virtual field trips with links

• Virtual Experiences
• In-Person Experiences
• Hybrid Experiences
• Social Calendar [New]
• Experience FAQ
• Features & Benefits
• How Pricing Works
• Client Testimonials
• Happiness Guarantee
• Blog Articles
• Video Library
• View Experiences

Virtual Field Trips: Ideas & Examples With Links

By: Angela Robinson | Updated: August 01, 2022

You found our list of the best virtual field trips .

Virtual field trips are class outings that take place online, via platforms like Zoom, Google Street View or websites. While some of these activities consist of pre-recorded tours and videos, the best options tend to involve live video feed and student interaction with guides. Examples activities include digital walks along The Great Wall of China and a scrollable deep sea dive. These activities are also known as “online field trips” and “digital field trips”.

These adventures are an example of online classroom activities and often include virtual tours .

This articles includes:

• interactive virtual field trips
• virtual field trips for students
• the best virtual field trip ideas
• free virtual field trips for kids
• live virtual field trips

Here is the list!

List of virtual field trip ideas

From virtual cockpit tours to online historical sites to do-it-yourself options, here is a list of ideas for virtual field trips to captivate and educate students.

1. Online Zoo (Behind the Scenes)

A digital zoo tour is one of the best virtual field trips for kids. While virtual trips may not let students see otters float, elephants play, and lions strut up close, a digital tour allows for more intimate behind-the-scenes access.

Your class can get close with the animals and walk paths usually reserved for zookeepers. While you may not be able to fit 30 squirming first graders into a baby animal nursery or an operating room, the guide can easily broadcast from these venues. Also, since the visit takes place entirely online, you can visit a zoo that is otherwise far from you.

Here is a starter list:

• San Antonio Zoo
• San Diego Zoo
• Cincinnati Zoo (self-guided tours, livestream safari and feeding times)

Many other zoos stream live animal webcams that you and your class can watch. You can also contact your local zoo directly to inquire about facilitated virtual tours and school group discounts.

During the online visit, your students can ask questions using the hand raising or chat features in the video conferencing platform. Once your tour concludes, your students can enjoy thematic snacks such as zebra cakes, goldfish, and of course, animal crackers.

Check our more virtual zoo tours .

2. Virtual Safari

When you do a virtual safari, your students can observe lions, elephants and other animals in their natural habitat. Wild Earth offers twice daily live safaris. Since the broadcast occurs on African time, your best bet is to tune in for the sunset safari, which live streams from 9:00am to 12:30pm Eastern Standard Time. The safari broadcasts from several nature reserves and features animals such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas. During the tour, viewers can ask park rangers questions. The unscripted nature of the broadcast lends an element of excitement, since animal sightings are always a surprise.

Learn more at Wild Earth .

Get our free team building toolbox

• icebreaker games
• bingo cards

3. Under the Sea Visit

Unless you are secretly Miss Frizzle from The Magic Schoolbus, you cannot whisk your class to the bottom of the ocean in a submarine. However, you can lead your students on an online field trip of the ocean.

The Deep Sea by Neal Agarwal shows all sorts of marine life in the ocean. Viewers can scroll deeper into the ocean, discovering the animals that dwell at each depth. For a fun pre-tour exercise, distribute a handout with the names of various species and challenge students to guess at which depth the creature lives. Then, check answers as you plunge further down into the ocean.

Journey to The Deep Sea .

4. Aquarium Webcam Livestream

The Monterey Bay Aquarium hosts live cams for animals, including sea otters, penguins, jellyfish, and sharks. Aquarium employees narrate during feeding time, so for maximum engagement consider tuning in during mealtimes. The aquarium website also offers free online classes for ages ranging from kindergarten to high school, resources for teachers, and crafts and printables.

Dive into the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s live webcams .

5. Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China

Your students can trek the Great Wall of China from the comfort of home. For $15, The China Guide offers a guided tour through high resolution images of the Great Wall of China via Zoom. Your students can also take part in question and answer sessions with an expert and have an interactive experience.

Stroll the Great Wall of China .

6. NASA Commercial Crew Program

Until recently, space wasn’t on the list of field trip destinations. NASA decided to teleport students directly to space camp by curating a virtual field trip that highlights its commercial crew program. Teachers can transmit a series of educational videos onto virtual reality sets to create an immersive experience. The tour guide leads virtual visitors through spaceship crew pits and launching pads while explaining the process of becoming an astronaut. The tour puts a heavy emphasis on STEM education and directs teachers to resources useful for supplementary science and math lessons.

Learn more about NASA’s at-home STEM activities .

7. Disney Parks Digital Tour

Most children dream of the day the teacher announces a field trip to Disney World. While students may not be able to ride teacups or roller coasters during a digital tour of Disney, they can still experience the excitement of the happiest place on earth by touring a high resolution Google Street view of the parks.

Students who have not yet visited Disney can see what the park is like, and those that have visited can point out sites and share stories. You can also include Disney history and lessons on the inspirations behind the attractions to make the tour more educational. Consider serving Disney themed snacks during breaks, and perhaps initiating a singalong during a music lesson. With the money you save on transportation and admission, you could even hire a beloved Disney character to pay the class a visit.

Learn more about Disney Parks Digital Tour .

8. Streaming Broadway Shows

Instead of escorting your students to a Broadway show, summon a Broadway stage to your classroom. Broadway HD has a library of hundreds of productions, including rare and obscure shows. While not in real time, most filmed productions on the site are of live shows. Your students can uncover hard to find productions and learn about American theatre history too. Broadway HD offers a one week free trial, as well as monthly and yearly subscription options.

Watch a Broadway show .

9. Virtual Reality Rainforest Tour

Even if you had the budget to fly your class to the Amazon, a real-life tour would be too risky for a field trip. A virtual tour lets students experience panoramic views of lush rain forests while learning about indigenous communities and conservation efforts. The tour is viewable as an immersive experience via virtual reality devices, or as a 360 degree video on regular devices. By participating in the Under the Canopy tour, students come to understand the importance of the rain forest and its connection to human life as a whole.

Embark on a virtual reality rain forest tour .

10. Computerized Cockpit Tours

Livestream cockpit tours make thrilling virtual field trips for high school students. While airline regulations call for restricted cockpit access, you may be able to find a private pilot willing to give your students a Skype tour of the craft. The pilot might even broadcast a quick flight.

If you cannot find a live guide, then the following organizations provide self-guided tours with pilot-perspective views of various aircraft:

• The Naval Aviation Museum
• Experimental Aircraft Association
• National Museum of the USAF
• Museum of Flight

Or, you could download and run a flight simulator that gives students the chance to navigate and land a virtual plane.

11. Living Rooms Around the World

A living room might seem like an odd choice for a virtual field trip, but a living room located across the globe is as fascinating as any other destination. You can plan a tour of foreign homes so that your students can learn how everyday life differs around the world.

If you know individuals in other countries willing to Zoom with your students, then you can reach out to these acquaintances and coordinate your experience directly. If not, then you can contact a foreign exchange program or local university for help. You can also watch the Life Where I’m From channel on YouTube, though live tours with question and answer sessions are more personal and immersive.

You and your students can also check out Dollar Street for a strong visual map of how people live around the world.

12. Virtual Tour of the Louvre

The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world, but many people will never visit in person. By taking your class on a virtual tour of the Louvre, you save airfare and time spent waiting in line.

The Louvre offers high resolution, 360 degree tours of various exhibitions on its website. Your class can explore Egyptian antiquities, classic Italian paintings, and the remains of an underground moat, all without leaving the classroom.

The Louvre site also directs visitors towards a downloadable “VR Mona Lisa” app that provides an up close peek at the famous painting, and other video and at-home experiences.

Visit the Louvre .

13. Online Tour of the British Museum

The British Museum’s online Museum of the World exhibit lets visitors view and sort artifacts based on time period, area of origin, and themes such as religion or trade. Each point on the timeline contains pictures, descriptions, an audio file, and links to related objects.

This format lends itself well to a virtual scavenger hunt . Solving an activity helps students focus and remain more engaged, which results in students learning more from the experience.

Explore the British Museum .

14. Digital Tour of the Van Gogh Museum

While the digital tour of the Van Gogh Museum fails to capture the paintings’ texture, it does offer contextual information on the artist’s most famous images such as Almond Blossom and Self-portrait With Grey Felt Hat . This tour also provides background information about Van Gogh’s life, with several narrative timelines.

Check out the Van Gogh Museum .

15. Google Meets Visit to the Guggenheim

The Guggenheim offers an interactive virtual museum experience. Booking a tour gives your class access to a guide for one hour, and your class will view three to five famous works and participate in an ongoing Q&A session. The museum educator facilitates activities that encourage students to engage with the art. All tours take place via Zoom or Google Meet.

Though the museum gears most tours towards grade school, they also hold separate online tours for university students and adults as well.

Book a Virtual Group Visit to the Guggenheim .

16. Computerized Career Days

Career day is a staple of the school experience. Typically, parents and community professionals visit classrooms to talk to students about various jobs. Online, these professionals can actually take students along on the job. Students can go to work with firefighters, underwater welders, cake decorators, farmers, or any other interesting vocations that do not mind taking the kids along.

Career days can be an ongoing series, with a five to 15-minute tour of a different workplace every session. This approach spreads the fun across a larger span of time by hosting a mini field trip every day, instead of condensing all the excitement into a single afternoon.

You can do online career tests too, or plan a virtual take your child to work day .

17. Remote City Tours

Tour guides in many cities offer a verbal history and visual slideshow via software like Zoom and WebEx. Remote city tours are one of the easiest-to-execute virtual field trip ideas. The guides already mapped the path and prepared the presentation; you only need to book the tour and show up with your class.

The crew here at TeamBuilding recently embarked on a virtual tour of Black Broadway in Washington DC and an online Harry Potter tour of Edinburgh, Scotland. Our team thoroughly enjoyed both tours and learned a lot.

18. Online Historical Sites

Many online field trips focus on learning about history. You and your class can visit significant sites all around the world and learn how these locations shaped modern history.

Here is a short list of historical sites with online experiences:

• The Sistine Chapel
• The Taj Mahal
• Ellis Island
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Gettysburg Battlefield

There are many other historically significant locations you can visit online.

19. DIY Virtual Field Trips

Some schools give students options to vote on the yearly field trip. Since online field trips use minimal time and resources, every student can design a dream trip. Instead of organizing a virtual trip yourself, you can assign the planning to your students. Every participant can design an itinerary by using Google Tour Creator .

Students may choose to explore areas such as the tombs of pharaohs, or the birth cities of American jazz. Your students will become the tour guides and teach peers about the chosen topic.

Most of these virtual field trips are available to anyone, and are free to access, meaning your students can visit or revisit the sites anytime. To make your activity extra special, seek out guide-led, live, interactive experiences so that your students can hold conversations with an expert. You can also supplement the trip with assignments and fun games.

Next, check out our list of games to play on Zoom, this list of Google Meet games , and this one with online art classes .

Book wildly fun team building events with expert hosts

FAQ: Virtual field trips

Here are some of the most common questions and answers about virtual field trips.

What are virtual field trips?

Virtual field trips are learning excursions that happen online through video conferencing software, livestream video, or digital map and photograph platforms. For example, a virtual zoo tour or an online visit to the Great Wall of China.

What are good online field trip ideas?

The best online field trips often revolve around experiences that are off-limits or logistically impossible for in-person visits. To keep students interested, these activities should involve interactive elements such as question and answer sessions, games, and special requests.

How do you do a virtual field trip?

The first step in planning virtual field trips is to decide on your venue and activity. You can choose between self-guided tours or live-guided experiences. Typically, live video and interaction makes for a more compelling visit. Once you choose your trip, pick a day and time for your visit and inform the students. You can plan additional activities like research assignments and presentations to enhance your student’s learning. You can also make the day special by providing themed snacks.

Author: Angela Robinson

Marketing Coordinator at teambuilding.com. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

That was so cool!! I am a child and I am making these things for my JK sister. This was really helpful. Thank you!!

Leave a Reply Cancel

Your email address will not be published.

Marketing Coordinator at teambuilding.com.

Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

• 45,000+ clients including Apple, Amazon, Google and NASA
• 50,225+ five star reviews on Google
• #15 on Inc 5000's List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America for 2022
• 80+ happy remote employees

We lead wildly fun experiences for teams with 1,000,000+ players to date.

4.96 / 5.0 rating on

50,225 Google Reviews

Virtual Team Building Events

From $20 per person.

• Choose from 30+ event types
• Fun for all team sizes
• Includes DEIB options
• Rated 4.96/5.0 on 50,225+ reviews

Enter your email for instant access

The Educators' Spin On It

Learning Games and Activities

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!

• Pinterest 34.3K
• Facebook 93.7K

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.

March 27, 2020 at 1:55 pm

Thank you this is cool not as cool as google earth

March 28, 2020 at 10:00 am

THANK YOU THIS IS AN AMAZING RESOURCE

April 20, 2020 at 2:06 pm

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

April 30, 2020 at 6:01 pm

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!

June 13, 2020 at 6:21 am

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.

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!

You Might Also Like

July Activities for Kids {Free Summer Activity Calendar}

Edible Flag and Crafts for the 4th of July

15 Easy 4th of July Treats for Kids

4th of July Star Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

Summer Olympics Themed Books for Kids

Let’s connect.

• The Best Tech Deals Right Now
• Is Spotify Premium Worth It?

The 19 Best Free Virtual Field Trips of 2024

Stuck at home? Travel virtually all over the world instead (but seriously, check out the Son Doong Cave)

• California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo
• The Ultimate Guide to Shopping Online
• The Ultimate Guide to Online Learning at Home
• Two-Factor Authentication
• The Ultimate Guide to Skype

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.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

• The 20 Best Free Learning Websites for Kids in 2024
• The Best VR Apps for the iPhone in 2024
• 19 Best Free Cloud Storage Services for Backup in 2024
• The 10 Best Apartment Websites of 2024
• 6 Great Virtual Reality Travel Experiences
• The 8 Best Free Roku Channels of 2024
• The 8 Best Camera Apps for iPhone and Android in 2024
• The 10 Best Free Online Classes for Adults in 2024
• The 6 Best Kid Coloring Apps of 2024
• The 16 Best Roku Channels of 2024
• 9 Best Free Online Earth Day Games
• The 22 Best Chrome Extensions for Chromebooks in 2024
• 11 Best Free Movie Download Sites for 2024
• 14 Best Free Apps for Streaming Movies in 2024
• The 8 Best Free VR Games of 2024
• Must-Have Apps for Kids Under 5

44 Captivating Virtual Field Trips to Explore from The Classroom

Virtual field trips are a great alternative to traditional field trips when obstacles such as budget or scheduling prevent in-person experiences. They also provide access to educational opportunities across the globe and throughout history, without the need for fundraising or permission slips.

You can also consider using a virtual field trip as a reward for good behavior for your students. Whatever the case, there are numerous tours and trips that are simply outstanding and captivating.

How do virtual field trips work?

Virtual field trips are a type of digital experience that enables students to explore different places, events, or experiences without having to physically leave their classrooms. These trips use technology to create an interactive and immersive learning environment.

Typically, in order to take part in a virtual field trip, you will need certain tech on hand:

• A computer and ideally as smart whiteboard in class. It’s best if students have their own tablets or computers. But this can be done with one large projector.
• Stable internet connection.
• Speakers for good audio in class. We love and suggest the Anker Soundcore speaker .
• Optional VR headset. Some tours are compatible with VR and provide an immersive experience.

You can use virtual field trips to boost learning outcomes by connecting them with particular lessons, units, or topics in the curriculum. To reinforce the ideas explored throughout the virtual experience, create follow-up activities or assignments.

The best virtual field trips for students

With that out of the way, here are Teach and GO’s top choices for virtual field trips:

The Vatican Museums Virtual Tour

Explore the extensive collection of art at the Vatican Museums and discover iconic sites like the Sistine Chapel. Discover masterpieces from the Renaissance period and take in the beauty of Raphael’s Rooms. You can also visit St. Peter’s Basilica.

Ellis Island Virtual Tour

Explore Ellis Island and discover the immigration procedure and the experiences of those who went through this important entrance to America. Ellis Island is one of the most important sites in American history. It was the main port of entry for millions of immigrants from 1892 to 1954.

Machu Picchu Virtual Tour

Explore Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca city nestled in the Andes Mountains of Peru, through a virtual hike. Begin with a scenic hike to the Sun Gate, where you will get an unforgettable view of Machu Picchu from the top.

The National Gallery of Art Virtual Tour

You should visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. There you can discover a wide range of art pieces, including paintings, sculptures, and other works of art. The museum features both permanent and temporary exhibitions, offering visitors the chance to learn about a variety of artists, cultures, and time periods.

Anne Frank House Virtual Tour

Explore the secret annex where Anne Frank and her family concealed themselves during World War II and gain understanding of their experiences. Take a tour of the museum, then view original artifacts from Anne’s time in hiding. Learn about her journaling and other writings.

The Great Barrier Reef Virtual Tour

Explore the vibrant marine life and ecological importance of the Great Barrier Reef, which is the world’s largest coral reef system. Dive in to find out more of the spectacular array of coral and marine life in this diverse and vibrant ecosystem.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Virtual Tour

Visit the Museum of Modern Art to see their extensive collection of modern and contemporary art, which includes pieces by well-known artists. From there, take a stroll through Central Park to appreciate its lush greenery and peaceful atmosphere.

Acropolis Museum Virtual Tour

You can explore ancient artifacts and sculptures from the Acropolis site by visiting the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece. The museum features a variety of exhibits ranging from ancient Greek culture to the modern era.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Virtual Tour

Take a virtual tour of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and discover the fascinating world of aviation and space exploration. Explore the incredible history of aviation and space exploration through interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, educational resources, and 3D models.

The Museum of Natural History Virtual Tour

Visit the American Museum of Natural History to see displays featuring dinosaurs, fossils, human evolution, and other subjects. Browse the galleries to learn about cultures and civilizations around the world, from ancient Egypt to modern India.

Palace of Versailles Virtual Tour

Experience a virtual tour of the Palace of Versailles in France, which includes its magnificent gardens and luxurious interiors. Explore the Hall of Mirrors, the Pyramids Room, and other historically significant rooms. Learn about the works of art that are housed in this breathtaking palace.

The National Aquarium Virtual Tour

Experience a virtual tour of the National Aquarium and explore diverse marine life in their natural habitats. Get an up-close look at the many species of fish, sharks, reptiles and amphibians that live under the sea.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Virtual Tour

Visit the Smithsonian museum to discover the exhibits and learn about the history and contributions of African Americans. Explore the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where you can learn about the African American experience through interactive exhibits and displays.

The Colosseum Virtual Tour

Discover the captivating history and impressive architecture of the ancient amphitheater by exploring the Colosseum, an iconic destination in Rome, Italy. Begin your visit with a guided tour inside the Colosseum, where you’ll find information about its construction and bloody past.

Galapagos Islands Virtual Tour

Experience and learn about the distinctive plant and animal life of the Galapagos Islands through interactive virtual activities. From listening to the songs of the endemic Galapagos mockingbird or exploring the archipelago’s unique lava landscapes, you can discover what this beautiful area of the world has to offer.

Galapagos National Park Virtual Tour

Experience the diverse wildlife of the Galápagos Islands by taking a virtual tour through its unique ecosystems. From the mangrove forests of Isabela Island to the dry landscapes of Santiago Island, you can explore each island’s natural habitat.

The National Museum of China Virtual Tour

You should go to the National Museum of China in Beijing to learn about the rich cultural and historical heritage of the country. Explore the various galleries and exhibitions that showcase artifacts from ancient dynasties, and get a glimpse into China’s past.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Virtual Tour

Explore the historical events that led to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as well as its impact on peace and world history. Learn about the complex decisions behind the bombing and its long-term consequences. Discover how this event shaped international relations, nuclear policy, and affected human lives.

Grand Canyon Virtual Tour

Experience a virtual tour of the stunning landscapes of Grand Canyon National Park. Take a journey through the breathtaking views of the canyons, rock formations, and colorful sandstone walls and Explore the fascinating history of this National Park.

The Pyramids of Giza Virtual Tour

Discover the secrets of the pharaohs as you visit the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, one of the world’s oldest wonders. Explore the tombs of kings and queens, admire the unique architecture, and learn about their fascinating history.

California Academy of Sciences Virtual Tour

Explore interactive exhibits about science, nature, and the environment at the California Academy of Sciences. From the four-story rainforest dome to live animal encounters, you can find something to explore for visitors of all ages.

Getty Museum Virtual Tour

You should visit the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California to see their famous collection of art and antiquities. The Getty Museum was founded in 1954 and is one of the largest museums of art in the United States.

The Hermitage Museum Virtual Tour

Visit impressive Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and appreciate its vast collection of artwork. Admire the works of Italian, Dutch, Spanish and French masters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Monet and others.

African Safari Virtual Tour

Experience a virtual safari and observe diverse wildlife. From the comfort of your classroom, you can take a trip to Africa and explore its stunning landscapes.

The Louvre Museum Virtual Tour

Visit the famous Louvre Museum in Paris, France to see its vast collection of art and historical artifacts. Explore the world-famous galleries and see some of the most famous works in history, including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Michelangelo.

The Great Wall of China Virtual Tour

Experience the breathtaking views and rich history of the iconic Great Wall of China by taking a virtual walk. With so much to take in, your virtual journey will be full of surprises and unforgettable moments.

National Park Virtual Tours

Students can explore the natural wonders and unique ecosystems of national parks such as Yosemite National Park and Yellowstone National Park through virtual tours.

NASA’s Langley Research Center Virtual Tour

Learn about the pioneering aeronautical and aerospace research conducted at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Explore the history of Langley’s groundbreaking achievements in aviation and space exploration, from its earliest days as the first civilian aeronautics research center.

The British Museum Virtual Tour

Explore the extensive assortment of art and artifacts from various civilizations and historical epochs by visiting the British Museum in London, UK.

San Diego Zoo Virtual Field Trips

The San Diego Zoo offers virtual field trips that allow students to watch live animal cams, discover various species, and participate in interactive activities.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Virtual Tour

Explore the extensive collection of artworks spanning various cultures and centuries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, USA through its virtual tour.

The International Space Station Virtual Tour

Explore the International Space Station (ISS) through a virtual tour and discover more about the experiments and daily life of astronauts in space. Learn about the unique opportunities and challenges of living in a microgravity environment through videos, interactive media, and more.

Google Arts & Culture – Perfect for students

Google Arts & Culture allows you to explore virtual tours and exhibits of a variety of museums, historical landmarks, and cultural sites from all around the world. With interactive experiences, videos, and photos, you can explore different cultures and learn more about their history.

In addition to virtual tours and exhibitions, Google Arts & Culture also provides educational materials such as articles, informative videos, and activities for kids to help them engage with the material.

Best virtual tours for students – Conclusion

Virtual tours can provide a great way for students to get an authentic view of what their day-to-day lives may look like in different places around the world. Whether it be a casual look at campus life or something more structured and technical such as science labs, virtual tours have the power to bring the sights and sounds of faraway locations right into your living room.

From national parks to foreign universities to cultural attractions, there’s truly something for everyone. With these amazing websites, you’ll always have access to exciting new adventures from around the globe.

Editorial Staff

Keep reading.

23+ Essential Teacher Supplies You’ll Be Glad You Had

From writing utensils to classroom organizers, create an engaging learning environment with essential teacher supplies and materials.

The 7 Best Teacher Desks Overall

We cover various desks for teachers. From the classroom, to the teachers office. We breakdown the best options at different price points.

9 Classroom Light Filter Covers That Transform Lighting

Improve focus and concentration with these helpful classroom light filters that will provide a calm and peaceful learning environment.

The 22 Ultimate Virtual Field Trips & Tours for Students

Written by Maria Kampen

Inspire your students to love learning with Prodigy Math.

• 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!

50 Amazing Virtual Field Trips to Make and Take

The power of the Internet has brought amazing options to make and take students on virtual field trips. These are free virtual field trips (with a few exceptions) and provide an engaging way to educate and entertain students of all ages.

Typically we think of these experiences as social studies and science related but they are a great way to complement both fiction and non-fiction texts for all grade levels. They can be integrated into many different activities.

Many of the virtual field trips offer a video tour or walkthrough. There are a few where you can join in at a specific time and see real-time events, such as animal feedings at a zoo. These experiences become interactive when you find ways to connect them with instructional goals.

It’s a way to let kids explore more of the world around them and it also builds background knowledge when your student is able to tour or visit some of these places in person.

Popular and Fun Virtual Places to Visit in the US

Zoos/aquariums virtual tours-.

Visit zoos in your home state, or any zoo that you consider to be the best in the US. You can visit more than one zoo and it’s a bonus if they have live webcams where you can drop in on some monkeys, lions or pandas!

Below are some links to zoos or animal related virtual field trips.

Columbus Zoo- Register for virtual learning adventures at the Columbus Zoo. If you can’t catch a live session, there is a link to visit archived demonstrations.

San Diego Zoo – The different experiences at this zoo will include a live tour as well as some surprise wildlife experiences. 

Georgia Aquarium

Houston Zoo – Live webcams so your students can watch elephants, giraffes, flamingos, and more in real-time.

National Aquarium

Zoo Atlanta – With four different experiences geared toward different grades, these virtual field trips are focused on teaching your students. 

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Dive with Turtles, Swim with Dolphins, or Swim with Jellyfish on Youtube

Farm virtual field trips-

Learning where our food comes from and how it is grown is so important. These farm-based virtual field trips are a great option to help students see a part of their world in a new way!

American Egg Board – Learn all about how egg farms work with videos from various egg farms and their owners.

Bright Farms – This includes a tour of a greenhouse as well as a quiz at the end.

Minnesota Ag in the Classroom

Animal webcams-

Watching animals in their natural habitat is a great way to learn about how they play, eat, and interact with the environment!

Live Bear Watching Webcam, Transylvania – Watch bears, deer, foxes, and other wild animals in real-time with these live webcams on YouTube.

Decorah Eagles Nest Cam, Iowa – You never know how many eagles you’ll see with these live videos!

Grace Gorillas Forest Cam, Africa – Meet friendly gorillas and watch their every-day lives.

Museum virtual tours-

Museums are a great place to learn more about people, places and events that have shaped our world. Below are some links to museums for virtual visits.

New York City Museum – You can choose from various museum exhibits geared toward grades K-12.

Boston Children’s Museum

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – This interactive tour experience allows you to make your way through the museum’s various exhibits, and they even offer narrated tours.

American Museum of Natural History – With teacher’s guides, videos, activities, and more, these virtual field trips include everything you will need to teach your students.

Colonial Williamsburg – These virtual field trips even include a scavenger hunt for your students to go on during the tour!

Metropolitan Museum of Art

British Science Museum

Wonders of nature virtual tours-

Visit some wonders of nature virtually. A great option to explore amazing places from the comfort of your home!

Carlsbad Caverns – An interactive experience exploring the caverns.

Grand Canyon – Virtual hikes, rafts, guided tours, and even lesson plans and activities can be found here!

Amazon Rainforest

Jokulsarlon Glacier and Ice Lagoon, Iceland- A 360-degree VR tour

Great Barrier Reef

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) Alaska

Popular attractions to visit in the US-

Visit some popular attractions in the US with these virtual tours! These virtual tours offer a fun and engaging experience for students.

Disney World – Travel through the different parks and resorts with ease with this virtual experience.

World of Coke – Two different tours focusing on the STEM side of Coca-Cola creation.

National Baseball Hall of Fame

The White House – A virtual tour, including Powerpoint materials to go with it!

Empire State Building

Yellowstone National Park – Get to know the park with virtual walks, story maps, and more.

Yosemite National Park

M&Ms Factory Tour

Mount Rushmore – Experience a guided or virtual tour, watch videos, and find lesson plans about this amazing landmark.

Popular virtual field trips around the world-

There are so many awe-inspiring places around the world, and the opportunity to view them virtually is a great way to learn more about interesting places and facts.

Machu Picchu – Visit ancient Inca ruins.

Musee D’orsay – Check out this museum in Paris, France home to famous Impressionist French art from 1848-1914.

Louvre Museum Paris

Buckingham Palace – View areas of the palace such as the two Drawing Rooms, the Throne Room, and the Grand Staircase.

National Geographic – National Geographic provides a lot of educational resources for parents and teachers. Explore such wonders as the world’s largest cave in a virtual tour.

Google’s Art & Culture – Tour famous sites and landmarks anywhere from a local museum to Mars!

Great Wall of China

The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

Taj Mahal, India – Panorama images to explore this amazing landmark.

Mount Everest, Nepal – 3D Map

Temples of Angkor, Cambodia – A recreation of Angkor that is built as an immersive student experience.

International Space Station – Take a virtual tour or watch videos about the Station and how astronauts are trained. Learn about NASA’s curiosity rover and much more!

How do you make virtual field trips into instructional experiences?

After experiencing all that these amazing virtual field trips have to offer, don’t let the opportunity to learn stop there! You can take any of these virtual field trips and turn them into deeper, instructional experiences. You could explore them for a Fun Friday activity and add some fun extension activities such as having some coke & M&Ms during the World of Coke tour and M&M tour!

For example, you could have younger students draw about what they toured and older students could write about what they saw or learned. For older students, this could turn into a research paper on any of the field trips that hold historical value. You could also ask them questions about what they saw or learned and prompt them to think about their experience in an active way, rather than simply viewing it for fun. Or, to really engage your students, have them draw a picture, create a craft, give you a presentation, or even have a scavenger hunt during the virtual field trip. There are so many great options to take a passive experience like a virtual field trip and turn it into a time of active learning!

Save For You or Share With Others:

You may also like.

52 Homeschool Fun Friday Weekly Ideas

A homeschool schedule allows for a flexible schedule and a "Flex Friday" or "Fun Friday." This is time set aside for a special activity that is less structured and adds some fun and unique learning...

Virtual Field Trips For Kids: 100+ Amazing Free Trips!

From zoos to museums, landmarks to famous wonders of the world, with these virtual field trips for kids, your kid can explore the world right from the living room couch!

All of these virtual tours come with links so you’re just one click away from a fun, montessori-inspired Geography lesson at home.

WHY DO VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS?

As the world adapts to a new normal, many teachers and parents have found that their tried-and-tested lesson plans no longer fit an online setting.

Plus, keeping younger children and preschoolers entertained and engaged with online learning can pose a problem!

Luckily, there are many innovative ways to nurture and foster a child’s natural curiosity; virtual field trips being one of them!

The culture, the sights, the sounds, all of it encourages a child to expand their horizons and think bigger picture.

All of these virtual excursions can be turned into fun lessons, and they don’t just apply to Geography either! English, History, Social Studies, Art can all incorporate virtual field trips into their lessons.

As a former educator, one thing I do know is that kids LOVE going on field trips (even if it is from the comforts of their own home).

To expand on the learning potential of these field trips, I’ve also included a few ‘on mission’ learning activities to get those grey cells working!

I’ve made sure to cover teaching ideas for English, Art, Cookery, Science and more to inspire you.

ARE THESE VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS FOR KIDS FREE?

Absolutely! At the time of posting, all of these virtual field trips are free. Simply click on the links provided and they will open to a virtual tour.

100+ HIGHLY INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS FOR KIDS [WITH LINKS]

You can use these as a home school activity or a stand alone educational tool.

Google Earth is also a great tool for kids to use to explore the world around them. In a couple of seconds they can be transported anywhere across the globe, like the Nevada Crop Circles or Australia’s famous Red Rock!

Google’s Art & Culture Program is another fantastic tool for kids to explore. Google’s World Wonders Project offers virtual tours of over 132 famous sites.

Everything from museums to world heritage landmarks!

You Might Also Be Interested In:

• 50 Crazy Fun Indoor Activities For Kids With Lots of Energy to Burn (That Are Low Prep!)

Ready to spend a little more time exploring this amazing planet we call home?

Let’s jump right in. Here are 100+ virtual field trips kids will love to explore!

VIRTUAL TOURS OF WONDERS AROUND THE WORLD

– Great Wall of China, China (This tour even plays local music to add to the atmosphere, so make sure your sound is on!)

– Roman Colosseum, Italy

– The Lourve, France

– The Pyramids of Giza, Egyp t

– Palace of Versailles, France

– Buckingham Palace, UK

– Houses of Parliament, UK

– Taj Mahal, India

– Mount Everest, Nepal (This involves 3D live tracking at the peak of Mount Everest!)

VIRTUAL TOURS OF ANCIENT LOST CIVILISATIONS

– Petra, Jordan

– Machu Picchu, Peru

– City of Pompeii, Italy

– Rapa Nui, Easter Island

– Temples of Angkor, Cambodia

VIRTUAL TOURS OF NATURAL WONDERS

– Amazon Rainforest (Have a Virtual Reality Headset? This tour is made for that, but you can still explore the rainforest without it!)

– Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

– Grand Canyon, USA (There is a guided and non-guided, ‘discover by yourself’ option).

– Icelandic Lagoons and National Park , Icelan d

– Jokulsarlon Glacier and Ice Lagoon, Iceland (This tour also plays music!)

– Great Barrier Reef (David Attenborough guides this highly interactive tour! It’s full of videos and guided exploration so your child can really feel like an explorer!)

– Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), Alaska (From dog sledding to reindeer sledding to staying at an ice hotel, watch the Nothern Lights glitter in the night sky!)

– Devil’s Pool, Victoria Falls

VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE PLACES TO VISIT (OFF-LIMITS)

These are probably our favorite list of virtual tours to include.

There’s something mysterious and fascinating about taking a peek inside places we shouldn’t be, or have virtually no chance of seeing ourselves!

– International Space Station

– Scott’s Hut, Antarctica

– Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway (This is a super interactive and fun tour to take! A lady narrates and talks about the vault whilst you ‘walk’ through it. Highly recommend).

VIRTUAL TOURS OF US LANDMARKS

These virtual field trips are perfect for national or US history homeschool lessons.

Take a stroll through Yellow Stone National Park, or hike through Monument Valley to discover the natural geological beauty the US has to offer.

– Empire State Building

– Ellis Island

– Monument Valley

– Yellow Stone National Park

– Hidden World of National Parks

– Glacier National Park

– Yosemite National Park (Highly interactive and fun tour to take!)

VIRTUAL TOURS OF SPACE

Have a budding astronomer on your hands? Kids will love these outer space virtual field tours.

Dive into the unknown world beyond our own and help kids gain a broader understanding of our beautiful solar system.

– The Moon

– Mars

– Space Shuttle Discovery

– The Sun

WILD ANIMAL AND ZOO VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS FOR KIDS

– Monterey Bay Aquarium

– Reid Park Zoo, AZ (Multiple animal webcams.)

– Reid Park Zoo , Meet the Animals Fact Sheets

– Houston Zoo , Animal Webcams

– Atlanta Zoo – The Pandas

– San Diego Zoo

– Smithsonian National Zoo

– Georgia Aquarium

– Cincinnati Zoo , Home Safari Resources

If your child doesn’t like animal captivity or you don’t want to support it, here are a few ideas for watching animals live in the wild.

These change often so be sure to check out the Youtube channels below!

– Live Bear Watching Webcam, Transylvania

– Decorah Eagles Nest Cam, Iowa

– Cayman Reef Fish Cam

– Grace Gorillas Forest Cam, Africa

For more live webcams of animals in the wild, check out Explore Africa and Explore Live Nature Cams ; both of which are popular Youtube Channels.

VIRTUAL TOURS OF US HISTORY

– The White House

– Mount Rushmore

– Liberty Bell

– Mount Vernon

– Colonial Willamsburg

VIRTUAL MUSEUM TOURS FOR KIDS

– Smithsonian National Museum

– Vatican, Sistine Chapel

– Pretend City, Children’s Museum . This museum does what it says on the tin; it’s a pretend model city for children to visit.

– Anne Frank Museum

– Van Gogh Museum

– British Science Museum . A full 360 experience! Lots of things to see and do in this virtual trip!

– National Art Gallery

– Franklin Institute . A 360 experience with videos throughout.

– George Washington’s Mount Vernon

– Boston Children’s Museum

– Lourve Museum

– Musee D’Orsay

– Metropolitan Museum of Art

UNDER THE SEA VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

As an ocean activist and education presenter, I LOVE anything to do with the ocean.

Given its importance in the world’s ecosystems, I figured it deserved a special place of its own.

Children of all ages will love diving with the turtles, exploring shipwrecks and even swimming with sharks! 

– Dive with Turtles . 360 experience.

– Watch Baby Turtles Hatch (Youtube)

– Swim With Dolphins . 360 experience.

– Explore Underwater Shipwreck in Bermuda (Youtube)

– Scuba Dive in a Coral Reef (Youtube)

– Great Hammerhead Shark Encounter (Youtube)

– Dive with Sharks (Youtube)

– Blue Whale Encounter (Youtube)

– Swim with Jellyfish

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS FOR PRESCHOOL

All of these virtual field trips can be viewed by preschoolers and toddlers, but for younger or lower-level students, it’ll be more about understanding what they’re seeing, rather than exploring locations in detail.

For example, you’ll want to make sure they understand what a ‘museum’ is, what you can find in a museum and their favorite finds during the virtual field trip.

– Pretend City, Children’s Museum . You can use this virtual trip for teaching directions, signs (lots of stop signs), names of buildings in a town, colors and measurements.

– LEGO House Tour (Youtube Video) Older preschoolers can listen to the Lego tour guide, whilst younger children can learn about colors, sizes, numbers, basic vocabulary etc.

– Slime in Space! 15 minute field trip to the Space Station with a science experiment all about slime!

– Dinosaur Discovery (Youtube). All of Caitie’s videos are perfect for preschool home learning.

ON MISSION VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP LEARNING ACTIVITIES FROM HOME

Once you’re back from your fascinating tour, why not try…

1. Drawing a picture of your favorite landmark or sight.

2. Coloring in your favorite art piece from a museum. This website lets you download coloring pages from over 100 museums around the world!

3. Creating a fact journal about what you learned during the trip.

4. Creating a quick presentation about the things you learnt and found fascinating.

5. Scouting an encyclopaedia or book to dig even deeper into your chosen location.

6. Finding an online quiz and test your sleuthing skills. See how much you can remember!

7. Cooking a yummy dish from that local region!

8. Creating a craft that represents the area you visited.

9. Counting how many animals you saw at the museums!

10. Describing what animals you found at the museums!

Which virtual field trip are you thinking of taking? There are just so many to choose from!

I personally love the ancient lost civilizations and impossible off-limit tours.

There’s just something so fascinating about secretive and distant places.

Charlotte Kirsten

Charlotte is a renowned Trauma Psychotherapist, Astrologer, and Founder of Typically Topical . With a background in psychology, astrology, and esoteric practice, her soulful guides are read by over 300,000 people every month.

For her work, she's been named UK Womenspire Woman of the Year, awarded the title of Yale Young Global Scholar, and featured as an expert across major networks such as Today.com , Best Life, Oprah Winfrey Network, BBC, Soul & Spirit, Psychology Today, Pop Sugar, Well & Good and Cosmopolitan. You can find her on Twitter .

4 thoughts on “Virtual Field Trips For Kids: 100+ Amazing Free Trips!”

they are the best

• Pingback: What Is Child-Led Education? 8 Unschooling Tips for Parents

Thanks for a fabulous post filled with great links! I added it to my Pinterest School Tools board. Love your site!

You have just made my day if not my whole year! Thank you so very much for compiling this list. You are making my life easier, my child’s life more exciting and that ust makesme smile! Wishing you many blessings, Lexi (South Africa)

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Don’t miss out on weekly freebies, teaching tips & more! Join the free email list:

68 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.

Free Virtual Field Trips Zoo and Animals

• San Diego Zoo : Live animal cameras and instructional activities
• Butterfly Garden : Learn all about butterlies 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

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

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. If you’d like to join the Little Learning Corner email crew, sign up HERE to get something new, fun, and helpful every week!

Before you go, here are some popular blog posts you may enjoy:

75 Fun Yes and No Questions for Kids

Why Kids Need Math Talks

4 Tips to Become a Teacher Blogger

Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Welcome to Little Learning Corner

We encourage play, nature, and learning for kids (PreK-1st). Click here to learn more about me.

find it fast

• Meet The Team
• Advertising/Media
• Disclosure & Privacy Policy
• 5 Steps to Start Homeschooling
• 100 Resources for the Newbie
• The Quick-Start Guide to Brave Homeschool Schedules
• The Brave Homeschool Planner
• Choosing Curriculum
• Day in the Life
• Homeschool Co-op
• Sneaky Learning
• What We're Reading
• Affording the Homeschool Lifestyle
• Natural Living
• Homeschool Bravely

50+ Virtual Field Trips to Take When You're Stuck at Home

US Locations

National Parks (on Google Earth)

Foreign Countries and Beyond

Other Virtual Field Trip-ish Links

More Field Trips Ideas

Set your homeschool day on autopilot, 3 comments:.

pretty sure the ship is the Vasa? a Swedish warship built to fight Poland but sank in Stockholm Harbor on her maiden voyage...

this does not work

• Our Mission

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.

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.

20 + Free Virtual Field Trips

This post may contain affiliate links.

Sharing is caring!

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.

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.

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

Table of Contents

Historical sites, outdoor interests.

Colonial Williamsburg – Check out a few of the historic Colonial Williamsburg exhibits online. The site is also currently offering teacher resources, printable coloring pages, recipes, and colonial craft directions.

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.

Smithsonian – The Smithsonian museums offer photos and information about their exhibits online.

• 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 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:

• Enlightenment
• Collecting the World
• The Waddesdon Bequest
• Egyptian Sculpture (this is an excellent addition to an Ancient Egypt unit study )
• Assyrian Sculpture
• North America
• China and South Asia
• Medieval Europe
• The Islamic World
• Roman Britain
• Europe and the Middle East
• Mesopotamia
• Roman Empire

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. One of my favorite tours is the Great Wall of China. This online field trip gives you a panoramic tour of this historic landmark.

J. Paul Getty Museum – This online exhibit includes a variety of types of art:

• Antiquities
• Manuscripts
• Photographs

This art museum also offers teacher guides full of lesson plans, online games, and videos for students.

Zoo live cams are a fun way to observe animals from a few zoos in the same day, even if they are not even in the same state.

Woodland Park Zoo

• Grizzly Bear

San Diego Zoo

• Polar Bears
• Burrowing Owl

Omaha Zoo – The Omaha Zoo is offering videos and activities that you can do at home with your family.

• Chinchillas
• Rockhopper and Gentoo chicks

Smithsonian National Zoo

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Detroit Zoo

Zoo Atlanta

Oakland Zoo

Milwaukee County Zoo

Kansas City Zoo

Houston Zoo

• Giraffe Feeding Platform
• Giant River Otters
• Gorilla Habitat
• Elephant Yard
• Leafcutter Ant
• Chimp Window

Monterey Bay Aquarium

• Coral Reefs
• Kelp Forest
• Monterey Bay

Aquarium of the Pacific

• Sea Jellies
• Tropical Reef
• Honda Blue Cavern
• Anthias and Wrasse

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

National Aquarium

The National Aquarium offers free live cameras of a few exhibits during their business hours. Previously recorded videos when they are closed.

• Blacktip Reef
• Jellies Invasion
• Pacific Coral Reef

Related: 17 Free Virtual Aquarium Tour Ideas

National Parks Service – National Parks always make great field trips, but sometimes it isn’t possible to go visit. Thankfully, the National Parks 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)
• 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.

Solar System – Isn’t the internet amazing? We can take interactive virtual tours of other planets without leaving planet Earth! Take tours of the planets, the sun, the moon, asteroids, comets, and even constellations.

International Space Station – Most of us will never get to see the International Space Station in person, but we can take a video tour.

Related Posts:

Welcome! My name is Jennifer. I am a teacher at heart. Before my children were born I was a public school teacher. Now, I am a homeschooling mom of two.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Bring your curriculum to life with Virtual Field Trips.

Take your K-8 students on a learning experience they’ll never forget, without even leaving the classroom.

Be a hero and take your students to places they’ll never forget!

Virtual Field Trips bridges the gap between your curriculum requirements and your resources so every teacher can give every student the memorable education they deserve.

Students' favorite teachers are using Virtual Field Trips.

Here’s why:.

“I teach socioeconomically disadvantaged 9th graders who are 2 to 3 years behind in their reading and writing. Virtual Field Trips are the best way to give my students something to write about.

We do one each Monday and they love them! They always ask me, “Where are we going today?””

“My 6th grade students are always excited to learn through Virtual Field Trips. The videos are so engaging and informative.

I don’t have time to learn new technology, so I love how easy it is to use Virtual Field Trips!!!”

“Virtual Field Trips has been such a blessing to my students and me. The theme in my classroom is ‘travel.’ Thanks to VFT, the pandemic couldn’t stop us from having weekly field trips.

Our virtual field trips are the highlight of each student’s week. This was by far one of the best purchases I made this year.”

Teach your students something they'll never forget

Support each and every student.

Some students need a little extra help to learn well. Our interactive videos and activities help you overcome physical, cultural, and economic challenges, so no student is left behind.

Cover your social studies curriculum in less time.

We design each video and activity to help you meet social studies, geography, life science, and ancient civilization curriculum requirements in each U.S. state.

Grow your students into global citizens.

Take your students on unlimited educational field trips throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

“There are so many topics included in their library that we study in the Primary School that it is well worth buying into and the children were mesmerized from the moment they began watching. The images were bright and colourful while the commentaries very informative and clear, leading to a lot of discussion afterwards. I definitely recommend it.”

Catherine S, 4th Grade Teacher, Spain.

Created by educators, for educators.

Hey, I’m Dale! I’m a traveler, educator, and parent of a special needs child. These three passions are why I founded Virtual Field Trips and created these videos for you to use in your classroom.

Visiting 40+ countries on six continents taught me the educational value of exposure to other places, cultures, people, wildlife, and landscapes. As an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology , I’m also passionate about serving other educators. And as a proud mom to a son with special needs , I understand the power of visual learning.

Virtual Field Trips and all its videos, quizzes, and activities are my way of helping you introduce your students to the marvels of the world around them, in a visual form that will engage and educate all your young learners.

It’s easy, it’s affordable, and, most importantly – it’ll help you teach your curriculum in the most fun & memorable way.

Become a member today! Your students will love you for it.

Virtual Field Trips videos are...

Easy on your budget.

Just $45/yr for unlimited access to our entire video and resource library! We promise it’ll be the best $45 you invest in your students.

Built for your curriculum.

We pack each video and worksheet with teaching that helps you meet your specific curriculum goals.

Overflowing with activities.

Each video includes printable worksheets and quizzes to help your students remember what they learned.

In English & Spanish.

We’ve translated our entire video and exercise library into Spanish. No student left behind!

Closed captioned.

Help your students follow along and understand every word with closed captions.

Easy to access.

No annoying log-ins! Just send your students the link and they can watch on any device (even their phone).

How much does it cost?

We know being a teacher doesn’t exactly put wads of cash in your wallet. That’s why we’ll always be affordable and accessible.

Video Membership

When you just need one video.

Unlimited viewing of 1 video

Post-trip quiz + resources for 1 video, access to closed captioned version of 1 video, cheapest option, teacher + classroom.

A whole year of unlimited field trips.

Unlimited access to the entire Virtual Field Trips library

All quizzes + learning resources, access for 1 teacher and all students, access to all spanish videos, access to all closed captioned videos, best value option for one teacher, school membership.

For the whole school.

Access for all teachers and all students

Best for school administrators supporting their teachers & students.

starting at

“My students love these virtual field trips and honestly can’t get enough of them. They ignite awesome writing.”

Mari, 1st Grade Teacher and Librarian in Toronto

Here's how it works:

Choose your membership.

Whether you need one video, a year’s worth of teaching, or a membership for your whole school, you can choose the membership that’s right for you.

Select your video.

Browse by grade, topic, or location and select the trip that fits your curriculum-specific needs.

Take your trip.

Show the video to your classroom, or send them a link to watch on their own time. Then, follow up with the video’s accompanying worksheets and quiz.

Here are more reasons why:

“ Thank you so much for providing such high-quality, informative, kid-level videos!  I am currently teaching government to my third graders and your video on how our government helps our communities is PERFECT! “

“ I just wanted to thank you for your beautifully filmed field trips and now the worksheets too! I take my students on a “remote” virtual field trip every Thursday and they absolutely love it. Its finally my chance to be Miss Frizzle from the Magic School Bus! The information is presented so clearly, and everything is so bright and eye catching. It has been a challenge finding appropriate field trips, without commercials, that will keep my students interested. You have provided exactly what I was looking for! !!!”

“ Yours is the FIRST website I have found since I started teaching 6th grade that is pitched perfectly to my kiddos! I GOTTA HAVE IT. “

You may be wondering…

Do not edit.

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Can't I just use free YouTube videos?

What if i'm not good with technology, do your videos work with my curriculum.

We provide K-9 teachers with student-centered videos for social studies, geography, life science, and ancient civilization curricula. Click here to see how which videos align with the curriculum for your state and grade.

How do my students get the videos?

When you become a member, you’ll get a unique video link to send your students. All they have to do is click that link and watch – no logins!

Can I download the videos?

Do i need any special software or tech, what do i get with my subscription, are subscriptions for a school year or a calendar year, where are the quizzes.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to the Learning Resources section and you’ll see the quiz file(s).

Will my students need to log in?

How long are the videos, can i cancel my subscription, join 6,500+ other educators in the free facebook group..

At Virtual Field Trips, we care a lot about teachers. That’s why we made a free-to-join Facebook group just for you! Join now to get:

Fun weekly activities for your students

Worksheets and organizers

Literacy ideas

Book suggestions

Links to hundreds of resources

Supportive community of other educators

Whether you’re teaching virtually, face-to-face, or both, we’re here to support you!

“You have a great site with videos that are outstanding. I like how easy your site is to use.”

Patti, 4th Grade Teacher , New Mexico

“You have brightened my day, as I have looked extensively for high quality virtual trips, and your site is one of the best I’ve found!”

Karen, 5th Grade Teacher, Minnesota

• Pinterest 440

Join Our List!

Get our Promo Codes, classroom ideas, latest video news, and more!

Join the thousands of your fellow educators who are already on our list.

You've successfully signed up!

Pin it on pinterest.

100+ Virtual Field Trips Your Kids Can Take from Home (The Complete List)

It’s pretty amazing that kids can now access fantastic videos and live web cams for free from around the world. Or, make that from around the solar system!  They can head on a safari, check out Mars, see world-famous museums and landmarks, and watch all kind of animals in real time.

Our team has come up with the best, most comprehensive set of virtual field trips for you. All you have to do is click and sit back. They can be viewed alone but are also great to watch as a family as you share ideas and reactions. (A tour of the sun. . . are you kidding me? So fascinating!) Find the ones that work best for you and check the live ones to see what’s going on that day!

Zoo Tours and Animal Cams

• San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games
• Live Cams at the San Diego Zoo
• Panda Cam at Zoo Atlanta
• 6 Animal Cams at Houston Zoo
• Reid Park Zoo in Arizona
• Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
• Ouwehand Park Polar Bear Cubs (Netherlands)
• Cincinatti Zoo Home Safari
• FarmFood 360  offers  11 Virtual Tours  of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs.
• National Aquarium in Washington virtual tour
• National Aquarium in Baltimore virtual tour
• Seattle Aquarium video tour
• Monterey Bay Aquarium live cams
• Georgia Aquarium has Jellyfish , Beluga Whales , and more
• Tropical Reef Aquarium (Long Beach)

National Parks and Nature

• Yellowstone National Park ! See the Mud Volcano , Mammoth Hot Springs , Old Faithful Geyser , and so much more.
• Interactive volcano map from U.S. Geological Survey
• The Nature Conservancy offers 11 virtual field trips
• Visit the Grand Canyon and view it from above
• Great Lakes Now has a virtual field trip for the coastal wetlands, algae, and lake sturgeon
• Explore Son Doong Cave , the world’s largest cave located in Vietnam.
• Aquarius undersea laboratory offers 360-degree images for a virtual tour
• National Parks Service offers ranger-guided virtual field trips
• Explore a coral reef in the Bahamas
• Amazon Rainforest Educational Tour
• Adventure sailing through Antarctica
• Mount St. Helens volcano
• Virtual African Safari to see elephants and hyenas in the wild
• African Safari Video of Etosha National Park in Namibia, Africa
• Visit Monument Valley
• 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
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
• Kenai Fjords National Park

Planets and Planetariums

• Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover
• Star Atlas allows kids to explore over 60,000 stars, locate planets, and watch sunrises and solar eclipses
• NASA has VR 360 Tours of their commercial crew program
• Tour the moon
• Virtual tour of the sun
• Tour the International Space Center
• US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama
• Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas explains the Space Launch System
• Space Shuttle Discovery Virtual Tour
• Boston Children’s Museum – Has a virtual tour that allows kids to explore 3 floors of fun.
• Met Museum – Has a special interactive map just for kids
• U.S. Space and Rocket Museum – See the Saturn 5 Rocket and more on this tour thanks to a real father/son outing.
• The National Museum of Natural History – Has virtual experiences to view exhibits.  The second floor Bone Hall is really cool!
• The Louvre – Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual field trip.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Has 26 online galleries to view.
• Colonial Williamsburg – Has eight different webcams to view.
• Museo Galileo – Has a virtual museum to view Galileo’s famous inventions.
• National Museum of Nature and Science in Japan
• Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
• National Gallery of Art in Washington DC
• National Archaeological Museum of Naples
• Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy
• Vatican Virtual Tour
• Find more museums here

Discovery Education

• Polar Bears and the Tundra
• Social Emotional Skills
• Manufacturing
• Yankees Stadium
• Dallas Cowboys Stadium
• Hockey Hall of Fame

Famous Landmarks

• Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life.
• Virtual Field Trip to Ellis Island allows you to tour the Statue of Liberty
• Secrets of Easter Island provides a virtual tour of the giant stone statues.
• Empire State Building 102th floor panorama view
• Interactive Pyramid Map of Ancient Egypt
• Galapagos Islands on the ship Endeavor II with National Geographic
• Ancient Greece virtual field trip
• Buckingham Palace tour allows you to stroll through the home of the Royal Family
• Taj Mahal Tour
• Red Square in Russia
• Visit the White House to see where the president lives
• The Alamo shows you where Davy Crockett made his final stand
• Mount Vernon
• Colonial Williamsburg
• Mount Rushmore
• Liberty Bell

Other Virtual Field Trips

• Google Street View allows you to go anywhere in the world to visit famous places and landmarks
• 360° Cities provides high-resolution panoramic images of locations all over the world
• Nearpod VR allows educators to take their classes on virtual field trips around the world on any device.
• Google Expeditions app allows you to do 900 different virtual reality experiences

Have any other virtual field trips that we should add to the list?  Feel free to let us know by leaving a comment below.

You might also like

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

20 Virtual Field Trips to Take with Your Kids

Virtual field trips are a great way to expose kids to new places all from the comfort of home. In this age of technology, so many museums, zoos and aquariums have set up virtual tours and webcams of their facilities. Now more than ever, is it easier to visit destinations around the world from the comfort of your couch.

The last couple of years has shown us how much we take being able to visit places for granted. Even something as ordinary as a school field trip became rare. So, we came up with a list of places you could visit using technology for those times when you can’t be there in person. Virtual field trips are a fun and educational way to visit places virtually and and “travel” without leaving home or school.

I’ve rounded up 20 virtual field trips that you can take with your kids. There are also lesson ideas, activities and book suggestions to extend the learning for each type of destination.

Art Museums

Visit some of the best art galleries in the world virtually. From Paris to New York to Amsterdam, kids can see priceless works of art from the world’s most famous artists.

• Louvre Museum, Paris https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
• National Gallery of Art, Washington DC https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-gallery-of-art-washington-dc?hl=en
• Metropolitan Museum of Art https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art
• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/van-gogh-museum?hl=en
• Uffizi Gallery, Florence Italy https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/uffizi-gallery?hl=en

Activities and Resources

• Choose a favorite painting or sculpture and create a copycat piece of art.
• Research an artist. This is a great book about some amazing artists kids should know about https://amzn.to/38QWQGf (affiliate link).
• Choose a piece of art to focus on. Describe it, tell why you chose it and how it makes you feel.
• Choose 2 works of art to compare.

Zoo webcams have allowed visitors to drop in on the habitats of some of the zoo’s favorite animal exhibits. Here are some highlights. Want more? Here is our complete list of virtual zoo field trips .

• San Diego Zoo https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos
• Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam https://youtu.be/_6wbfVWVk8Q
• Smithsonian’s National Zoo https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams
• Reid Park Zoo Lion Cam in Tuscon, AZ http://reidparkzoo.org/cameras/lion-cam/
• Ouwehand Park Polar Bear Cubs Rhenen, Netherland https://explore.org/livecams/polar-bears/polar-bear-ouwehand-twin-cubs-cam-2
• Take a Virtual Field Trip Lesson Plan
• Zoo Field Trip Worksheet Freebie
• Do more research on your favorite animal and make a guide.
• Research the habitat of your favorite animal. Use at home materials to create a miniature habitat.

Just like with zoos, aquariums have used webcams to let you visit their exhibits virtually. In addition, some aquariums have set up virtual tours led by their staff to give visitors a more in depth look at their facility.

• Monterey Bay Aquarium https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-and-exhibits/live-web-cams
• Georgia Aquarium https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/
• National Aquarium Virtual Tour http://samuraivirtualtours.com/example/nadc/index.html
• Virtual Tour of the Seattle Aquarium
• Aquarium Field Trip Worksheet Freebie
• Research your favorite sea animal and make a presentation.
• Watch Finding Nemo or Finding Dory. Identify the types of sea creatures in the movie.
• Watch Disneynature’s Oceans

Travel the World

In this day and age, it is easier than ever to travel the world without leaving home.

• Google Maps street view will allow you to visit almost any destination around the world. Check out this view from Pompei .
• Visit the Great Wall of China https://www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china
• Virtually discover Yellowstone National Park. https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
• Tour England through this 360 video .
• Take a live look at Colonial Williamsburg .
• Go on a virtual field trip to Ellis Island .
• Plan a trip to a new destination. What would you do, see, eat?
• Make a travel brochure for the destination you visited.
• Write a postcard from that destination. Include details about the place and what you can see there.

More Stuff to Do at Home:

• Virtual Field Trips: Zoos, Aquariums, Farms, and Safaris
• Virtual Visit to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
• Educational Shows on Disney+
• Imagineering in a Box
• 150 Educational Shows on Netflix
• Boredom Busting Bingo
• 1000 Free Disney Coloring Pages

Sharing is caring!

By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Homeschooling During The Pandemic – Live Love Mom

Wednesday 12th of July 2023

[…] 20 Virtual Field Trips to Take with Your Kids […]

Jess Lyn May

Wednesday 10th of November 2021

Virtual field trips has been helpful for the past year. It helps children to still learn even at home. Thanks for this cool resources. - Jen

Thursday 2nd of September 2021

Keep thiѕ going please, great job!

Caryn Smith

Thursday 22nd of April 2021

Thanks for sharing the great post

Thursday 7th of January 2021

• Integrations & Access
• Content Partners
• Science Techbook
• Mystery Science
• Pivot Interactives
• DreamBox Math
• DreamBox Reading Park
• DreamBox Reading Plus
• Social Studies Techbook
• Augmented Reality
• Professional Learning
• Career Connect
• Research & Impact
• Success Stories
• Leadership Blog
• Courageous Leaders
• Communications Resources
• Discovery Educator Network (DEN)

Virtual Field Trips

• Educator Blog
• Puzzlemaker
• Back-to-School Readiness
• Career & Technical Education
• Teacher Retention
• Supporting Literacy
• Education Funding
• About Corporate Partnerships
• Our Corporate Partnerships
• Join our Network
• STEM Careers Coalition

No permission slips required! These virtual events let educators take students to amazing places and give them remarkable experiences, without ever leaving the classroom.

Featured and upcoming virtual field trips.

Join us for our Virtual Field Trips or watch them on-demand after their premieres. Each no-cost Virtual Field Trip comes with a companion guide packed with standards-aligned, hands-on learning activities! Select one of the options below to register.

On-Demand Virtual Field Trips

Discovery education & the nba: a slam dunk partnership, “innovators for impact” virtual field trip with olympian katie ledecky and panasonic, bridge to the future: a virtual field trip into extended reality, arctic adventures: polar bears at play virtual field trip, the science & behavior of safe driving: it takes all of us virtual field trip, an ounce of prevention virtual field trip, the courage to act: forming a chain of resistance.

Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Forgot your password?  |  Learn about the benefits of TeachersFirst free membership.

TeachersFirst's Virtual Field Trips

Take your students around the world with this curated list of resources offering free virtual field trips. Visiting museums and famous landmarks may not be in your school's budget. The next best thing is taking students to visit locations around the world - virtually! Each review includes a description highlighting what is available at each site. Read the classroom use suggestions for additional ideas about how to implement these tools in your classroom.  

Take a look at our complete list of resources that offer  virtual field trips . 

Other TeachersFirst Special Topics Collections

Teachers Guide

21 Results | sort by: Most Recent First Alphabetical Most Viewed First

Virtual yosemite - virtual yosemite.

  Close Link

tag(s): glaciers (17), landforms (37), mountains (10), national parks (27), virtual field trips (79)

In the Classroom

Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member

Close comment form

You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites. Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).

Innovation Generation - Discovery Education

tag(s): careers (139), crafts (54), engineering (120), makerspace (41), STEM (265), virtual field trips (79)

Geo-fs Flight Simulator - GeoFS

tag(s): aviation (38), virtual field trips (79)

Take a Virtual Field Trip - Google Arts and Culture

tag(s): adaptations (14), africa (138), amazon (11), animals (284), archeology (25), architecture (63), aviation (38), california (16), central america (15), chemicals (39), climate change (88), colors (64), coral (10), dinosaurs (40), earth (184), earthquakes (45), ecosystems (73), endangered species (27), evolution (85), first ladies (4), flight (31), fossils (39), france (37), insects (69), inventors and inventions (71), italy (16), machines (14), magnetism (36), martin luther king (43), medieval (31), mexico (29), migration (44), molecules (42), moon (71), peru (6), presidents (121), railroads (14), rainforests (18), respiration (10), romans (34), shakespeare (93), south africa (11), van gogh (8), virtual field trips (79), volcanoes (56), women (137), world war 1 (72)

Gez.la Virtual Trips - gez.la

tag(s): virtual field trips (79)

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

tag(s): europe (75), germany (25), holocaust (41), virtual field trips (79), world war 2 (150)

OK2Ask: Engage & Inspire with Virtual Field Trips - TeachersFirst

tag(s): remote learning (59), virtual field trips (79)

Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants - Joe Grabowski

tag(s): animal homes (56), animals (284), conservation (85), ecology (100), explorers (66), oceans (150), space (214), STEM (265), virtual field trips (79), water (101)

Instant Street View - Nick Nicholaou

tag(s): maps (207), virtual field trips (79)

Virtual Field Trip to Ellis Island - Scholastic

tag(s): ellis island (6), immigrants (33), immigration (63)

BLVRD - Art. Virtually. Anywhere. - Robert Hamwee and Elizabeth L Reede

tag(s): art history (86), artists (78), england (50), great britain (16), museums (44), virtual field trips (79)

Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips - Discovery Education

tag(s): agriculture (48), animals (284), careers (139), constitution (88), design (79), energy (130), england (50), explorers (66), holocaust (41), lincoln (60), nutrition (135), pi (26), planets (112), shakespeare (93), spain (11), STEM (265), virtual field trips (79), weather (165)

Pompeii Virtual Tour - Google Maps

tag(s): romans (34), virtual field trips (79), volcanoes (56)

Roadtrippers - Roadtrippers

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (143), field trips (8), virtual field trips (79)

George Washington's Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon

tag(s): 1700s (36), presidents (121), virginia (14), virtual field trips (79)

Google Maps Treks - Google

tag(s): cultures (132), environment (237), images (256), maps (207), photography (118), virtual field trips (79)

Machu Picchu Virtual Tour - CUSCO

tag(s): architecture (63), explorers (66), peru (6), south america (36), virtual field trips (79)

360Cities - 360 Cities s.r.o.

tag(s): images (256), landforms (37), landmarks (18), virtual field trips (79)

The White House Tour - Google Maps

tag(s): presidents (121), virtual field trips (79), white house (15)

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument - National Park Service Department of the Interior

tag(s): colonial america (95), virtual field trips (79)

• Classroom Resources
• Bulletin Board Hangups
• BYOD Dream Tools
• Classroom Connection Events
• Classroom Planning Calendar
• Keyword Search
• CurriConnects
• Browse by Subject
• Instructional Units
• Lesson Plans
• MySciLife ®
• Reading Treks
• Reading Suggestions
• Ready to Go
• Special Topics
• Professional Learning
• Adapt-a-strategy
• Blog Basics for the Classroom
• Building Schoolwide Literacy
• Classroom Management
• Cycles Vs. Checklists
• Differentiated Instruction
• Dimensions of Creativity
• Hands off, Vanna!
• Infographics
• Instructional Playlists
• Middle School Dos and Don’ts
• Nourishing Gifted
• Professional Learning Log
• Rubrics to the Rescue
• Student Produced Video Field Trip
• TF Professional Exclusives
• Twitter for Teachers
• Webquest 101
• Wiki Walkthrough
• Writers Workshop
• Professional Resources
• Help! I Lost my Media Specialist
• Newbies/Substitutes
• OK2Ask ®
• Outside Sources
• Reading for All
• Resources for Teaching Remotely
• Tech How & Why
• Wiki Walk-Through
• Working with Parents
• Featured Sites
• Featured Sites Archive
• TeachersFirst Edge
• TF Update Archives
• What's Popular
• TeachersFirst Advisory Council
• Membership Info
• Sign Up (Free)
• The Source for Learning
• Tips for Using TeachersFirst
• Visitor's Agreement

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

FREE Ice Cream Coloring Pages! 🍦

The Best Fifth Grade Field Trips (In Person and Virtual)

Head count!

Being the oldest student on campus affords some privileges, not the least of which is a minimum of one awesome field trip. No baby field trips here. Take advantage of having more mature learners, and try one of these engaging field trips that you can only really do in fifth grade.

Not all of these trips will be possible everywhere, but keep in mind any local treasures that are unique to your area. And when you can’t manage a trip—for whatever reason—try our virtual fifth grade field trips below.

In-Person Fifth Grade Field Trips

1. tv station.

Current events are important in fifth grade, so take your students to learn what it really takes to put on a newscast. They’ll get to see the sets up close, meet the anchors, and maybe even be featured on the evening news (and what fifth grader doesn’t want to see themselves on television?).

2. Art Museum

Fifth graders can perhaps appreciate fine art in a way that younger students cannot. I remember being captivated by the impressionists at that age. I’m not saying a 10-year-old won’t laugh at a nude statue or painting, but they just might learn to appreciate it. And they should.

3. College or University

As they approach middle school, now is an ideal time to get fifth graders thinking about higher education. Take a tour, observe a class, meet college students, and visit a sports complex, bookstore, or library to get a feel for college life.

4. Community Theater

Children’s theaters often have options for older students, but for fifth graders, a local community theater is also a possibility. Lots of musicals are fifth-grade friendly. They might also enjoy an adaptation of a classic like The Secret Garden or Peter Pan , which local theaters frequently put on.

5. History Museum

Fifth grade social studies focuses on all 50 states. If they already went to the state history museum in fourth grade, you might try something with more national relevance, like a manuscript museum (I saw Richard Nixon’s actual resignation letter in Tacoma, Washington!).

6. State Capitol

Bring your government and civics unit to life with a visit to your state capitol. Try to time your visit for when Congress is in session so kids can get a peek at representative democracy in action. If they can meet some elected officials, even better!

7. Local Creek, Pond, or Lake

Plan to spend some time outside with your fifth graders. This might include a clean-up event to get students involved in community service. It could also be an opportunity to observe plant and animal life or take water samples for testing.

8. National Historic Site

There are plenty of sites that are significant to your state, but what about those that played a role in U.S. history? For example, Pearl Harbor in Hawaii or the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama. Check out the full list of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state .

9. Botanical Garden

Most botanical gardens offer a self-guided tour option, which is a great way for students to take in the diversity of plant life. Bring notebooks and let them sketch! And consider adding on a hands-on plant science workshop (like a flower dissection!) if that’s available.

10. Ropes Course

You might consider this a “just for fun” field trip, but students will learn teamwork, cooperation, and strategy through the obstacles. Ropes courses are self-esteem boosters, and fifth graders moving on to middle school could use a good dose of confidence.

11. Planetarium

If you’re looking for an out-of-this-world experience for your STEM-loving fifth graders, take them on a trip to a planetarium. They’ll get a chance to stargaze while learning all about the wonders of space.

12. Concert Hall

If you’re within driving distance, consider a trip to a philharmonic or symphony concert hall. Some venues offer special programs to schools, and others allow schools to attend rehearsals for an upcoming show. Local concert halls are another great option to foster music appreciation through choral groups, jazz bands, and more musically talented community members.

13. National, State, or Local Park

Depending on the location, there may be options for a guided tour by a park ranger or a self-guided tour. Either way, your students will enjoy learning about wildlife and plants while getting some exercise and fresh air. Many parks even waive admission fees for educational groups.

Virtual Fifth Grade Field Trips

1. amazon robotics fulfillment center tour.

Ever wonder how Amazon delivers packages at lightning speed? Take your fifth graders on a 45-minute behind-the-scenes tour of an Amazon fulfillment center  to see how computer science, engineering, and real people work together to make the magic happen. During this interactive virtual field trip, students meet Amazon engineers who explain concepts like algorithms and machine learning. It’s aligned to NGSS, CSTA, and ISTE standards, and there’s also a Teacher Toolkit that includes a facilitation guide plus student worksheets, certificates, and extension learning opportunities. (Hint: If you like this virtual field trip, look for the release of more Amazon Future Engineer Tech Tours. The next one, Space Tour, will be available in October 2022.)

2. Slime in Space

Nickelodeon teamed up with two astronauts on the International Space Station to demonstrate how slime reacts to microgravity and had kids reproduce those same demonstrations back here on Earth. It makes for an amazing 15-minute virtual field trip!

3. U.S. Census Bureau

Kids can learn about the 2020 Census and how census data is collected and used. This virtual field trip also features interviews with subject matter experts and an interactive challenge.

4. Ellis Island

Want to enhance a unit on immigration at the turn of the century? Look no further than this virtual field trip to Ellis Island , the former immigration inspection station in New York Harbor that is also home to the Statue of Liberty.

5. Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bring the iconic New York museum into your classroom or home! Experience the Met online with any of the 26 online galleries , including Christian Dior: Ball Gowns and The Art of Music Through Time.

6. Google Arts & Culture

A collaboration with more than 1,200 leading museums and archives, Google Arts & Culture is an incredible source for learning about monumental works of art. We recommend the Street View virtual tours as well as Art Zoom guided tours.

7. National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center serves as a “headquarters for civic education.” Their main exhibit, Story of We The People, guides visitors through milestones in America’s history while revealing how the U.S. Constitution is as important today as it was in 1787. Check out the Interactive Constitution section , and be sure to watch the virtual tour .

8. Colonial Williamsburg

This living-history museum provides a look into life in an early American community. The website offers eight different webcams , featuring areas such as the tavern, the armory, and the market house.

9. National Park

If you can’t take an in-person trip to a national park, there are plenty of virtual field trip options for fifth graders. For example, you can learn about glaciers, fjords, and volcanoes during this virtual field trip to Alaska and Hawaii national parks . There are also virtual field trips available to Wyoming and Utah national parks , California and Nevada national parks , as well as Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Colorado national parks .

What are your favorite fifth grade field trips? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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

You Might Also Like

260+ Field Trip Ideas for Grades Pre-K Through 12 (In-Person and Virtual)

Get out of the classroom and explore the world! Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

National Museum of Natural History Virtual Tours

Access the tours.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room tours of select exhibits and areas within the museum from their desktop or mobile device. Visitors can also access select collections and research areas at our satellite support and research stations as well as past exhibits no longer on display.

Virtual Tour Tips

• To navigate between adjoining rooms in the tours, click on the blue arrow links on the floor or use the navigation map in the upper right of the presentation screen.
• Look for the camera icon which gives you a close-up view of a particular object or exhibit panel.
• Try zooming in as some of the images are stitched together from individual pictures in order to create very high resolution gigapixel images.

Please note: This tour and these presentations have been tested and should work on all common devices, browsers, and operating systems (using a desktop computer with Windows, Mac, Linux or a mobile device such as an iPhone, iPad, or Android). Functionality and appearance may vary as it will adjust automatically to accommodate the most visitors. While the virtual tour has no advertising, ad blocking software or browser settings that block JavaScript and/or XML may interfere with the functionality of the virtual tour. Please let us know what you think of the tour and how the experience can be improved. Send your feedback to the NMNH Web Team .

Site Credit: Imagery and coding by Loren Ybarrondo

Equipment Used: Professional Nikon digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera bodies and lenses. The photography is typically done using rectilinear lenses with minimized distortion and shooting equirectangular panoramas at 22K pixels on the long side.

Software Used: No authoring software is used. The tours are hand-coded in HTML5 and JavaScript using the krpano graphics library.

• Smithsonian Institution
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Host an Event