Take the edge off by checking out the treasure trove of virtual tours on the internet. Museums, national parks, zoos, ancient wonders — all these and more are available at the click of your mouse. Here are 10 virtual tours worth checking out.
1. Hidden World of National Parks
Actual park rangers give you glimpses into areas of U.S. national parks most people never visit. You’ll see lava flowing from Hawaiian volcanoes, get up close to a 100-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Florida, and more.
2. The Louvre
The world’s most visited museum offers online tours of three popular exhibits: Egyptian antiquities, Remains of the Louvre’s Moat, and Galerie d’Apollon, a hall famous for its vaulted ceilings and exquisite paintings.
3. National Aquarium
Relax while watching jellyfish, coral reef inhabitants, and other sea creatures navigate their watery environments. The Baltimore-based aquarium’s floor-by-floor tours also include the popular Shark Alley.
4. The San Diego Zoo
It’ll feel like a day at the zoo when you tune into the San Diego Zoo’s 11 live cams. They track elephants, pandas, tigers, and more in real time.
5. The Vatican Museum
You have access to seven virtual tours that capture the murals, tapestries, and architecture in the sacred site. (The tour even includes the not-to-miss Sistine Chapel is in the bunch.)
6. Ellis Island
Explore the former immigration inspection station in New York Harbor that welcomed millions of new Americans. The interactive tour includes videos, oral histories, and pictures to bring its fascinating history to life.
7. The Great Wall of China
Experience one of the wonders of the world in a trio of high-quality virtual tours. You can choose from the popular Jinshanling to Simatai section, a watchtower, and the wall during winter.
8. Access Mars
Yes, you really can virtually visit the Red Planet. NASA teamed up with Google to give you a realistic look at what it’d be like to walk alongside the Curiosity rover.
9. Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
Aerial views of these ancient marvels are just a click away. The tour includes several images of the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Keops, the largest and oldest of the pyramids in the complex. (The AirPano site that hosts the tour is also home to tons of other virtual tours of locations all over the world.)
10. The British Museum
Explore more than two million years of human history and culture in a virtual tour that lets you view some of the museum’s most famous artifacts. Top picks include the Rosetta Stone, the Egyptian mummies, and the Parthenon sculptures.