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Even if you're having to stay at home, you can still explore the world, see nature and visit many inspiring places through web cams and virtual tours.  Here are just a few ideas! 

Sections to explore below include:
Art Galleries, Aquaria & Zoo Cams, Museums, Nature & wildlife, Space & Science, Sport, Theatre and Entertainment, Travel.

Art Galleries

Content from 1200+ museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Culture Institute.

The museum Offers both virtual tours of their extensive collection of art treasures and a 'museum view' to explore the museums many spaces.

A chance to visit the world-renowned and iconic Louvre art gallery in Paris, France.

Tour of the National Gallery in London - immerse yourself in Renaissance masterpieces from Northern Italy, the Netherlands and Germany, including works by Titian, Veronese, and Holbein in the 

Uffizi Gallery
Visit Italy's iconic Uffizi gallery to see its world famous collection.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam 
Take a virtual tour around the museum at this site. 

 

Aquaria & Zoo Cams

Check out the panda cam, or tune in to see the penguins, koalas and other animals. 

 

Watch penguins, lions, giraffes and barn animals through their web cam feeds.

Georgia Aquarium has a variety of live web cams allowing you to view the beluga whale, sealions, piranha and more.

 

Festivals

Stonehenge is an ancient, prehistoric world heritage site which has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice for thousands of years - take a virtual tour here.

On 21 June for the first time ever, English Heritage will live stream the summer solstice on their social media channels.

Museums - Virtual Tours

A chance to check out ancient Egyptian mummies and so much more with a virtual tour of the world’s oldest national public museum.

Explore the National Museum of the US Airforce via their virtual tour - a 360-degree, self-guided tour of the entire museum, navigating from gallery to gallery.

Get a flavour for the exhibits by taking a virtual tour of the collections at the RAF Museum in Hendon, London.

The Smithsonian Institute allows online visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room tours of select exhibits and areas within the museum.

Nature & Wildlife

Explore - Live Animal Cams 
Live cams to see many different animals including African Wildlife Cams

Connect to the BBC's vast wealth of nature and science documentaries - link here. 

Wildlife Trust Cumbria - watch badgers and other wildlife.

Experience our planet's natural beauty and examine how climate change impacts all living creatures in the ambitious Our Planet documentary series from Netflix available on You Tube  - offered for a short time without signing up (please check!). 

Check out many ways to connect with nature with the WWF - link here. 

Want to lift your spirits? Take time out from the tech' and head out for a stroll.  Walking is known to reduce anxiety and stress and can even improve sleep.  Short walks in nature can really boost your mood especially if you do so mindfully -notice the flowers, bird song, sunsets, cloud formations around you...  Take a look around you and appreciate nature.   

You may like to join a group such as the Ramblers Association to get you started and for first time ramblers, take a look at their safety guide here
  
Or, you can search for Spring nature walks near you with this National Trust guide.

My Octopus Teacher is an Oscar winning wildlife documentary about an octopus with a strong message for mental health.  Watch as a filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning from her as the animal shares the mysteries of her world. Stunning footage and a wonderful story line that will really reel you in!  Available on Netflix (subscription required).  Watch the trailer here.

Check out the free nature & creativity programmes at the Wildmind Project for mental health and wellbeing in Hounslow, Richmond and Kingston, UK areas. 

Enjoy the ancient Japanese process of relaxation known as 'forest bathing' or 'shinrin yoku'- simply immersing yourself in the soothing sounds of nature with this calming video by Forestry England.  The simple method of being calm and quiet, observing nature whilst breathing deeply can help both adults and children de-stress and boost health and wellbeing in a natural way.

Space agency NASA help to 'bring the universe to your home' with this site offering videos, ebooks, podcasts, virtual tours, activities for kids and more on everything space related. 

Sport and Activities

For the adventurers among you - from mountain biking and skydiving to snowboarding and surfing - you can experience the adrenalin from the comfort of your own home with these 360 degree virtual reality films from Veer TV. 

Take to the slopes and experience the thrill and beauty of the Rosa Khutor Ski resort in Sochi, Russia in this 360 degree VR video.

Theatre and Entertainment

While the NT is closed during the outbreak, join them every Thursday from 2 April 2020 for much-loved National Theatre Live productions, free to stream on YouTube for seven days.

Starting from 2 April with the online premiere of 

APRIL 2020 - FREE SCREENINGS: 
2 April - One Man Two Guvnors 
9 April - Jane Eyre
16 April - Treasure Island
23 April - Twelfth Night 

 

A range of train ride videos from Saalbahnhof travelling scenic rides across Norway.