You may not be able to leave the confines of your home, but there are ways for you to escape to other destinations. We found palm-tree dotted beaches that you can visit, a rollicking Instagram Live dance party to join, top-notch museums to explore, high-octane Formula 1 races to watch and so much more.
Get ready to travel all over the globe with these virtual experiences.
BASK IN BEACHES
If you expand Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui’s live cam or Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort’s footage on the computer and sip a mai tai, you’ll almost feel like you’re in a tropical Hawaiian paradise.
When you need a change of scenery, pull up Miami’s live webcams to gaze at the blue waters and swaying palms from spots like South Beach and Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Acqualina Resort & Residences in Sunny Isles. There’s even an underwater camera showing the fishes.
This area encompasses 39 cities from Boca Raton to Palm Beach. Wander through the various beaches in this live cam collection or go for a virtual bike ride on the Palm Beach Lake Trail.
One of the United States’ top stretches of sand resides among mansions on Long Island’s south shore. Tune into Coopers Beach’s live feed to see placid waters.
Pick your preferred beach among Greater Fort Lauderdale’s live cameras, whether it’s the scenic surf of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea or the airboat-lined Everglades.
TOUR ZOOS
San Diego Zoo
Get an up-close look the more than 3,500 rare and endangered animals with the zoo’s live cams. Peek at the African penguins, giraffes, tigers and more 24 hours a day. There’s something calming about watching a koala curled up on a branch sleeping. Bonus: Although panda mom-and-son pair Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu returned to China, the zoo offers archival footage of the bears.
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
The zoo hosts Home Safari Facebook Lives daily at 3 p.m. EDT that introduce you to residents like darling little Fiona, who was born in 2017 six weeks premature — she was the smallest hippo ever to survive. If you miss it, videos get posted on the zoo’s YouTube channel, too.
VISIT AQUARIUMS
Monterey Bay Aquarium
While the playful sea otters undoubtedly are stars among the live feeds at this oceanfront facility, the neon jellyfish undulating against the electric-blue background mesmerize us.
Tennessee Aquarium
Take a break from working at home and pop over to this Chattanooga aquarium’s site to coo over sea otters bobbing around in the water and penguins waddling around rocks.
HEAR MUSIC
D-Nice’s Homeschool at Club Quarantine
The hottest dance party takes place on DJ Derrick Jones’ Instagram Live. The marathon spin sessions from his L.A. home draw in upwards of 100,000 viewers, including Jennifer Lopez, Bradley Cooper, Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders. You can’t help but get up and groove with his blend of feel-good R&B (The Jets’ “Crush on You”), hip-hop (Drake’s “Passionfruit”), electronic (Black Coffee and Bucie’s “Superman”) and more.
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Opera
Channel your inner calm with Mindful Music Moments, guided meditation set to pieces from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera. Sign up for 10 free weeks of daily sessions.
Together at Home
Follow the Global Citizen Instagram account for casual livestream concerts from top musicians hanging out at home. It makes for genuine moments: Ziggy Marley’s adorable kids accompany him on “One Love,” and John Legend in a robe and wife Chrissy Teigen in a towel sing “Beauty and the Beast” with their daughter Luna.
Seattle Symphony
In stressful times, the symphony provides solace and hope with broadcasts and live streams Thursdays and Saturdays. Check here for upcoming performances.
PERUSE PERFORMANCES
The Metropolitan Opera
Watch some of the best performances (including Wagner’s “Ring” cycle) from New York’s revered company as it streams encores from its Live in HD series nightly. Every show will be available from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. the following day.
Broadway
Although Broadway went dark, you can still see shows that lit up the stage. Stream favorites on Broadway HD (Kinky Boots, Miss Saigon) and Amazon Prime (Falsettos, Newsies). The former also is offering a complimentary seven-week trial.
APPRECIATE ART
The British Museum
Take an interactive online tour of this London museum, whose collection spans more than 2 million years of history. Select a genre like Art and Design or Power and Identity, and then click one of the objects for a written summary and expert audio insights.
Art Institute of Chicago
Peruse thousands of world-class works on the museum’s website. Tip: click the “Multimedia” tab for additional resources — one allows you to zoom into Monet’s Water Lilies and marvel at the brushstrokes, and another shares that Grand Wood’s dentist and sister posed for American Gothic.
Museum of Modern Art
For something more in depth, take a complimentary online class with NYC’s MoMA. Courses like “Fashion as Design,” “What Is Contemporary Art?” and “Seeing Through Photographs” are open for enrollment.
Vatican Museums
You won’t have to elbow your way for space in this online tour of the Sistine Chapel. And you won’t have to crane your neck while peering at Michelangelo’s intricate Renaissance frescoes on the ceiling.
SEE SPORTS
Formula 1
Fill your need for speed with the new F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix. Scheduled weekend races will be replaced with virtual competitions that pit professional drivers like Lando Norris, Nicholas Latifi and Liam Payne against one another in the F1 2019 PC video game. During non-race weekends, there will be online exhibition races where fans can challenge F1 drivers (watch F1’s social media channels for details).
