From popular museums and zoos to U.S. national parks and world-renowned travel destinations, we’ve pulled some of our favorite activities from the web for you to enjoy right at home. Add some of these virtual attractions to your bucket list today!
Art Museums
The Art Institute of Chicago presents stories that offer creative escape and a moment of peace.
- Artist Bisa Butler offers a glimpse of her exhibition and discusses the inspiration behind her vibrant portrait quilts.
Hear the personal stories behind the art with this video series featuring museum staff chatting about their most-loved works, from a subtly surprising Victorian photo collage to an installation on the Art Institute’s stairs.
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Finding Meaning in a Medieval Reliquary with Cybele Tom.
Former objects conservator Cybele Tom reflects on the work she would most like to bring home from the museum—a treasured reliquary.
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Designing for Pig Parts with Zoë Ryan
Former chair and curator of Architecture and Design Zoë Ryan shares one of her most beloved objects in the collection—a book by designer Christien Meindertsma that encourages us to think critically about how and why objects come into being.
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Manipulating Reality through Victorian Photocollage with Liz Siegel
Curator of Photography Liz Siegel dives into an object full of subtle surprises—a photocollage by Lady Filmer that presents both a self-portrait and an imagined reality for the artist.
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Art You Can’t Hold in Your Hands with Jordan Carter
Jordan Carter, associate curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, talks about the first artwork he installed at the museum—a piece of conceptual art by Daniel Buren that exists outside of traditional exhibition spaces.
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Rembrandt and the Desire for Human Connection with Sam Ramos
Sam Ramos, associate director of innovation and creativity, tells viewers about an artwork he loves—a painting by Rembrandt—and explains why he might be afraid to have the artist create his portrait.
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Art That Expresses the Inner World with Costa Petridis
Costa Petridis, chair and curator of Arts of Africa, reflects on an artwork that makes the invisible visible—a drawing by Belgian artist Fernand Khnopff.
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Interactive Feature: Who’s behind Rembrandt’s Signature?
Delve into the story of Young Woman at an Open Half-Door, a captivating painting that raises questions of authorship and inspires art historical debate. Click here to view >>>
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Article: Eldzier Cortor through the Eyes of His Son
Michael Cortor, the son of remarkable American artist Eldzier Cortor, shares memories and insights about his father with curators Sarah Kelly Oehler and Mark Pascale. Click here to read >>>
Through The Art Institute of Chicago’s virtual tours and interactive web features, you can peek under the paint layers of El Greco’s The Assumption of the Virgin, see a West African headdress brought to life through dance, and even discover how an ancient Greek vase became known as the Chicago Painter's vase.
Take a virtual tour through time and space as you explore the British Museum’s wide-ranging collections, from Japanese porcelain to ancient Egyptian artifacts.
Get your fill of dinosaur fossils, minerals, Egyptian artifacts, and more with a virtual tour of this Smithsonian institution, including past and current exhibits.
Madrid’s Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, currently closed, is offering a virtual tour of its Rembrandt and Amsterdam Portraiture exhibition.
Navigate your way through the serene gardens and priceless exhibits of Taiwan’s National Palace Museum via this virtual tour.
Experience the Louvre Museum in Virtual Reality. Take a close look…a VERY close look at the Louvre Museum’s famous artwork in Paris with a magnifying glass while learning about each work’s historic and artistic background.
Music
Attend concerts of a world-renowned Dutch violinist and conductor—best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra—from the comfort of your home.
Listen to the best relaxing Classical Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
On May 7, 1824, Beethoven shared his 9th Symphony with the world even though he could never hear it. Listen to Beethoven’s most glorious and jubilant masterpiece with Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. An exhilarating testament to the human spirit, Beethoven’s Ninth bursts with brooding power and kinetic energy and culminates in the exultant hymn, “Ode to Joy.”
Watch and listen the historical performance of the infamous Three Tenors, conducted by James Levine at Wembley Stadium, London in July 1996
Reading
14 amazing travel Memoirs to read when you're stuck at home
Listen to full-length classic audiobooks. Riveting reads include The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, Treasure Island and many more.
Travel & Nature
Travels with Alice: A Travelogue to the Badlands
Join CJE Travelogue volunteer Alice as she adventures through the Badlands and Jewish culture in South Dakota!
Travels with Alice: A Travelogue from South Africa to South America
Join CJE Travelogue volunteer Alice as she journeys from South Africa to South America!
Travels with Alice: A Travelogue from Istanbul to Venice
Join CJE Travelogue volunteer Alice as she travels from Istanbul to Venice!
Travels with Alice: A Travelogue of the Danube River
Join CJE Travelogue Volunteer Alice as she travels the Danube River and explores Jewish history.
Travels with Alice: A Travelogue to Europe
Join CJE Travelogue volunteer Alice as she journeys through Europe! Highlights include Normandy beaches, Scotland, Wales, Belfast, Dublin and more!
Travels with Alice: A Travelogue to Israel
Take a tour with CJE's travelogue volunteer Alice through Israel's rich geography and history.
Travels with Alice: A Travelogue to Jerusalem
Take a tour with CJE's travelogue volunteer Alice through Jerusalem's rich geography and history.
Travels with Alice—A Travelogue to India
CJE's travelogue volunteer Alice takes you through her trip to India! /p>
Travels with Alice—A Travelogue to the Amalfi Coast
CJE's travelogue volunteer Alice takes you through her trip to the Amalfi Coast! The 50-kilometer stretch of coastline along the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, in the Campania region, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its undisputed beauty and uniqueness of its natural landscape. Explore the popular Mediterranean destination's sheer cliffs and rugged shoreline dotted with small beaches and pastel-colored fishing villages.
Travels with Alice—A Travelogue To Hawaii's Island of Kauai
CJE's travelogue volunteer Alice takes you on an adventure to Hawaii's beautiful island of Kauai!
Travels With Casey—Iceland
Tour Iceland's waterfalls and Westfjords with CJE's Community Engagement Program Coordinator, Casey Shipman!
Travels With Alice—A Travelogue of Antarctica and South Africa
CJE's travelogue volunteer Alice takes you on a journey through Antarctica and South Africa!
Travels With Alice—A Travelogue Of Jewish Morocco
CJE's travelogue volunteer Alice takes you on a Jewish-themed tour of Morocco!
Travels with Alice—A Travelogue to Australia
Explore Australian architecture, wildlife, and landscapes with CJE's travelogue volunteer, Alice, as she takes you through her travels to Australia!
Nature Moments—Vaeroy, Norway
Enjoy a moment of peaceful nature on the Norwegian island of Vaeroy, a small island in the Lofoten archipelago.
Bring your travels into your kitchen with these 15 International recipes.
Hop aboard the YouTube Express for these leisurely train trips that pass through some of the prettiest terrain in the world.
- Golden Pass Route (Switzerland)
- Bernina Pass (Switzerland and Italy)
- Gloucestershire (United Kingdom)
- Oslo to Bergen (Norway)
- Toyosu to Shimbashi (Tokyo)
- Port of Bar to Bijelo Polje (Montenegro)
- Royal Gorge Route (Colorado)
What’s happening at the Roman Colosseum or at the Zocalo in Mexico City? Spoiler alert: Right now, not much. But there’s something soothing about being able to look out over famous landmarks and beautiful beaches, even if they’re eerily deserted at the moment. Check out the full lineup of destinations at Skyline Webcams.
See spectacular aerial views of beaches, mountains, parks, and rocky coast in Spain’s Canary Islands chain.
Enjoy our selection of the most beautiful places around the world in 360 VR and 4K quality. Use the mouse cursor to grab the screen and move it around! Travel around the world without leaving your chair!
Visit 30 U.S. National Parks through guided virtual tours. Tour Yellowstone National Park and learn about its history as the first national park in the U.S. and world.
Explore bucket list attractions around the world like Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal without leaving home!
Animal World
Be mesmerized by tropical fish, sharks, jellyfish, penguins, and birds on the live cams of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California.
Take a Virtual Tour of the Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough as your guide. As a Virtual adventurer, you will be privy to a plethora of information while seeing stunning views of the 1,500 species of fish and hundreds of species of coral from the comfort of your (dry) couch. Watch more documentaries narrated by David Attenborough
Go on an animal-guided tour of Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium! Their own adorable penguins and other wildlife continue to entertain us as they explore the empty facility. Keep up with their daily wanderings via videos on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The Cincinnati Zoo is giving virtual animal tours daily through their Facebook page (live every day at 2pm CST). The first one featured a hippo named Fiona!