10 Bucket-List Attractions Without Leaving Home
Have you been daydreaming of walking through the tropical gardens of Hawaii? Always wished you could take a trip to Italy, to marvel at Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel? Now, you can turn daydreams into reality without leaving your own couch.
There are currently over 2,500 museums, zoos, gardens, and galleries around the world offering virtual tours online. Now, anyone can become a pajama jetsetter and “visit” some of the world’s most precious pieces of art, exotic animals, and lush gardens -- with just a simple click.
Here are our top 10 picks of museums, zoos, & gardens from around the globe:
- British Museum, London – Get a cuppa of your finest English Breakfast, and explore the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, Samurai Armour, Easter Island Heads, and more.
- Huntington Beach Pier – The calming waves, the changing tides, and the iconic pier set the backdrop for this peaceful cam that sits atop the Paséa Hotel & Spa
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C. This virtual tour includes every single exhibit on display. Explore the world’s largest museum and see famous sights such as Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Julia Child’s kitchen, Harriet Tubman’s hymnal, and The Wright Brothers famed fancies of flight.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York – Explore over 5,000 years of art history, the greatest collection of Egyptian art and artifacts outside of Cairo, and the famed rotating Rooftop Garden. Bonus points for DIY’ing your favorite celebrity outfits from past Met Galas.
- The Vatican Museum, Vatican City – Marvel in the beauty of art and sculpture amassed by the Roman Catholic Church and Papacy with tours of St. Peter’s Basilica, Raphael’s Room and more in the world’s “smallest city.” This may be the only time you’ll have to enjoy the art of the Sistine Chapel without the crowds of the museum's usual 6 million annual visitors.
- Musée d’Orsay, Paris – Housed in a former Parisian railway station, this museum is home to the art of French masters like Cézanne, Monet, and Manet.
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York – From Pablo Picasso to Jeff Koons, Piet Mondrian, and beyond, travelers can virtually visit the famed spiral walkway ramp and view art from the late 19th century through present day.
- Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden – With a plethora of waterfalls, streams, and the Pacific coast-facing boardwalk, take a tour of one of the leading institutions in the world for tropical sciences and conservation. A lovely destination when you visit Ko’a Kea Hotel & Spa.
- Monterey Bay Aquarium – Live every week like it’s Shark week with the live stream of the aquarium’s Habitat Exhibition. Our favorites are the playful sea otter and calming moon jelly cams.
BONUS: Disney lovers out there - Walt Disney World offers virtual tours of the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. Turn your living room into the Happiest Place On Earth, here.
