Did you know that many wonderful museums around the world offer virtual tours? Have you ever wanted to take your kids to NASA’s research centre, visit the British Museum in London or explore the Museo Galileo in Florence? Well, now you can go on a field trip to all of these places and more, right from the comfort of your own home! Kids can learn about everything from history and science to archaeology, oceanography, aircraft and space travel!
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NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton
Other than the Virginia Air & Space Centre, the vast majority of NASA’s world famous Langley Research Centre (comprising nearly 200 facilities over 764 acres) is not open to the public. So visiting virtually is the only way to see what goes on behind the scenes at this fascinating facility! You can see everything from workshops and labs to wind tunnels and data centres, learning about the centre’s work in aeronautics, space exploration, Earth science, and technology. You can begin the virtual tour here.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force, Ohio
This is a must-visit for any aeroplane fans, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display! Through this virtual tour, visitors can explore the entire air museum from gallery to gallery. The museum also offers podcast tours here, and a library of Cockpit360 images, with amazing images from inside aircraft such as Air Force One. You can even check out the presidential private suite on board!
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC
The most visited natural history museum in the world, this museum is dedicated to natural and cultural history. It houses over 45 million specimens of animals, rocks, human remains and human cultural artefacts and more. Their virtual tours allow members of the public to go on a self-guided tour through the museum to check out all the exhibits, collections and research areas. Just follow this link to start your virtual tour.
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
The most visited museum in Mexico, the National Museum of Anthropology showcases the country’s collection of art objects, artefacts, sculptures and more, from ancient civilisations to present-day indigenous groups. You can now explore all its virtual exhibitions here.
British Museum, London
Dedicated to human history, art and culture, the British Museum is home to one of the most comprehensive permanent collections in the world. It could be a challenge to get around to see their millions of works in person, but doing so virtually is easy! The Museum offers an extensive online collection here. It also has a full virtual reality tour here. Whether you want to see the Rosetta stone or Egyptian mummies, this is the place to visit!
Museo Galileo, Florence
This Italian museum is dedicated to the astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei and features scientific instruments, the Medici Collections and Lorraine Collection. You can see telescopes, globes, experimental apparatus, machines and more. You can visit the museum’s numerous virtual exhibitions here. And you can find the museum’s virtual tour here. If you have a budding astronomer, they might also be interested in apps that help you identify stars.
Oxford University’s History of Science Museum, Oxford
This fascinating museum houses a leading collection of scientific instruments from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, and is home to the iconic Einstein’s Blackboard. You can take a virtual tour of the museum here to explore its collections. You can also scroll to the bottom of the museum’s homepage to find short films revealing how amazing scientific instruments from the museum’s collection work.
The Acropolis Museum, Athens
This archaeological museum showcases the findings of the Acropolis of Athens, with artefacts from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine eras. You can explore the museum through this virtual tour.
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Over 2,500 museums and galleries around the world have partnered with Google Arts and Culture to offer virtual tours. You can find these all here.
Or click below for details of other amazing virtual tours you can take in:
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