Who knew virtual tours would be a thing in 2020?
13 fabulous California destinations offer virtual tours and activities instead of in-person visits. Travel, explore, educate from home!
How To Travel/Explore/Educate From Home with California Virtual Tours
With all of California in a massive “timeout” as all our kids would say, time to find alternatives to cartoons, reality tv and especially the 24-hour streaming news. We hunted down fabulous California destinations we all know and love, offering something virtual instead of that valuable in-person visit. From museums to zoos and aquariums, facilities all across California stepped up in whatever manner they were able. A virtual tour of many California destinations as an option is available now but growing in popularity by the day!
You can also find many more resources all over the country with the #MuseumFromHome hashtag on almost any social media platform.
San Diego Virtual Tours and Activities
The San Diego Zoo & Safari Park
Were you planning a trip to San Diego for Spring Break? We know it’s not ideal, but gather up the family and check out what our San Diego Zoos have for you! Visit the Main San Diego Zoo Website or the Kids San Diego Zoo Website to get lots of ideas and information for virtual tours in San Diego.
San Diego Zoo – Access articles and pictures from the Zoo’s printed magazine “Zoonooz”. Read about all the latest happenings and learn about the animals in a fun and informative format.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park – 11 different animal live cams, 20 videos, and a free Kangaroo Virtual Dance Party app are sure to make this virtual tour a hit in every house regardless of age.
The San Diego Museum of Art
Another resource in San Diego is the San Diego Museum of Art. Their YouTube channel is full of virtual tours and gallery talks.
Download their app for additional content. Access both via the website in their “While We’re Closed” section.
KPBS Resources for At-Home Learning
New to at-home learning? KPBS launched an at-home learning response to school closures for all children and youth in San Diego and Imperial counties. KPBS will have programming on KPBS 2 but also on-demand programming for those without access to that station in their area.
In addition, there are resources for teachers to have had to rapidly adapt.
For a complete list of websites, apps and tv schedule, check out their article referenced here.
At-Home Learning: Where Children Matter
Learn at Home Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Los Angeles Virtual Tours and Activities
Art Via Los Angeles Museums
Love the arts? If so, chances are a Los Angeles art museum or two could make your bucket list. Whether you have kids at home or just always wanted to check out really great art, these institutions have you covered!
- The Getty – The Getty has over 1,000 digital lesson plans. See extensive art collection archives and access to digital versions of past programs. They offer far more than the typical virtual tours of other California destinations.
- The Institute of Contemporary Art – Los Angeles (ICA LA) – View photos and read about the ICA’s latest exhibitions. Check out Ree Morton with The Plant That Heals May Also Poison or Ann Greene Kelly (LA artist whose work features common everyday items).
- Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) – Virtual MOCA has an amazing array of choices. The new daily series designed specifically for social isolating has the following schedule:
Monday: Back To School Tuesday
Giving Tuesday
Wednesday: Past, Present, & Future
Thursday: Movie Night
Friday: Feel Good Friday
Science Via Los Angeles Museums
Now, we know kids love to discover new things or get their hands on projects, right? Whether they love natural history or science these museums provide some much needed activities! Their inspired California virtual tours are next level!
- Natural History Museums of LA County – Get three stops in one, since this web site links you to the Natural History Museum, La Brea Tar Pits, and the William S. Hart Museum. Participate in interactive projects like Snail Blitz 2020. Learn about the tiniest dinosaur ever discovered for example. Access crowd-sourced science activities designed for learning at home.
- California Science Center – Every weekday at 10am log on for a new “Stuck At Home Science” lesson. (Also available in Spanish!)
- The Hammer Museum – Dive into hundreds of YouTube videos from past events and exhibits in the archives. In addition, access live online mindfulness meditations weekly via Zoom. Even listen to previously recorded meditations at your convenience.
Music and Cars Via Los Angeles Museums
Okay, so art or science not your thing? Perhaps music or automotive history could entice you! Take a few of the best virtual tours from home. In fact, these might appeal to the pickier teenagers in your life too.
- The Grammy Museum – View never-before-released content from the Grammy Museum archives. The museum made these videos available to the public. Each day will spotlight a different pillar of the Museum’s Mission. Here is the schedule:
- Sundays & Tuesdays: Music education lessons and activities
- Monday, Wednesday, & Saturday: Opening our public program archives
- Thursday: Member engagement nights Friday: At-home exhibit exploration
- Petersen Automotive Museum – 60 minute live-stream tours of “The Vault” will be published beginning 3/25/2020. If you’re a fan of cars, you’ll love seeing all 250 in the Peterson Museum collection!
Monterey Virtual Tours and Activities
If you truly love sea creatures and the ocean, why not take a virtual tour? View live cams and read animal stories featuring the aquarium’s most intriguing residents. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is truly one the best California destinations in the state.
Sacramento Virtual Tours and Activities
California State Capitol Museum
With virtual tours of buildings, architecture and the grounds these tours feature write ups and pictures of each area. Check out monuments, historic artifacts and personages, even original works of art. Note that these are not “video” virtual tours.
San Francisco Virtual Tours and Activities
California Academy of Sciences
Have you ever wanted to explore San Francisco? This institution offers games, videos and projects right at your fingertips to keep K-12 young people engaged and learning.
Academy @Home offers a full range of DIY projects, apps, GIFs, and lesson plans. You can even check on their adorable penguin colony! Set your alarm and tune in for live feeding times at 10:30 am and 3:00 pm daily.
Above all, we all love webcams! Yes, we can check on a variety of critters at the California Academy of Sciences. In addition to the African penguins, there is an entire reef system to spy on anytime of day.
Don’t miss the webcam located at Farallon Islands off the San Francisco coastline.
If you’re struggling during this time of stay home restrictions, try our post How To Stay Home, Happy and Productive. We also featured a post on working from which may be also be helpful, How To Work From Home, Advice From An Introvert.
We’d love to update this list as more and more institutions and attractions provide resources. Please help us to spread the word about virtual options available in your area via the comments below.
Keep up the good work, thanks!
Wow this is a great list. Visited Cali like 8 or 9 years ago but I don’t think I have visited any of those attractions. Now is the time to see them virtually 🙂
They are amazing in person but at least there are options during the closures.
Thanks for sharing. Looks like my kid is going on a (virtual) field trip tomorrow.
Never had these kinds of options as a kid. Glad it was helpful!