There are hundreds of free virtual museum tours that you can take with your kids. What a magical thing it is to be able to visit a world class museum from home – no standing in line, no bustling around an exhibit to get a closer look and no tired feet at the end of the day. We found the best free virtual museum tours that your kids can visit today!
Virtual Museum Tours for Kids – Free
Whether you are using virtual museum tours as part of entertainment, eLearning, homeschooling, homework or just for fun, these trips around the world will be educational and full of adventure. Let’s enter the magical world of virtual museum tours!
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What is a Virtual Museum Tour?
Many of the world’s best museums closed for a period of time during 2020, but wanted to offer ways for visitors to visit and learn. Virtual museum tours were born as a way to experience the museum from home touring it through your computer or phone and see the exhibits inside the museum just like you were touring on foot. The good news is even though years have past, many of the virtual museum visits still are alive online as museums found a new way to reach new visitors!
Google Arts & Culture Virtual Museum Tours
The first virtual museum tour for kids we want to suggest isn’t just a museum! It is a destination for all sorts of amazing works. Google has partnered with over 2000 museums, galleries and associations to bring a curated collection to your home.
“Visitors” can choose from more than 500 galleries and museums to experience from the comfort and safety of their own couch, thanks to a massive project organized by Google Arts & Culture. We have highlighted several of our favorites in this article.
Choose from a list of over 500 galleries and virtual museum tours at Google Arts & Culture
Favorite Free Virtual Museum Tours
You could spend hours, days and weeks exploring all the virtual museum tours of museums you may know…and many that you don’t. Some of my favorites include…
1. NASA
NASA – Washington, United States – NASA has over 40 online exhibits for kids to explore from The Mars Mission to Mars as Art. With over 150K items to discover, this virtual tour will transport you beyond the four walls of your house!
Take a virtual museum tour of NASA
2. National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – Washington, United States – this is one of my very favorite places in the entire world. Normally you would have to travel to the National mall in Washington, DC but now you can look through the archives of the Earth’s physical, cultural, and biological diversity through the curated items they chose for this virtual museum tour project which is over 65K items!
Take a virtual museum tour of the National Museum of Natural History
3. Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower – Paris, France – Virtually tour the Eiffel Tower and walk back in time through the construction and inauguration with the online exhibit tours. You may not get a full picture of how massive the structure feels when you are standing below it, but it is a really fun virtual trip.
Take a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower
4. Life
Life Photo Collection – New York, United States – This is a photo tour through the iconic images we have all seen through LIFE magazine that was founded in 1936. Set aside some time because this collection has over 4 million items. Amazing photo art!
Take a virtual tour through the LIFE Photo Collection
5. National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico
Mayan civilization artifacts, need I say more? With 23 rooms, there’s even more to see and experience in this museum; after all, the architecture of the building is also innovative.
Take a virtual museum tour of the National Museum of Anthropology
6. Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a place you really need to see in person if you can, but in the meantime, they have really cool live cams from 7 am to 7 pm PT that you can visit online. Right now there is a Kelp Forest Cam that is really cool to watch. They also have a sea otter cam, aviary cam, jelly cam, moon jelly cam, penguin cam, open sea cam, Monterey Bay cam and a shark cam!
Take a virtual tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Cam
7. Easter Island
You can get up close and personal exploring the Moai. Follow along with the information and look at the unusual landscape…and more!
Take a virtual tour of Easter Island
8. Harry Potter Exhibit at the British Library
Dive deeper into the story of Harry Potter with the British Library. There is so much Harry Potter goodness to explore and if you are at home, you don’t have to be quiet in the library!
Take a virtual library tour of the British Library with Harry Potter
Children’s Museums with Virtual Tours
Some of my favorite museums were created with kids in mind. And many of these amazing and magical places now have free virtual tours for students or kids of all ages.
9. Boston Children’s Museum
The Boston Children’s Museum embraces play as learning for kids in a really fun hands on way. If you can’t make it to the museum, you can visit it with a 3D self guided tour through each floor!
Take a virtual museum tour of the Boston Childrens Museum
10. Children’s Museum Houston
Can’t visit the museum in person? The Children’s Museum Houston has come up with the next best thing…3D virtual field trips. You can explore the museum and hands on activities just like on an IRL visit.
Take a virtual museum tour of Children’s Museum Houston
Virtual Art Museum Tours We Love
Here are just a few art museums I’m excited to share with my kids. These make great virtual museum tours for students free or as entertainment from home.
11. MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art – New York, United States – you can explore by collection or browse the art. They currently have an online exhibit of Sophie Taeuber-Arp
Take a virtual museum tour of MoMA
12. The Louvre, Paris
From the remains of the Louvre’s moat to Egyptian artifacts, get a glimpse into one of Paris’s top destinations.
Take a virtual museum tour of The Louvre
13. The British Museum, London
Wander through the iconic London museum virtually and see an array of artifacts in addition to cultural treasures like the ancient Rosetta Stone.
Take a virtual museum tour of The British Museum
14. The National Gallery, London
The National Gallery – London, United Kingdom – The cool thing about London’s National Gallery is that you will walk through and RECOGNIZE so many great works of art. What I love about the virtual museum tour is that there are 40 online exhibits to explore in addition to the collections.
Take a virtual museum tour of The National Gallery
15. Sorolla Museum
Museo Sorolla – Madrid, Spain – you can explore the art of Joaquin Sorolla which is absolutely breath-taking and feels just a like a vacation on the beaches of a Spanish island.
Take a virtual museum tour of the Sorollo Museum
16. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
Hop between the four buildings of the only modern/contemporary art museum in Korea in their virtual tour.
Take a virtual museum tour of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
17. Kunsthaus Zurich
Kunsthaus Zurich – Zurich, Switzerland – This is one museum I haven’t been able to visit in person so it is really cool to get a virtual museum tour of the amazing art collection.
Take a virtual museum tour of Kunsthaus Zurich
18. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Explore art and history with pieces ranging from the years 1200 through 2000 in this massive exhibit in Amsterdam… including some pieces by Rembrandt.
Take a virtual museum tour of Rijksmuseum
19. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Paintings, drawings, photographs, illuminated manuscripts, and sculptures, oh my. The pieces on display in this virtual museum tour hail from the 8th through the 12th century and are from around the world.
Take a virtual museum tour of The J. Paul Getty Museum
20. MASP, Brazil
Dubbed the first modern museum in Brazil, not only is the artwork incredible, but the way it’s displayed is innovative. Artwork is suspended from the ceilings using perspex frames.
Take a virtual museum tour of MASP – Museu de ARte de Sao Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
21. Ohara Museum of Art
Ohara Museum of Art – Kurashiki, Japan – This beautiful museum has a true virtual tour that kids can take through the halls and exhibit halls.
Take a virtual museum tour of Ohara Museum of Art
While virtual museum tours aren’t nearly the same as experiencing a place firsthand, I, for one, am thankful for this incredible resource, and I hope my kids are too.
More Virtual Fun from Kids Activities Blog
Which was your favorite virtual museum tour for kids?
