20 + Free Virtual Field Trips
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Virtual field trips are a great option for times we are stuck inside or live too far away to actually visit. Field trips can help connect students with a variety of subjects, and a virtual trip can be almost as good as visiting in person. They are a great way to get kids excited about a subject.
There is always something to explore and learn.
They are also fun! I have never met a child who does not enjoy going on a field trip, real-life or virtual.
I like to take my kids out for field trips frequently, but sometimes it just isn’t possible. Unfortunately, things like location, budget, and illnesses keep us away. When we can’t actually go on the field trip, we try to visit online.
Virtual field trips can tie in with a variety of subjects. Look through the list and see what virtual field trip experience you can add to your social studies, history, science, or even language arts lesson plans. They are also great for students of all ages.
These 20+ virtual field trips are all completely free, so we can explore as often as we want as long as we have an internet connection.
20+ Free Virtual Field Trips
Historical Sites
Colonial Williamsburg – Check out a few of the historic Colonial Williamsburg exhibits online. The site is also currently offering free resources for teachers, printable coloring pages, recipes, and colonial craft directions. Be sure to click on the ‘Virtual Experiences’ tab to see inside some of the colonial buildings.
Mount Vernon – Visit the home of our first president without leaving your home. Take a virtual tour of the mansion, outbuildings, gardens, distillery, and library. You can even check out many of the museum objects. The website currently offers quite a few educational resources – virtual field trips, lesson plans, coloring pages, and online quizzes.
White House – Visiting the White House in person can be difficult to arrange, but touring online is easy! This tour offers a 360-degree view of all the public rooms on the ground and state floors. You can even click on artwork to get an up-close look.
A digital notebook full of vocabulary words and discussion questions is available to help you get the most out of your White House tour.
Ford’s Theatre – Tour the site of President Lincoln’s assassination. You can also virtually see the Peterson House (where Lincoln was examined and ultimately passed away) and the museum artifacts.
Google Street View – My kids really enjoy checking out historic locations via Google Street View (Google Earth). This free website has allowed us to virtually visit the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, and Washington, DC. Just go to Google Maps and type in the location you want to visit. Then click the little gold person and drag the figure onto the map.
Buckingham Palace – Tour the gorgeous Buckingham Palace while at home, relaxing in your comfiest clothes. You can see the Grand Staircase, White Drawing Room, Throne Room, and Blue Drawing Room.
Museums
Smithsonian – The Smithsonian museums offer photos and information about their exhibits online. A virtual tour can be especially handy if your local art museums are not kid-friendly.
- Museum of African American History and Culture
- Museum of African Art
- Museum of Air and Space
- American Art Museum
- Museum of American History
- Museum of the American Indian
- Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center
- Anacostia Community Museum
- Archives of American Art
- Arts and Industries Building
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Freer Gallery of Art
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- Museum of Natural History
- National Portrait Gallery
- National Postal Museum
- Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Smithsonian Gardens
British Museum – The British Museum offers virtual tours of more than 60 galleries. Some of the exhibits offer related family activities. The activities are not all practical for doing at home, but there are definitely some good ideas! It is a great resource. The galleries include:
- Africa
- Enlightenment
- Collecting the World
- The Waddesdon Bequest
- Egyptian Sculpture (this is an excellent addition to an Ancient Egypt unit study)
- Assyrian Sculpture
- Greece
- North America
- Mexico
- China and South Asia
- Medieval Europe
- The Islamic World
- Roman Britain
- Europe and the Middle East
- Mesopotamia
- Korea
- Money
- Roman Empire
- Japan
- Oceania
The Louvre Museum – This famous French museum offers a special section of its website just for kids.
Kids can check out a few gallery exhibits, listen to seasonal tales (these are in French, but there are subtitles provided), and listen to stories about some of the art (these are in English).
National Gallery of Art – When we lived in Northern Virginia, I assumed that the National Gallery of Art was part of the Smithsonian museum system, but it isn’t. This art gallery offers unique art exhibits.
The Learn tab offers quite a few educational activities. Here you will find lesson plans and background information on artists. There is even an interactive area where kids can make their own art!
Metropolitan Museum of Art – The Met, located in New York, offers a few interesting learning opportunities through its Art at Home program.
Google Arts and Culture – Tour a TON of amazing sites with this free virtual field trip resource of locations all around the world. You can tour places like the Great Barrier Reef, the Eiffel Tower, and other amazing locations. One of my favorite tours is the Great Wall of China. This online field trip gives you a panoramic tour of this historic landmark.
Here are a few popular options of sites around the United States:
- Mount Rushmore
- Washington Monument
- San Antonio Missions
- Statue of Liberty
- Ellis Island
- Alcatraz Island
- Arches National Park
- Grand Canyon
- Dry Tortugas
- Yosemite National Park
- National Mall
- Yellowstone National Park
J. Paul Getty Museum – This online exhibit includes a variety of types of art:
- Antiquities
- Drawings
- Manuscripts
- Paintings
- Photographs
- Sculpture
This art museum also offers teacher guides full of lesson plans, online games, and videos for students.
Zoos
Zoo live cams are a fun way to observe animals from a few zoos on the same day, even if they are not even in the same state.
- Baboon
- Penguin
- Panda
- Polar Bears
- Koala
- Ape
- Giraffe
- Burrowing Owl
- Elephant
- Tiger
- Condor
- Panda
- Elephant
- Lion
- Mole-rat
- Giraffe
- Polar Bear
- Sea Otters
- Japanese Macaque
- Reptiles
- Elephant
- Sun Bear
- Black Bear
- Condor
- Lions
- Hyenas
- Tigers
- Penguins
- Lake Wisconsin
- Harbor Seals/Grizzly Bear
- Polar Bear
- Giraffe Feeding Platform
- Giant River Otters
- Gorilla Habitat
- Elephant Yard
- Rhino
- Chimp Window
- Flamingo
Related Post: Complete List of Virtual Zoo Tours
Aquariums
- Aviary
- Coral Reefs
- Jelly
- Kelp Forest
- Monterey Bay
- Moon Jelly
- Open Sea
- Penguin
- Sea Otter
- Shark
- Penguin
- Shark
- Tropical Reef
- Blue Cavern
- Coral Predators
- Dolphin
- Otter
- Pelican
- Sea Turtle
The National Aquarium offers free live cameras of a few exhibits during its business hours. Previously recorded videos are available when they are closed.
- Blacktip Reef
- Jellies Invasion
- Pacific Coral Reef
Related: 17 Free Virtual Aquarium Tour Ideas
Outdoor Interests
National Park Service – National Parks always make great field trips, but sometimes it isn’t possible to visit. Thankfully, the National Park Service offers quite a few resources to take advantage of from the comfort of our homes.
The resources include:
- Park webcams – there are so many available, including Ellis Island, Mammoth Hot Springs, and the Grand Canyon
- Virtual events
- Video tours of various parks
- Kids’ portal with activities to do at home
- Educators portal with lesson plans
- Distance learning field trips and lesson plans (suggested grade levels are noted, but there are programs for elementary through high school)
- Games
The Nature Conservancy – The Nature Lab at the Nature Conservancy offers several virtual field trips, complete with a teacher guide. Check out these options:
- Citizen Science, Frogs, and Cicadas
- Changing Climate, Changing Cities
- The Secret Life of Corals
- Borneo: The Symphony of the Rainforest
- View From a Canoe
- Wild Biomes: America’s Rainforests and Deserts
- The Coral Reefs of Palau
- China’s Great Forests
- Powering the Planet: Renewable Energy
- Journey of Water: Colombia’s Paramo
- Peru: A Coastal Ecosystem
- Ridge to Reef: A Virtual Field Trip to Hong Kong
In a perfect world, we could all go on all of the field trips we wanted. In the real world, we can all benefit from the technology we have available. Online field trips are a great alternative.
International Space Station – Most of us will never get to see the International Space Station in person, but we can take a video tour.
Keep reading . . .
- Free Virtual Aquarium Tours
- Free Virtual Zoo Field Trips
- 30+ Educational Field Trip Ideas for Homeschoolers
- Free Homeschool Resources
- How to Make Repeat Field Trips Interesting
- Educational Spring Field Trips for Homeschoolers
- Great Winter Field Trip Ideas
- Things to Bring on a Field Trip: Homeschool Edition
- Field Trip Planning Tips