You Can Visit These 11 Famous Museums and Galleries From Your Own Couch

Do you have children home from school and nowhere to go? A lot of people are in the exact same situation right now. With businesses temporarily closing and social distancing being the new thing, we’re spending more time at home than we probably ever have before now.

Usually, when my kids have a day off school, I look for something fun to do, and that usually involves going somewhere like a park (we can still do that) or a museum. Museums are also fun date locations, but all that art and history is currently locked away as doors are closed due to COVID-19.

No worries. You can visit many museums without leaving home. We’re talking about virtual tours. Scroll through this list of 11 museums you can visit from your couch. Grab the whole family. This is going to be educational and a lot of fun.

  1. The Louvre, Paris

    The Louvre is closed until further notice, but you can choose from three virtual tours on their website. Tour Egyptian Antiquities, Remains of the Louvre’s Moat, and the Galerie d’Apollon.

  2. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

    Thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can view paintings, sculptures and more. Over at the Getty’s website, they’re letting us view their three most popular exhibitions online.

  3. Boston Children’s Museum, Boston

    There is a separate virtual tour of each floor of the museum. The museum is also offering learning resources to parents while schools are closed.

  4. Guggenheim Museum, New York

    Google Arts & Culture will take you on a virtual tour. You can also watch lifestream videos on the museum’s website.

  5. National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.

    Once again, via Google Arts & Culture, you can take virtual tours. There are currently eight exhibitions you can view online.

  6. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

    Explore the largest collection of art by Vincent Van Gogh from the comfort of your couch with Google Arts & Culture.

  7. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

    Although the museum is temporarily closed (with a tentative reopening date of April 4, 2020), you can view exhibitions and collections online. There are also learning resources available.

  8. National Museum of Natural History, Washington. D.C.

    Choose which rooms and exhibits you want to see in a self-guided virtual tour. You can even zoom in on images.

  9. British Museum, London

    Travel though time to explore history and artifacts, all from home.

  10. Uffizi Gallery, Florence

    View the artwork, artifacts and sculptures online.

  11. NASA, Houston

    Space Center Houston has released a new app (it’s free!) that allows you to take virtual tours from your mobile device.