Free Virtual Tours & Entertainment

This page was last updated on August 6, 2020.

Take free online tours of museums, watch an opera, or visit the world's most beautiful libraries. If you'd like to suggest a virtual attraction to add to the list, please email us at info@exploremoreillinois.org.

Architecture and Libraries

• Visit seven American artists' homes, including Jackson Pollock and Winslow Homer.
• Virtually visit these amazing libraries, including the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, featured in the Harry Potter films.
• The Newberry Library is recruiting volunteers to transcribe their digital collections.
• Palace of Versailles Virtual Tour lets you tour Louis XIV's home from your computer.

Film and Television

• Austin City Limits, the PBS series featuring live music from today's most celebrated artists, has made its last three seasons available for streaming. Watch Billie Eilish, Willie Nelson, Khalid, and Buddy Guy. Search for your favorites or discover new acts.
• Ken Burns' Baseball, the Ken Burns PBS nine-part series on America's pastime, is available for streaming.

Museums

• The British Museum has an interactive timeline. Just pick a date and learn more about the thousands of artifacts that make up their collection.
• Experience the Field Museum at Home and watch videos, play games, chat with a dinosaur, or print off field guides while you take walks (leaving six feet between others, please). Plenty of teacher resources are also included.
• The Metropolitan Museum Digital Digest offers a webpage amazing online resources for first-time visitors to The Met, arguably the most famous New York City museum. Browse through books, listen to audio tours, and visit resources for kids.
• Museum of Science and Industry Science at Home includes experiments, games, and videos for kids and families, compiled by the museum staff.
• The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections curated by the Museum Computer Network, includes archives and libraries, virtual tours, art collections, and resources for kids.

Performing Arts

• Alvin Ailey Dance Company All Access allows users to watch performances, learn more about the troupe's dancers, and take online dance classes.
• Free Streaming Opera lists more than 30 worldwide opera companies streaming free performances.
• The Metropolitan Opera will live stream an opera each evening at 6:30 pm central time. The recording will stay on their homepage for 20 hours.
• Minnesota Public Library curated online classical music performances by world-renowned orchestras that can be streamed at home.
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland has opened up its archive of induction class concerts. It has also created playlists for you to listen to while you work from home.

Plants and Animals

• It's the perfect time to take a virtual stroll through these botanical gardens.
• Brookfield Zoo's Bringing the Zoo to You, the Brookfield Zoo's YouTube channel, has a variety of videos featuring their animals. Learn about armored animals or camouflaged snakes while on your couch.
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Cams highlight penguins, sea otters, and sharks.
• The San Diego Zoo Kids page features videos, activities, and games, as well as information on endangered animals.

Visual Arts

• The Art Institute of Chicago's collection is searchable online and includes additional information for each artwork.
• The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea features works of design, architecture, and crafts.
• ​Northwestern University's Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art Collection Spotlight showcases its collection, including paintings, photographs, and sculptures.
• View a Jean-Michel Basquiat restrospective originally shown at the Brant Foundation in New York.
• The Museu de Art de Sao Paulo is one of the major art museums in South America, featuring more than 8,000 pieces.

• The Museum of Modern Art is offering free courses on Coursera.

• The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has a variety of online resources, including family activities and recorded lectures.