virtual field trips 5th grade

6 Free Resources for Virtual Field Trips

Teachers can use panoramic photos and videos of locations all around the world to make lessons more engaging.

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How can you take students around the world without moving very far? If you haven’t yet, it’s worth trying virtual field trips and excursions. Now more than ever, these resources allow students to experience spaces they might not otherwise get to see, and there are many ways to introduce them to students as they explore a topic.

Virtual field trips can help students explore a new space, build vocabulary and background knowledge, and expand their world view. Whether you want to explore the setting of a novel, introduce a place-based math problem, or make connections to current events, virtual field trips can expand upon traditional lessons in many ways. One of the reasons I love them so much is that they allow students to view a space that piques their curiosity and provides context for their learning.

The term virtual field trip can be used to describe not just 360 degree photos and videos but also the live interactions and video conferences you might set up with a subject matter expert like an author or museum docent. Flipgrid (one of my favorite tools) hosts a handful of these types of virtual field trips .

6 Ways to Set Up Virtual Field Trips

The list of free virtual field trip resources here is adapted from my ISTE Live presentation in December 2020. Students can access these resources without logging into a new website—teachers can post the link to a 360 degree panoramic image or interactive experience in a platform students already use, making it easy for them to access in both traditional classroom settings and at home.

1. AirPano : This site includes 360 degree videos and images from around the world. You aren’t required to create an account—you can just jump in and start searching. When you’re ready to share with students, there is a link you can copy and paste or an embed option if you’re adding a widget to a site of resources. If you’re looking for international locations, AirPano is a great choice for exploring outdoor spaces, including Machu Picchu in the daytime, or the northern lights at night.

2. Google Maps Treks : In combination with Google Maps and Earth, Treks organizes content in an easy-to-navigate way. There are Treks for places around the globe, including the U.S. and Canada, Egypt, Nepal, and India. Each one has information and videos for students to explore.

3. National Geographic : National Geographic’s YouTube channel transports students all over the world to learn about different cultures, foods, animals, and more. Have students press play on the video, and as the video begins, they can use their cursor or trackpad to spin the video in different directions. They can tap on one part of the screen to move the video back and forth as they learn about a new place.

4. Nearpod : Known as an interactive presentation tool, Nearpod has virtual reality content built into its platform in the form of 360 degree panoramic views, which can be used as a great pre-reading strategy to introduce a new book or spark discussion about a social studies or science topic. To use these interactive experiences with your students, insert them into any Nearpod lesson in the same way you would add a slide or poll. (Please note: Nearpod also offers a paid plan with additional amenities.)

5. 360Cities : This collection of stock 360 degree images has lots of user-uploaded resources. There is a special school version that allows you to introduce students to more dynamic learning experiences; it has features such as a guided tour creator.

6. Google Arts and Culture :  This tool has a variety of high-quality content, including interactive views that let students walk through notable spaces such as museums and explore examples of beautiful architecture like the Alhambra in Spain. You can let students know that this resource is mobile-responsive in addition to working on a web browser—they can access the content on a smartphone or tablet, or their Chromebook or laptop.

Engaging Students With Guided Questions

Set a purpose for students as they explore these resources by using prompts to guide their excursions. Potential prompts include:

• What do you think the weather is like in this place?
• How do you think someone captured this moment?
• What might be missing from this shot?

I’ve put together more prompts here .

If building student vocabulary is a primary goal of introducing virtual field trips to your students, you can point out different objects in the panoramic views or ask students to find certain features. For example, imagine students are learning about geological features and you take them on a virtual field trip to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Together you can discuss vocabulary like crater , steam vent , and igneous rocks .

When sharing with students, include a prompt or question and post the link and task into a space they already have access to, such as Google Classroom, Seesaw, or Schoology. If you’re sharing a list of resources for students, colleagues, or families that includes some of these virtual excursions, you might curate a list of favorites using a tool like Google Sites, Spark Page, or Microsoft Sway.

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The 19 Best Free Virtual Field Trips of 2024

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When you can't get away, your kids still can by taking a virtual field trip to a museum, farm, zoo, or another fun location. We compiled our list of favorites to help you keep your kids engaged and entertained. Some of these are virtual tours (you can actively decide where to go on the tour) and others are video walkthroughs (just watch and learn), but all give you a great experience of the location.

Best Art-Centric Virtual Tour: The Met

A glimpse at some of the greatest works of art created.

Online exhibits on various topics.

There's only one view of the museum currently available.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is home to over 5,000 years of art from around the world. You can see some of it from the comfort of your home. Take a virtual stroll through part of the museum using Google Street View. There are also numerous online exhibits on topics like Coco Chanel, Vermeer, Catholic allegory in art, and more.

Best Tour of Space: NASA

The volume of space videos.

The approachable aspect of the videos.

So much more to see on the site.

It's not easily searchable unless you know what you're looking for.

This might be cheating a bit because it's really a collection of videos, but, oh boy, what a collection to tour! The Galleries open up an array of videos covering space topics from testing a parachute for Mars to moving water in space. Each video is a mini virtual tour that will awe kids and encourage interest in science and space.

Best Tour of the White House: Google Arts & Culture's The White House

Stunning 360-degree images.

See inside and outside the White House.

Offers views of 140 paintings.

Once inside a tour, it's hard to know what you're looking at.

No search functions.

Every President since John Adams has occupied the White House and now your children can visit it, too. Google Arts & Culture offers four museum views (three tours of The White House and one of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building) plus a look at more than 140 paintings that grace (or have graced) the walls of the country's most famous abode. The 360-degree images let kids explore to their heart's desire.

Best Cave Virtual Tour: Son Doong Cave

Son Doong is beautiful.

The virtual tour includes lots of information.

Zoom into areas for a more detailed look.

No supplemental online activities.

Son Doong is the world's largest natural cave. Located in Vietnam, it features a subterranean river and the largest cross-section of any cave worldwide. National Geographic's virtual tour lets you explore the cave with full 360-degree views and immersive sounds. You can even zoom in one area to check out the campers in their tents. Son Doong is beautiful and worth a virtual visit.

Best National Park Virtual Tour: Yellowstone

Offers multiple tours.

Lots of historical information.

Amazing images.

No video tours.

Lots of written information that can turn off some kids.

Yellowstone offers seven virtual tours appropriate for older elementary and middle school ages. There's a lot of written information along with the images, and the tours aren't in video. However, the information is fascinating, and the photos are stunning.

From learning about old Fort Yellowstone to discovering park anomalies like Mud Volcano, these tours are a great way for kids to discover unique facts about America.

Best Natural History Tour: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

So many exhibits to see!

Easy, clickable maps.

Quick and easy to navigate.

It's not always easy to read the signs in the exhibits.

This iconic museum is dedicated to understanding the natural world and humanity's place in it. There's so much to see it can't possibly be listed here. However, the museum offers an online tour of most of its exhibits. Split this tour up into multiple lessons, so kids don't get overwhelmed.

Skip the ground floor and go straight to the first or second floors.

Best Aquarium Virtual Tour: National Aquarium

Easy to find exhibits.

Fun to explore using the 360-degree options.

Some scenes spin quickly, which can frustrate young learners.

Baltimore's National Aquarium features more than 20,000 aquatic animals. Kids can click and drag images to navigate their way around and use arrows, the map, or a scene list to explore various exhibits. Explore eight areas, such as the Amazon River, a tropical rain forest, and jellyfish.

Best Tours of the World: AirPano

Bright, well-produced videos and images.

Offers tours of numerous countries.

Includes video and still frame-images.

What's not to like?

AirPano has a variety of tours in China, Portugal, Switzerland, and more countries. Children can visit the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in China, an underwater cave in Indonesia, ski resorts in France, and more destinations around the globe.

What makes this site so good is that it offers narrations of several tours, provides closeups through interactive actions, and includes short chunks of written information that's easy for kids of most ages to read. The tours are also fairly short, which makes these tours great for younger kids, but older kids will still enjoy the trip.

Best Virtual Tour for Car Lovers: Lane Motor Museum

Totally unique tour.

An inside look that allows for deep diving into collections.

There's no way to tell what a specific vehicle is unless you know cars.

Scroll to the bottom of the link to watch a fun virtual tour of one of the most unique car museums in the world. Lane Motor Museum is home to an oddball collection of vehicles dating from the 1920s up to modern times.

Your child will love seeing amphibious vehicles, microcars, prototypes, and more. The tour is easy to click through and offers six angles to entertain viewers.

Best Tours of Nature: Nature Works Everywhere

Tours are narrated and easy to follow.

Provides student handouts, vocabulary, and discussion questions.

We wish there was a larger library of tours!

Explore nature around the world with Nature Works Everywhere's virtual tours. Visit the coral reefs of Palau, the deserts and grasslands of Africa, a rainforest (from a canoe's viewpoint), a renewable energy plant, and more.

The tours are narrated and give great, quick facts to help kids learn in simple, straightforward ways. All tours are appropriate for grades 3 through 12 but are marked with notes about the grades most likely to enjoy the tour.

Best Historical Tour: Ellis Island

A clear explanation of Ellis Island, how it worked, and why it was needed.

Includes children asking questions of tour guides.

The images in much of the tour are small in order to focus on the tour guides.

Ellis Island is a key piece of American history. This virtual tour offers lots of anecdotes and features actual guides from Ellis Island telling stories. Plus, it includes lots of pictures and views of the island.

It's more appropriate for fourth grade and up, mainly due to the litany of facts and complexity of the information provided.

Best Slime-Based Virtual Tour: Slime in Space

Nickelodeon

It's playful and educational.

Good production values.

Fun experiments.

It's a video, not an interactive virtual tour.

What happens to Nickelodeon's iconic slime when it's in space? That's the concept behind the Slime in Space virtual field trip. Featuring real astronauts and Nickelodeon celebrities, the 15-minute video shows kids how slime and water react in a microgravity environment 250 miles above the Earth. Along the way, it answers burning questions like, "Is slime a solid or a liquid?" and "Can you slime a person in space?" (The answer is: yes, very slowly.)

Best Virtual Zoo Tour: San Diego Zoo

Live cams of the animals.

A variety of educational videos.

Fun games and activities.

Fixed camera angles mean you're not always guaranteed to see the animals.

The San Diego Zoo is home to more than 3,500 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies. It's widely considered one of the best zoos in the world. But, if you can't make it to California, it has a robust virtual experience online.

You can peek in on the animals through live cams. There's also a variety of videos that teach kids about vultures or show them how to draw a tiger, for example. There are also zoo-related games and activities kids can do at home.

Best General Farm Tour: FarmFood 360

360-degree views of the farm.

Offers a free app for Android and iOS.

It can be hard to see things on a mobile device.

FarmFood 360 gives an inside look at the activities of a Canadian farm. Kids see 360-degree views of the farm as they learn about milk and cheese production, sheep farming, egg processing, and more.

There's an app available for Android and iOS devices, and it's compatible with some virtual reality headsets.

Best Virtual Planetarium: Stellarium

Realistic night sky simulation.

Mobile apps are available.

Includes a telescope control module for experienced astronomers.

Can be difficult to navigate.

The mobile apps aren't free, but the money supports the project.

Stellarium Web is an online planetarium created by two brothers. Offering an accurate and realistic view of the night sky, it lets you pan around and spot stars, satellites, and other celestial bodies.

It offers mobile apps for Android and iOS that aren't free. The money goes toward paying server and development costs for the two-person project.

Best Living-History Virtual Tour: Colonial Williamsburg

Next best thing to being there.

The virtual scavenger hunt.

The virtual tours are highly interactive.

Virtual tour models can load slowly.

Condensation or inclement weather can obstruct the webcam views.

Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum in Virginia that offers a glimpse at what life was like in the 18th century. Its virtual tour is highly interactive and includes videos, informational signs, and 3D models you can rotate.

With its various webcams, you can see the armory, courthouse, merchants square, and more. Colonial Williamsburg's website also offers a virtual scavenger hunt your kids can participate in as they tour the area.

Best European Museum Virtual Tour: The Louvre

It's the Louvre.

The website offers a list of online family-friendly activities.

The virtual tours include a map and an information button.

The website offers limited language options.

Sure, we'd love to jet off to France and tour its fabulous museums personally. But if that's not an option, the Louvre has several virtual tours available on its website. The offerings include exhibitions on the body in movement, founding myths, Egyptian antiquities, and more.

The Louvre also has a handy list of family-friendly online resources everyone can enjoy, including a Mona Lisa VR experience.

Best Factory Virtual Tour: M&M Factory Tour

Zoonar RF / Getty Images

Who doesn't love chocolate?

360-degree views of the factory.

It's short.

The Food Network teamed up with candy maker Mars to give M&M fans a virtual tour of one of its factories. During the short YouTube video, viewers can pan around as a tour guide explains how unrefined chocolate is turned into the little candies we know and love.

Best General Virtual Tour Resource: Discovery Education

An eclectic variety of virtual field trips.

Watch live or on demand.

Trips come with a companion guide packed with activities.

A schedule of when field trips go live would be nice.

Discovery Education offers a variety of virtual field trips for kids learning from home. The offerings change often but currently include an NFL experience, a doodling experience meant to encourage creativity, and a virtual field trip through the internet of things. You can watch the field trips live or catch the videos later on-demand.

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70 Best Virtual Field Trips for Kids

In the Classroom

Here you will find a list of the best virtual field trips for kids, ranging from preschool and kindergarten to elementary aged children.

These virtual field trips for kids will leave your kiddos learning about animals, history, community helpers, space, national parks, sports arenas, and farms all over the world!

The interactive tour with live webcams are a great way to give the kids a closer look at outer space, an animals natural habitat, and our natural world.

Whether for homeschool, preK, kindergarten, first grade, or second grade, you can quickly find great virtual field trips below with the easy-to-find categories. 

If you’re looking for a middle school and high school appropriate virtual reality field trip, there will be a few to choose from.

Otherwise, these are geared towards the younger children.

Can’t find what you are looking for? Leave a comment at the end of the post, and I will gladly search for a fun virtual field trip for kids.

The Best Virtual Field Trips to a Farm

During the Fall, most elementary grades take a field trip to a farm.

The most popular guided tour school groups are animal farms, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches.

Below are virtual field trip experiences your kids will love!

• Dairy Farm : Complete with a downloadable companion activity to get your kids prepared for the virtual field trip of a dairy farm.
• Animal Farm
• Condee Horse Farm:  Meet Shorty in this 8 minute virtual tour of a horse farm.
• Dutch Hollow Farm : 50 minute tour of a dairy farm
• Tailview Farm : A 47 minute tour of the Tailview Farm recorded in 2020
• Bonnie Plants : Home Depot takes kids on a multi-part virtual field trips to see gardens and plants
• Egg Farm Field Trip

Virtual Field Trips Aquarium

• Seattle Aquarium
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Cam
• Mystic Aquarium
• National Aquarium

Zoo and Animals Free Virtual Field Trips

Kids absolutely love getting up close and personal with animals at the zoo.

One of the most visited zoo’s in the United Stated is the Houston Zoo . While you may not be able to go there on a field trip, they still offer a virtual tour.

• San Diego Zoo : Live animal cameras and instructional activities
• Butterfly Garden : Learn all about butterflies with this 9 minute video of the most beautiful butterfly habitats in the world.
• Animal Shelter : This 8 minute video shows the Kidvision kids learning about the animal shelter and how to adopt a pet
• Emerald Hills Animal Hospital
• Dinosaur Exhibit
• Conservation Biology Institute and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Community Helpers Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Most elementary social studies curriculum integrates community helpers!

These virtual tours will support your lessons by offering an interactive experience.

• Ft. Lauderdale Children’s Theater
• Airport : Sit in a cockpit, learn how to fuel a helicopter, and visit an airplane museum
• Construction Site
• Bank : Visit the SunTrust Bank with the KidVision kids
• Television Station : An 8 minute video touring a TV studio with Penny. Learn about green screens, sound and audio boards, and much more.
• Recycling Center : Here’s an 8 minute video touring a recycling center
• Library : Learn about putting books in alphabetical order, how to check out your favorite books, and all the other fun parts of a library.
• Post Office : Learn how to mail a letter
• Fire Station
• Whole Foods Grocery Store
• Police Station
• Boston Children’s Museum

Virtual Field Trips to Food and Candy Shops

• Ice Cream Parlor : Visit Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor and learn how to order from a menu, choose your favorite toppings, and more sweet fun!
• Chocolate Factory : Take this fun tour with the KidVision kids and Ms. Penny to see how chocolate is made – from the bean to the candy
• How M&Ms are made
• Bakery:  A 7 minute video that will take you to a bakeshop and show how cupcakes are made

Virtual Field Trip to Space

The live videos of space exploration are excellent educational activities.

• Visit the Moon : This 23 minute video will take you on a NASA virtual field trip to the moon.
• Kennedy Space Center
• Virtual Tour of Mars (Access Mars)
• Slime in Space
• Google Earth interactive map to get the google street view of any location in the world, such as the Great Lakes, the Liberty Bell, Mexico City, New York City, or the beautiful Yosemite National Park.
• International Space Station

Virtual Field Trips for Learning History

• Pilgrim Life:  Learn about games and chores of pilgrim children in the 1620s
• George Washington’s Mount Vernon
• White House : Take a virtual tour of the white house
• Statue of Liberty
• Railroad Museum : Learn about railroad safety in this 5 minute video by Kid Vision
• Smithsonian National Museum of History :  Click to see different areas of the museum as you and the kids walk through this virtual tour.
• Great Wall of China : Although the history behind this extraordinary exhibit is beyond early childhood curriculum, the kids will love the 360-degree view. This virtual tour of the great wall of china would be great when teaching different cultures.
• Mount Rushmore
• Plimoth Plantation: Perfect for your Thanksgiving activities and lessons for kids
• Empire State Building Live Cam
• Ellis Island

Amazing National Parks Virtual Tours

• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Canyon
• Amazon Rainforest
• African Safari in Etosha

Sports Virtual Field Trips

• Baseball Stadium : This 6 minute video will take you on a virtual field trip to a Baseball Stadium. Meet the team mascot, throw a pitch, and much more.
• Bowling Alley:  Join the kids as they go to a bowling alley, learn how to pick out the right ball, and have fun with some strikes!
• Play 60 Football Stadium Virtual Field Trip for Kids

Virtual Field Trips to Oceans

• Hawaii : Learn about Hawaiian art, music, and dance.
• Artic : Explore the arctic for kids and learn about arctic animals and climates
• Coral Reef : See sea turtles, octopus, eels, and more as you explore the coral reef.

Virtual Field Trips to Kids Museum

• Children’s Museum of Atlanta : This was rated amongst the top world-famous museum choices for kids
• Explore STEM and STEAM projects at the National Children’s Museum

I hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of these best places for virtual field trips for kids. 

Be sure to bookmark this page, so you can easily access it throughout the year. 

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Virtual Field Trips for Kids

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23 Virtual Zoo Field Trips, Tours, and Zoo Cams That Get You Up Close to the Animals

Bring the zoo to you.

We love field trips, but sometimes organizing an excursion just can’t happen. Fortunately, we live in a time when technology can bring the excitement to us. The pandemic encouraged many zoos and aquariums to put in the effort to bridge the gap for visitors at home. As such, we’re able to share this list of fantastic virtual zoo field trips, virtual zoo tours, and zoo cams you can enjoy from anywhere.

Best Virtual Zoo Field Trips, Virtual Zoo Tours, and Zoo Cams

San diego zoo.

The San Diego Zoo has a “Watch and Learn” section on its website. Here, students can check out the fantastic zoo cams including the burrowing-owl cam, giraffe cam, elephant cam, and many more.

Atlanta Zoo

While the Atlanta Zoo’s zoo cam is dedicated to pandas, they offer many videos and activities that feature bird watching, sloths, lemurs, monkeys, and more.

Reid Park Zoo

Located in Tucson, Arizona, this zoo features a variety of delightful zoo cams designed to give kids a virtual zoo tour of the elephants, giraffes, grizzly bears, lions, and more.

Tembe Elephant Park

Tembe Elephant Park is located in a remote area of South Africa. Renowned for having the largest elephants in the world, these zoo cams offer sights such as sand forests and wetlands, leopards, rhinos, and, of course, elephants.

GRACE Gorilla Forest Corridor

This extensive cam takes us inside the gorilla forest corridor in the Democratic Republic of Congo while connecting the habitat with the night quarters at the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE).

Houston Zoo

Take a virtual zoo tour down to Texas and enjoy the live zoo cams set up by the Houston Zoo, allowing you to peer into the lives of giraffes, gorillas, elephants, and flamingos.

Explore the Arctic

Head to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to witness the annual polar bear migration. Discovery Education has teamed up with Polar Bears International to host a series that explores some of the biggest questions about the Arctic.

Bring your virtual classroom to life with animals from the Oregon Zoo. The Wildlife Live videos are aligned to different subject content areas, which are listed on the page. New videos are also posted regularly on the zoo’s social media channels. A few times every week, they go behind the scenes for a live interview with animal-care staff. Each live video is accompanied by a kid-approved activity related to the featured animal .

PBS Zoo Field Trip

Let’s all go to the zoo with PBS LearningMedia! At Zoo Miami, Penny and the KidVision VPK kids wash rhinos, feed giraffes, study a zebra’s stripes, and ride a camel. Lions and tigers and apes, oh my! ADVERTISEMENT

International Wolf Center

The cool wolf-pack cam live-broadcasts the adventures of four ambassador wolves: Denali, Boltz, Axel, and Grayson. The exhibit stretches across 1.25 acres and includes two dens, a filtered pond, and a forested area.

San Antonio Zoo

While San Antonio Zoo virtual field trips aren’t free, they’re very engaging. Enjoy virtual encounters with okapis, hippos, rhinos, and more.

From a virtual zoo tour and chats with staff to showing what the animals are up to and posting activity ideas from their education and conservation teams, the Dallas Zoo’s Bring the Zoo to You web series is perfect for a virtual field trip.

Australia Zoo

Australia Zoo was the home of the late Steve Irwin, best known as the Crocodile Hunter. His wife, Terri, and children, Bindi and Bob, have continued his legacy. This fantastic YouTube channel offers captivating videos of some of the world’s most fascinating animals.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo

This virtual zoo field trip takes us to the nation’s capital. Check out animal zoo cams that share a glimpse into the daily lives of black-footed ferrets, naked mole rats, giant pandas, and more.

Chester Zoo

This British zoo has been going live on Facebook and YouTube to offer a fun and engaging virtual zoo tour packed full of fantastic facts and adorable animal antics.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has created virtual zoo tour resources to support children’s learning for grades pre-K through 12. The site offers online courses, family-friendly science activities, crafts and printables, and fantastic video lessons (in English and en español) to help young learners who are excited about ocean animals.

Georgia Aquarium at Home

These wonderful guided virtual tours through Georgia Aquarium’s galleries allow you to explore the chilly unknown in Cold Water Quest , be immersed in a world of colors as a tropical diver , and more.

New England Aquarium Virtual Tour

Enjoy a virtual zoo tour of the New England Aquarium and check out the projects and activities available to both educators and families. New zoo cam videos premiere on Facebook , YouTube , and Instagram .

Folly Farm Sloth Cam

Witness the serene existence of Tuppee and Lightcap, two charming two-toed sloths residing in Sloth Forest, a habitat created as a comfortable “sloth retirement home.”

Aquarium of the Pacific Webcams

Peek into the lives of playful penguins, sleek sharks in the Shark Lagoon, the graceful sea nettles, the bustling Tropical Reef, the serene Honda Blue Cavern, and the intriguing coral predators. These webcams, complemented by resource kits, offer a vibrant, educational experience for all ages.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Giraffe Cams

Tune into the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s giraffe cams for a live peek into the lives of giraffes in the African Rift Valley exhibit. These cameras capture the giraffes as they roam, mingle, and interact with visitors hand-feeding them lettuce. It’s a “Way Beyond Watching” experience that brings you up close with these majestic animals from anywhere in the world.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Webcams

Dive virtually into the world of marine rescue at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Their live webcams offer glimpses into the new Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex, home to rescued bottlenose dolphins in a sprawling 1.5 million gallons of Clearwater Bay’s filtered water. Additionally, explore more live cams like the Otter Cam, Pelican Cam, and Mavis’s Rescue Hideaway Cam for a closer look at other rescued marine animals.

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Webcams

Catch a glimpse into the daily lives of Beardsley Zoo’s beloved animals with their live webcams. Be sure to switch between the Indoor and Outdoor Red Panda Cams, the Spider Monkey Cams, and the River Otter Cam to see these creatures exploring their habitats.

Did we miss one of your favorite virtual zoo field trips, virtual zoo tours, or zoo cams? Share it with us in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!

Also, check out the best field trip ideas for every age and interest (virtual options too).

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40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

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The 22 Ultimate Virtual Field Trips & Tours for Students

Written by Maria Kampen

• Teacher Resources

• What is a virtual tour and how does it work?
• Technology powering virtual field trips for students
• 22 Best virtual field trips for students
• How to incorporate virtual tours into learning activities

Imagine taking your entire class to see one of the seven wonders of the world up close and personal — and then being back at school before the final bell rings. 

The rise of online learning activities during the pandemic accelerated the availability of virtual field trips , tours and experiences for students of all ages. Now there are many interactive virtual tours available to places that would be impossible to reach on a class trip — the pyramids in Egypt, the Louvre museum in Paris or even an African safari.

We put together a list of 22 unforgettable virtual field trips and experiences that will help your students see amazing sights, connect their learning to real-world experiences and expand their horizons.

Virtual tours allow students to explore noteworthy places around the world, from the comfort of their home or the classroom. 

Virtual tours give students the opportunity to stop, explore and guide learning at their own pace. While they’re exploring, they can get up close to nature or artifacts that might not otherwise be easily accessible. 

Virtual tours can be many different things, including:

• A live webcam of a zoo or animal habitat
• A 360 degree view of a location you can manipulate
• Pictures enriched with helpful information and diagrams

Even ten or fifteen years ago, video tours would have been rare or impossible. Advancements in technology and education have combined to help people learn and explore from anywhere!

• National Geographic creates TV series about nature, history and archaeology
• Food shows like Netflix’s Salt Fat Acid Heat take viewers on food journeys across the world
• Planet Earth , a television series, brings far-flung locations to your living room or classroom
• Discovery Education gives educators access to multimedia resources that supplement classroom learning
• Video conferencing technology like Zoom lets you connect with people and learning experiences around the world

We love being able to sit at home or in the classroom and learn about different foods, cultures and geography. Why not introduce that to your students?

1. Take a trip to the zoo

Whether it’s live webcams of adorable pandas or behind-the-scenes tours with zookeepers, zoos all over the world offer ways for animal antics to delight and entertain your students. 

Some of our favorites include:

• Edinburgh Zoo’s Panda Cam
• Georgia Aquarium’s Beluga Whale Livestream
• The Smithsonian National Zoo’s Naked Mole-rat Cam
• A live feed of African river wildlife in Laikipia County, Kenya
• The San Diego Zoo Live Ape Cam , or any of their other live animal feeds
• Home Safari videos from the Cincinnati Zoo, where zookeepers introduce you to the hundreds of animals that make the zoo their home.

2. Visit The Hidden Worlds of National Parks

From Yosemite to Mesa Verde, explore some of the USA’s most beloved and beautiful national parks with The Hidden World of National Parks .  

Supported by Google Arts & Culture , students can use the same technology that powers Street View to explore the national parks at their own pace. 

The program also includes guided tours from park rangers, where they share their expertise as you explore. Follow the on-screen prompts and let them guide your adventure!

3. Watch the Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Otters

Play with the sea otters as they swim around Monterey Bay Aquarium in California! Tune in throughout the day to see them being fed, learn fun facts about otters and watch them play in the water. 

If you’d like to check out some other aquarium-related channels, Monterey Bay Aquarium also offers Open Sea or Kelp Forest live streams.

4. Swim through Palau coral reefs

Travel to the Pacific Ocean through a virtual adventure and see the Palau coral reefs . Hosted by Nature Lab and the Nature Conservancy, this tour teaches students about the importance of preserving some of the most fragile ecosystems in the world — no wetsuit required. 

Take learning to the next level with the Nature Lab’s Teacher’s Guide , which includes discussion questions and related resources to keep learners engaged. 

5. Visit the surface of Mars

It took the Perseverance rover about seven months to get to Mars. But thanks to this virtual tour , you and your students can go for a visit in just one afternoon. 

Created by Google and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this virtual tour takes you through the history of Mars explorations and turns what might be a far-flung topic into something right at students’ fingertips. They’ll explore the surface of Mars, learn more about the rovers that have studied its surface and understand how Mars exploration fits into the history of space travel.

6. Power up with renewable energy

Powering the Planet from the Nature Conservancy is an interactive lesson that focuses on renewable energy sources. It explains to students how energy around them is necessary for life, and covers how energy can be sourced in a way that’s not harmful to the environment.

All the Nature Conservancy’s programs come with a Teacher Guide , which offers lesson plans and activities relating to the virtual tour. 

7. Walk the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is over 13,000 miles long, so be sure to pack your walking shoes for this trip!

This virtual tour lets students explore key points in the Great Wall of China, plus see the history and amazing view up close.

8. Float around the International Space Station

Did you know that astronauts have continuously inhabited the International Space Station for 20 years? Now your class can join them!

With tours of the different parts of the space station, facts about the layout and assembly, and information about the different astronauts who’ve visited from around the world, students can get an out-of-this-world experience from the comfort of their home or classroom. 

Plus, there are plenty of images, videos, graphics and media resources to help you tie topics into your curriculum.

9. Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is a delicate ecosystem especially vulnerable to the effects of pollution and climate change. 

David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef is a tour created in partnership with the Natural History Museum in London that teaches everyone about the beauty and fragility of one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. 

The Great Barrier Reef is also available on Google Street View through Google Maps as one of the first underwater locations to be mapped. 

10. Learn about water and Colombia’s páramo ecosystem

Just outside of Bogotá, Columbia, is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. In this virtual lesson, students will learn about how the water cycle plays a vital role in biodiversity, and get an up-close look at the animals that call the area home. 

Use the accompanying Teacher Guide to help students discuss the topic and stay engaged with the lesson. And check out the rest of the Nature Lab's YouTube channel for even more virtual experiences.

11. Tour the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian Institute is the world’s largest museum — so there are plenty of things for students to explore. 

With a variety of virtual tours to choose from, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History is full of ways to get students excited about learning. Students can watch narrated tours of different exhibits ranging from history and geography to the research stations in the museum. 

Whether students want to walk through the museum on their own or let someone else do the talking, there’s something for every lesson.

12. Get caught up in the American Revolution

History meets the present at the Museum of the American Revolution ! 

This virtual tour lets students see artifacts, meet museum staff and hear stories of real people who fought for American independence.

It also comes with a Classroom Ki t for 2nd to 8th grade that supplements learning and makes it even more meaningful. 

13. Trek up Mt. Everest

This 360 degree video from National Geographic lets students explore Mt. Everest along with a group of researchers. Together, they’ll discover what kind of effects climate change has on the mountain, and how we can work to preserve natural landscapes. 

Not up for climbing mountains? Take a virtual ride on Expedition Everest , the tallest rollercoaster in any Disney park! But beware — there’s a monster lurking in the dark.

14. Get the right angle with Explore Geometry

Powered by Nearpod, Explore Geometry ’s lesson plans connect classroom lessons with architecture in the natural world.

Students can explore the gardens of Versailles to learn about the geometry of a French garden before moving on to the next lesson and putting their skills to practical use.

15. Wander through the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

One of the most well-known museums in the world, students can now explore The Met’s vast collections with the Met 360º Project .

Virtual tours help students get a sense of the space, art and collections inside of the museum. Whether they’re interested in the Met Cloisters or the Arms and Armor gallery, students can go at their own pace, accompanied by a soothing soundtrack. 

You can also book virtual tours with a museum guide to line up with your lesson plan. Tours are free for NYC public schools and all Title I schools, and $200 USD per class for other schools.

16. Explore history in the British Museum

Another world-class museum, students can explore the British Museum in London using Google Street View, read facts about the artifacts and connect what they see to their history lessons. 

Whether it’s the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, Egyptian sculpture or any other historical treasure, there’s something every student will find interesting!

If you want to let someone else do the exploring, there’s also a 46-minute virtual walking tour , where you can skip to the sections that are most relevant to you and your class. 

17. Visit the White House

In Washington, D.C. the White House is the symbolic heart of America, and now students can walk the halls for themselves. 

Whether they want to take a lap around the Oval Office or wander the building, students can explore this virtual tour from the White House Historical Association . Plus, it comes with class tie-ins like vocabulary lessons and other activities to make the experience even more memorable! 

18. Arrive at Ellis Island

Ever wonder what it was like for new immigrants to see the Statue of Liberty and step foot on American soil for the first time?

Now students can experience it for themselves with this virtual tour , a collaboration between Scholastic and the National Park Service. They’ll learn the importance of immigration in the history of the United States and hear real-life stories about the people who came looking for a better life. 

After students watch the video, they can click through this interactive map with facts and stories about the people who came through Ellis Island. 

19. Explore China's forests

In this online tour, students can explore the natural habitats of pandas in the forests of China . They’ll discover how the panda’s home plays a role in understanding our world, learn about local conservation efforts and see the big-picture view of how these vast forests fit into our understanding of nature and climate change. 

Plus, this program also comes with a handy Teacher Guide for you to use in lesson planning!

20. Bundle up in the Arctic tundra

Take a virtual field trip all the way up north to the tundra! Discovery Education’s tundra programs for elementary, middle and high school students cover the natural habitat of polar bears, plus their activities and migration patterns.

This virtual tour comes with instructional activities and classroom tie-ins, so you can be sure students are getting a productive learning experience.

21. Go spelunking in the world's largest cave

Travel through Vietnam’s Son Doong, the world’s largest cave . First explored by researchers in 2009, this cave is up to 200 meters tall in some areas and even has its own jungle inside. 

It’s estimated that the total length of the cave system is over 200 kilometers, and with this National Geographic tour students can explore to their heart’s content. High definition pictures and helpful facts mean that not only is this an awe-inspiring trip for students, but it’s also educational! 

Because the cave is ecologically sensitive, only a certain number of tourists are allowed to visit each year. This virtual tour is a great way for kids and adults to experience the wonder up close!

22. Browse the Louvre

Take your students on a quick trip to Paris where you can explore the architecture and art of the Louvre without the crowds. 

Plus, the Louvre also offers Louvre Kids , as well as a Mona Lisa Beyond the Glass virtual app experience where users can learn how Leonardo da Vinci created his most well-known masterpiece.

From kindergarten to high school, virtual field trips are a great way to get students excited about learning. And if you’re homeschooling , they’re the perfect way to get real-world experience without leaving the house!

To get the most out of the experience, keep these tips in mind:

• Ask students what they’re interested in exploring 
• Look for virtual experiences that fit into your lesson plan for maximum impact
• Search for supplementary resources like teacher guides and discussion questions
• Try out the virtual tour first to make sure it’s worth it and to avoid any unpleasant technical glitches
• Use virtual field trips at the beginning of a unit to introduce students to new concepts, or at the end as a reward and wrap-up activity

Be sure to follow up with students and see what they liked the most. Then, harness that excitement for your next lesson or activity! 

Prodigy Math Game is an adaptive math platform where students can explore a world filled with adventure, excitement and rewards — all for practicing math! While they’re having a blast answering questions and completing epic quests, Prodigy’s free teacher tools help you align their learning to your classroom lessons. 

Sign up for your free teacher account today!

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42 Virtual Field Trips for Kids to Get Them Learning About the World

Kids can go from Ellis Island to Mars without leaving the couch.

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With rates of COVID-19 on the rise again, parents are preparing for the possibility of another round of stay-at-home orders. Or, even if the official word to stay indoors isn't coming down from local governments, careful families might be planning for a winter at home, just to be safe.

While your kids may be home physically, online tours still give them some access to the rest of the outside world. The same way school has gone digital — with remote homeschooling , live-streamed extra-curricular classes , and learning-at-home portals wherever you look — class trips have moved online, too.

These virtual field trips for kids will have them gazing at world-class art, learning about history, discovering science, and even checking out what it's like in outer space. No matter their interests, be it history, art or science, you'll be able to take a "trip" to match.

Of course, these are still screen experiences. If you want to make the most out of a virtual field trip, try to get your kids to continue to engage with the material even after they've turned off their devices with a fun learning activity . Depending on their age, they could either draw what they most remember or what their favorite part of the "trip" was, or write out a couple of facts that they've learned. If you plan on doing many of these, you can even create a binder to act as a log for your virtual explorer.

Tour collections and learn about the history of art and artifacts with these online museum experiences.

• American Museum of Natural History : Brian Selznick, author of Wonderstruck , leads a virtual tour of the museum, meeting field experts along the way.
• British Museum : This cool, interactive site lets kids browse the museum collection by time period, not by room, so kids can focus in on the era they're most interested in.
• Colonial Williamsburg : Eight different webcams let viewers peek in on what's happening at places like Merchants' Square or Raleigh Tavern.
• Frida Kahlo Museum : You might not be able to get to Mexico City, Mexico, but you can still explore the work of artist Frida Kahlo and imagine her life in the "Casa Azul" (Blue House).
• Historic Hudson Valley : This site offers many history-themed online experiences for kids, from " Traders and Raiders ," which looks at the history of pirates in the greater New York Area, to " People Not Property ," which teaches kids about slavery. There are also lots of ideas for at-home historical activities, like cooking with cornmeal or " tinsmithing " at home with aluminum foil.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art : The #MetKids site is geared for little ones, and lets them explore a cute, illustrated map to find treasures in the museum's collection.
• Musée du Louvre : The world-famous museum offers virtual tours by subject, from the body in art to Egyptian antiquities.
• Museum of Science : The #MOSatHome page offers virtual looks at the Boston museum's exhibits and hosts daily livestreams and webinars.
• National Baseball Hall of Fame : Browse through the collection of photographs, memorabilia and more to learn more about America's national pastime. The museum also offers virtual programming on its YouTube page .
• National Constitution Center : Explore exhibitions about constitutional conflicts through the years, including "Hamilton: The Constitutional Clashes That Shaped a Nation." For a fee groups can also participate in live, virtual guided tours for up to 300 people.
• National Gallery of Art : The National Gallery has 50 video tours specifically geared towards kids, focusing on a work and the people, places, and scenes surrounding its creation.
• National Museum of Computing : Located in Bletchley Park in the U.K., home of the famous WWII codebreakers like Alan Turing, this museum offers a virtual tour that takes visitors through the history of computers.
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History : You can bookmark this one to visit over and over, since it offers virtual version of every exhibition in the museum.
• The Vatican Museum : You can get 360 looks at nine rooms in the Vatican — including the magnificent Sistine Chapel.

See how food grows, is harvested, and gets to your table with these farm tours.

• American Egg Board : The Egg Board has virtual tours of different egg farms, and many of them let you choose different videos for elementary and middle school students.
• Bonnie Plants : Home Depot takes kids on a multi-part virtual field trip to this grower, hoping to inspire kids to get into gardening themselves.
• Bright Farms : A farm grower in Irvington, NY shows kids how food goes from the field (in this case, an indoor grower) to the grocery store. There's even a quiz at the end!
• Farm Food 360 : Kids can see 11 different sorts of farm and food plants, including dairy cow farms, egg processing facilities and an apple orchard.

You might not be able to go on your sightseeing vacation at the moment, but these virtual landmark tours are the next best thing.

• Buckingham Palace : Go room-by-room and see all of the amazing historical objects in the palace.
• Ellis Island : See the island the way the 12 million immigrants did between 1892 and 1954 through a virtual tour with lots of first-hand stories.
• Washington, DC : Pick and choose from more than 24 landmarks in our nation's capital, including the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court — even that National Zoo! The tours are given by Richard Kurin, Ph.D., Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar and Ambassador-at-Large, and feature videos, quizzes, reader polls and interactive maps.
• Mount Rushmore : The virtual tour of Mount Rushmore was created through 3D scans of the mountain.
• Mount Vernon : Take a look inside George Washington's home the same way you would click through Street View on a Google Map.
• Plimoth Plantation : Take a tour of the site of the first Thanksgiving, and learn the history behind the event.
• The White House : President Obama narrates a tour of "The People's House," and you can scroll around and click on points of interest.

Zoos and Aquariums

These zoos and aquariums have live cams where kid can check in with the animals.

• Atlanta Zoo
• Cincinnati Zoo
• Georgia Aquarium
• Houston Zoo
• Reid Park Zoo
• Shedd Aquarium
• San Diego Zoo
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• National Aquarium

Even More Fun

From a candy factory to the surface of Mars, these tours take kids to places that aren't available to them even in normal times.

• Discovery Education : The site hosts virtual field trips for kids, from engineering plants that make the cars of the future to a lab that researches nuclear energy.
• Johnson Space Center : Boeing leads the tour through the Houston, Texas facility, covering the history — and future — of aerospace innovation.
• M&Ms Factory Tour : The Food Network hosts a virtual tour of the M&Ms factory and shows how the delicious candy gets made.
• Outer Space Tours: Kids can see the real surface of Mars , courtesy of the Curiosity rover. NASA also does virtual tours of the Moon , along with the International Space Station .
• Recycling Simplified : Take kids on a tour of a modern-day recycling center or landfill, and teach them about environmental sustainability.
• Sơn Đoòng : National Geographic offers a 360-degree tour of the world's largest cave, situated in Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam. You can even hear the water as it runs over the rocks.

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother . She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.

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Unless you live in Pennsylvania, you probably can’t load the school bus and head to the Museum of the American Revolution. 

I had the privilege of visiting this top-notch museum during a family vacation soon after they opened in April 2017. If you ever have the chance to visit in person, this museum is simply amazing. They even have George Washington’s field tent. 

Since I can’t take my students to the museum, the next best thing is doing a virtual field trip while we are studying the American Revolution .

The Museum of the American Revolution has two great (and FREE) options for virtual study: A Virtual Field Trip and a Virtual Museum Tour.

Beyond the Battlefield: Virtual Field Trip

This online field trip, hosted by I Survived author, Lauren Tarshis, is geared toward students and takes them through an engaging tour of the American Revolution.

In addition to the streaming field trip, the page linked below contains a link to a classroom kit. I definitely recommend that you download this kit because it has a vocabulary list and discussion questions for grade bands 2-4, 4-6, and 6-8. 

Link to Beyond the Battlefield: A Virtual Field Trip

How does this virtual field trip work in my classroom? 

The cool thing about virtual field trips is that I can use them face-to-face in my classroom or I can create virtual learning plans using these resources. 

• If possible, we read I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis (linked below), either as a classroom read-aloud or in book clubs. (For more information on setting up and using history book clubs, click here.)
• We watch the 25 minute virtual field trip. 
• I assign the appropriate discussion questions to students or groups of students.

Virtual Museum Tour

The museum’s collections are online in a virtual museum tour format. It’s just like walking through the museum because you can choose to look closer or “zoom out.” There are a lot of great view options, like Tearing Down the King, Winter Patriots, War at Sea, and more. 

Link to the Virtual Museum Tour

The museum provides four guiding questions for students to consider as they look at the galleries. I use these questions with my students to help them analyze the information and displays. 

To save this blog post for later, simply save this pin to your teacher Pinterest board!

Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with the Museum of the American Revolution in any way. I just love the free online resources provided and I want to share them with you!

Would you like a set of  American Revolution Cloze Passages  sent to you for free? Enter your first name and email address below to receive this freebie right away!

* Please note that  Thrive in Grade Five (Jenifer Bazzit)  is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. *

I want to thank you for sharing all your resources. Never before has it been more important for teachers to unite for the better good of our millions of students who are learning from home. Educators such as you, have selflessly and tirelessly sent resources, lesson plans, online tips, etc. my way and I am truly grateful. I have a child of my own at home and we begin her online schooling this week. I know it would be overwhelming without teachers like you sharing what you have to make planning lessons less stressful and time consuming. Thank you for all you are doing as an educator, to make this difficult time a little easier.

You are so welcome, Nina! I sincerely appreciate your kind words and compliments. I wish you all of the best in your home learning efforts. I’m sure you will do great! Your daughter is fortunate to have such an involved mama.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU for sharing. This is great for my ESL students

So glad to hear that, Alma! Thank you for your comment 🙂

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30+ Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Want to explore our world? Here are 30+ great Virtual Field Trips for early learners to explore from your home. From zoos and landmarks to famous museums, you can explore the world with your child with over a month of virtual field trips!

Animal Virtual Tours for Kid

Us history virtual tours, us landmarks virtual tours, us national parks virtual tours, museum virtual tours, virtual tours around the world, fall virtual field trips for kids, winter virtual field trips for kids, spring virtual field trips for kids, summer virtual field trips for kids, virtual tours of space, live webcams around the world.

One thing that the recent global quarantine has made us all realize very clearly is that we’re all part of one earth. We all have many commonalities and many things that are unique to where we live.

As we are at home, working from home and spending more time with the kids, I’d love to suggest we spend a little more time exploring this amazing planet that we’ve been gifted to during our lifetime.

Google Earth is such an amazing tool to use with your child to encourage them to explore the world. You can be at home on your sofa or at our desk and be transported to anywhere on the earth(virtually).

Where would you want to go?

With your child start with where you live. Then go to their school and where you shop near you and then find where family and friends live. Next, explore some of their favorite spots you’ve vacationed and now it’s time to explore where you’ve never been. But where do you start?

Let’s start by exploring some amazing popular travel destinations that also happen to have webcams for you to step inside and explore.

Google’s Art and Culture is a great resource to kick-start your global search too. Did you know that Google’s “World Wonders” project offers virtual tours of 132 famous sites? So many amazing virtual tours of museums for kids!!

30 Virtual Field Trips for Kids

I’ve put together a collection of locations for virtual field trips that I believe as a teacher and a mom that are appropriate for the kid to watch online. I’d encourage you though to talk about these locations as a family.

You can track your virtual tours with our Printable Virtual Field Trip Log !

Perhaps start working on a travel bucket list together and a virtual travel bucket list. That way your child can make their own itinerary too.

Where do you think your child wants to go to?

• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Georgia Aquarium
• Houston Zoo
• Atlanta Zoo – Pandas
• San Diego Zoo
• Smithsonian National Zoo
• The Tundra with Discovery Education
• Virtual Farm Tours
• Penguin Virtual Field Trips
• Polar Bear Virtual Field Trips
• Rainforest Virtual Field Trips
• Everglades Virtual Field Trips

Here’s a list of all the zoos with webcams to explore.

For a little movement, try this zoo themed yoga

• Washington, D.C. Virtual Field Trip for Kids
• The White House
• A Virtual Tour by the Obamas
• Mount Vernon
• Colonial Williamsburg
• Mount Rushmore
• Liberty Bell

Grab our Washington DC Unit for Kids . Create your own Living History Museum at home after your virtual tour!

• Empire State Building
• Ellis Island
• Monument Valley

• Mighty 5 National Parks Virtual Field Trip
• Yellowstone National Park
• The Grand Canyon
• Hidden World of National Parks by Google Art and Culture
• National Parks Foundation: Electronic Field Trip
• NPS Webcams at the National Parks
• Virtual Hikes at Rocky Mountain National Park
• Virtual Hike from Rim to River at Grand Canyon
• Glacier National Park
• Yosemite Park
• Smoky Mountain National Park
• Dry Tortugas National Park
• Everglades National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
• Kenai Fjords National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns

Take our Virtual Tour of Utah’s Mighty 5 National Parks

Find Your Virtual Park – Connect with national parks from a distance through digital opportunities and activities to do in your own home or neighborhood.

• Smithsonian Museum
• Van Gogh Museum
• 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours 
• Google Art and Culture: Top 10 Museums you Can Explore

Coloring Pages From Over 100 Museums

• Great Wall of China
• Buckingham Palace
• Red Square in Russia
• Largest Flower Garden, Keukenhof 
• Ukraine Virtual Field Trip Guide

Recreate a famous landmark with math, art and sidewalk chalk

Get ready to explore these Fall Virtual Field Trips for Kids with these kid friendly fall virtual tours.

• Pumpkin patches
• Fall leaves
• Apple orchards
• Turkey farms

Try these Leaf Activities for hands-on fun in fall.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Explore 60+ Winter themed virtual field trips for kids .

• Winter Virtual Field Trips to National Parks
• Ice Castle Virtual Field Trips
• Natural Wonders of Winters : Snow, Frozen Lakes, Waterfalls & Glaciers
• Winter Sports: Ice Skating, Skiing, Sledding and Tubing
• Christmas Around the World Virtually: Lights, Tree Farms, Reindeers
• Christmas Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Once you take a few winter virtual tours, explore these Winter Activities for Kids .

Explore the best spring virtual field trips for kids . Explore moments in nature of spring flowers blooming and experience flower-covered trees, baby animals, and the animal life cycles of spring with this ultimate collection of spring virtual field trips for kids.

• Spring Flowers Virtual Field Trips
• Trees Blooming in Spring Virtual Field Trips
• Spring in National Parks Virtual Field Trips
• Baby Animals on Farms Virtual Field Trips
• Bird Nests and Eggs in Spring Virtual Field Trips
• Frog Themed Virtual Field Trips
• Butterfly Themed Virtual Field Trips

Ready for Spring? Try this hands-on Spring STEM Challenge !

Get ready to explore these Summer Virtual Field Trips for Kids ! Explore the ocean, amusement parks, outdoor adventures, watermelon farms, and more with these kid-friendly summer virtual tours.

• Coral Reefs
• Ocean Animals
• Boat Adventures
• Amusement Parks Rides
• Rock Slides
• Natural Springs
• Watermelon Farms
• International Space Station
• Space Shuttle Discovery
• Solar Eclipse
• Worldcam.eu: WebCams from Around the World
• Explore.org: Live webcams throughout the world

Virtual Field Trip Activities for Home

Looking for ways to expand the virtual tour?

Once you’ve viewed one of the Virtual tours, you can…

• Write up about what you learned
• Draw a picture of your favorite part
• Create a version with legos, building blocks or playdough
• Find a book online to learn more about the location
• Create a themed craft based on where you took a virtual tour
• Recreate it with sidewalk chalk
• Cook a dish from that region

DOWNLOAD OUR VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP LOG

There are so many amazing resources to explore virtually to learn about our amazing planet and the treasures and history within it.

One resource that I found to be the most amazing was Google Art and Culture resource. I high recommend exploring it as a family during this time.

Virtual Tours for Kids

Take this time to explore the world virtually and help us work together to protect and learn about these treasures around the world.

Want more ideas for home Parents! Check out our…

50+ STEM Activities for Kids

Ball Games Your Kids will LOVE

JOIN our free Virtual Book Club for Kids

Do you have a favorite virtual tour that you love? Please share with me in the comments.

Like this idea? Pin for later or share now with a friend!

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About Kim Vij

Early childhood teacher, author, speaker and mom of 3. Kim shares ways to make learning fun and parenting an adventure by sharing developmentally appropriate activities.

September 4, 2020 at 8:02 am

This is still fun! definitely helping their learning 🙂 easier to visit destinations from the comfort of their couch!

September 2, 2020 at 8:54 am

Is there a cost associated with these virtual field trips?

September 3, 2020 at 7:03 pm

Most of these Virtual Field Trips are simply links to either the specific museums or locations offering a video of their facility or using Google Earth to explore a specific region such as our national parks. They are free to view at your convenience.

June 13, 2020 at 6:21 am

that was very cool

May 6, 2020 at 11:20 am

You could do a virtual tour on Paris

May 7, 2020 at 4:18 pm

You definitely could, I’ll try to put one together for you and share very soon on the site!

April 30, 2020 at 6:01 pm

April 20, 2020 at 2:06 pm

Thanks for letting me know about this! It sounds cool!

March 28, 2020 at 10:00 am

THANK YOU THIS IS AN AMAZING RESOURCE

March 27, 2020 at 1:55 pm

Thank you this is cool not as cool as google earth

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Let’s connect.

Best Virtual Field Trips

Students can experience the best virtual field trips without getting on a bus, or even leaving their homes.

As school budgets continue to shrink and classroom time is at a premium, virtual field trips have become a great opportunity for educators to help students experience places around the globe without getting on a bus, or even leaving their classroom.

Being able to see and experience a significant cultural institution, historic site, or natural landscape with the help of immersive technology, such as virtual or augmented reality, can help make lessons more engaging and exciting.

Here are the best virtual field trips for education, organized by art museums, history museums, civics-related sites, aquariums and nature sites, STEM-related experiences, and more!

Virtual Art Museum Tours

- Benaki Museum, Greece Showcasing the development of Greek culture, including more than 120,000 artworks from the Paleolithic Era to modern day. 

- British Museum, London Explore more than 4,000 years of art and historical objects from around the world.

- National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C Features more than 40,000 American works of art, including paintings, works on paper, and etchings. 

- Musee d’Orsay, Paris Displays art created between 1848 and 1914, including works by van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, Monet, and Degas

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- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea The representative museum of modern Korean visual art, plus architecture, design and crafts.

- Pergamon, Berlin, Germany Features sculpture, artifacts, and other items from ancient Greece. 

- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands Home to the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh in the world, including more than 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 750 of the artist's letters.

- Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy A dynastic collection of ancient sculpture, artwork, and artifacts, established by the renowned Medici family.

- MASP, Sao Paolo, Brazil Brazil's first modern museum, displaying 8,000 works, including paintings, sculptures, objects, photographs, and costumes from a range of periods, encompassing Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. 

- National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City, Mexico Devoted to the archaeology and history of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic civilizations.

- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston A comprehensive collection that ranges from prehistoric times to modern day, featuring world-renowned paintings by Rembrandt, Monet, Gauguin, and Cassatt, plus mummies, sculpture, ceramics, and masterpieces of African and Oceanic art.

- The Frick Collection, New York Distinguished Old Master paintings and outstanding examples of European sculpture and decorative arts.

- J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles Works of art dating from the eighth through the twenty-first century, including European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European, Asian, and American photographs.

- The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois Thousands of artworks—from world-renowned icons (Picasso, Monet, Matisse, Hopper) to lesser-known gems from every corner of the globe—as well as books, writings, reference materials, and other resources.

- The Metropolitan Museum of Art A colossal collection of art, cultural objects, and historical artifacts from over 5,000 years of human history. 

- The Louvre Museum Packed with iconic works of art, from da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and other renowned artists.

Virtual History Museum Tours

- National Museum of the United States Air Force The oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world features dozens of vintage aircraft and hundreds of historical objects. 

- Smithsonian Museum of Natural History One of the largest repositories of natural history on the planet, featuring more than 145 million artifacts and specimens. 

- National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Home to an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts, including paintings, sculpture, photographs, and historical objects. 

- The Prague Castle, Czechoslovakia Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, consisting of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from the remains of Romanesque-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications of the 14th century. 

- The Colosseum, Rome One of the most iconic structures in world history.

- Machu Picchu, Peru Explore the 15th-century mountaintop citadel built by the Inca. 

- The Great Wall of China One of the wonders of the world, stretching more than 3,000 miles across multiple provinces of China

- The National WWII Museum’s Manhattan Project virtual field trip A cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories involved with the creation of the atomic bomb.

- Discovering Ancient Egypt In addition to stories of the great kings and queens, learn about the ancient Egyptian gods and mummification, pyramids, and temples through interactive maps, photos, drawings, and paintings. 

- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock Virtual Tour  Through personal stories, interactive media, and pop culture artifacts, explore seven decades of history, from the dawn of the nuclear age to the significant policy questions of today.

- U.S. Capitol Virtual Tour  Video tours of historic rooms and spaces, some of which are not open to the public, research resources, and teaching materials.

Civics Virtual Field Trips

- Virtual Field Trip to the Census Bureau A behind-the-scenes introduction to the U.S. Census Bureau, featuring exclusive interviews with subject matter experts.

- National Constitution Center Virtual Tour A virtual interactive multimedia tour of the National Constitution Center on Independence Mall in Philadelphia.

- Virtual field trip to Ellis Island Hear first-hand stories told by those who came through Ellis Island, see historical photographs and films, and read fascinating facts.

- The City of U.S. Virtual Field Trip A virtual field trip of Washington, D.C., hosted by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

- I Do Solemnly Swear: The U.S. Presidential Inauguration Featuring questions submitted by students and answered by experts, this virtual field trip travels to our nation's capital to explore the Presidential Inauguration, past and present.  

Aquariums & Nature Parks Virtual Field Trips 

- National Aquarium Home to 20,000 animals covering 800 species, from the depths of the ocean to the canopy of the rain forest. 

- Georgia Aquarium Live webcam feeds for aquatic creatures, such as beluga whales, penguins, alligators, sea otters, and even underwater puffins.

- San Diego Zoo Live looks at koala, baboons, apes, tigers, platypuses, penguins, and more. 

- Five U.S. National Parks Explore Kenai Fjords in Alaska, volcanoes in Hawai'i, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Bryce Canyon in Utah, and Dry Tortugas in Florida.

- Yellowstone National Park (live cams) Nine webcams—one live-streaming and eight static—provide views of around the North Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs, Mount Washburn, the West Entrance, and the Upper Geyser Basin.

- Mystic Aquarium One of three U.S. facilities holding Steller sea lions, and it has the only beluga whales in New England. 

- Monterey Bay Aquarium (live cams) Ten live cams, including sharks, sea otters, jellyfish, and penguins.

- Son Doong Cave  The world's largest natural cave, located in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park in Vietnam.

- PORTS (California Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students)  K-12 students can connect with live interpretive staff and learn academic content standards within the context of California’s dynamic State Park System. 

STEM Virtual Field Trips

- NASA at Home Virtual tours and apps from NASA, including tours of the Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, International Space Station, and Hubble Space Telescope Mission Operations Center, plus excursions to Mars and the Moon.

- California Science Center Build your own virtual field trip for grades K-5 with NGSS-aligned content, in both English and Spanish.

- Carnegie Science Center Exhibit Explorations Students in grades 3-12 explore the science behind Carnegie Science Center's most popular exhibits, with an interactive focus on engineering/ robotics, animals, space/astronomy and the human body. - Stanley Black & Decker Makerspace Students can see and experience first-hand how math, science, technology, creativity, and teamwork can lead to technological advancements.

- Slime in Space Take students 250 miles above Earth to the International Space Station to learn along with astronauts how slime reacts to microgravity compared to how water reacts. 

- Clark Planetarium Virtual Skywatch Free for schools, virtual versions of the live “Skywatch” planetarium dome presentations that directly correlate to 6th grade and 4th grade SEEd astronomy standards. 

- Alaska Volcano Observatory Alaska's active volcanoes offer superb opportunities for basic scientific investigations of volcanic processes.

- The Nature Conservancy’s Nature Lab virtual field trips Designed for grades 5-8 but customizable for all ages, each virtual field trip contains a video, teacher guide, and student activities.

- Great Lakes Now Virtual Field Trip  Learn more about the importance of coastal wetlands, the danger of algal blooms, and a deep dive into lake sturgeon. Designed for   6-8th grade.

- Access Mars Explore the real surface of Mars, as recorded by NASA's Curiosity rover.

- Easter Island The story of a team of archaeologists and a 75-person crew who sought to unravel how the hundreds of giant stone statues that dominate the island's coast were moved and erected.

- FarmFresh360 Learn about Canadian food and farming in 360º.

- Virtual Egg Farm Field Trips  Visit modern egg farms across the United States.

- Online agriculture education curriculum The American Royal Field Trip features a virtual tour of production agriculture; innovation and technology; and the food system. Lesson plans, activities, and short quizzes are also provided.

Miscellaneous Virtual Field Trips

- American Writers Museum new live Virtual Field Trips feature a guided exploration of AWM’s permanent exhibits or two online exhibits; staff-led interactive gameplay and pop quizzes about major literary works; and Writer Wednesdays, offering students a weekly opportunity to connect with a published author about the craft of writing.

- Kahn Academy Imagineering in a Box Go behind the scenes with Disney Imagineers and complete project-based exercises to design a theme park.

- Google Arts & Culture  Explore galleries, museums, and more.

Ray Bendici is the Managing Editor of Tech & Learning and Tech & Learning University. He is an award-winning journalist/editor, with more than 20 years of experience, including a specific focus on education.

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This Standards table will show you all the curriculum standards that our videos align with, in your state and for your grade(s). 

First find your state, then scroll to the right until you get to the grade(s) you are interested in. A scroll bar should appear at the bottom to help navigate toward the right side, to the higher grades that aren’t showing on the page. Click in the box where the state and grade intersect, and a PDF file will open up.  You can then read, print, and/or save the file.

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