ro-Shell and Jack can beat one another, but only good sportsmanship can win the day in this zany, lighthearted retelling of the classic fable.

Directed by Abby Koel '24

Event Types

Event audience, virtual tour.

Give our virtual tour a try. You can discover the beauty of campus right from your computer, phone, or tablet.

• Anishinaabe Summer Language Immersion