Traveling from Home: Virtual Exploration During COVID-19
The CommonGrounds team has been able to find some peace in discovering new parts of the world and learning about new cultures, as well as exploring some sites that are in our communities right from the couch. If your long-awaited spring vacation was canceled due to the novel coronavirus, consider rounding up the family and tuning into one of these incredible experiences:
For the art buff
Journey through the life and times of Frida Kahlo in this interactive, multi-media experience curated by Google Arts & Culture. Get a peek into Frida’s personal journals, learn about her complex relationship with her body due to chronic illness. You can even zoom into the details of some of Frida’s richest, most colorful and famous works.
For the nature lover
Dying to get back outside and explore? National parks may be closed, but, Yellowstone is offering a handful of virtual tours that make you feel like you’re really in the midst of awe-inspiring nature. We love the virtual tours of Mammouth Hot Springs, Grand Canyon, Norris Geyser Basin and Fountain Pain Pot. These brief glimpses into the beauty that our country has to offer are so inspiring you just might want to start planning a trip to look forward to!
Missing live music?
Give opera a try! While it may be a while before you can visit New York’s iconic Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center, you can tune in daily to their streaming performances. They are truly a feast for the eyes and ears – and completely free! Streams start at 7:30 PM EST.
For fans of the animal kingdom
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is widely known as one of the greatest aquariums in the world – and they have made it possible to feel like their fish tanks are right in your living room. Visit their website on weekdays for narrated feedings of sea otters on live camera at 1:30 PM PDT. They also offer nearly a dozen live camera feeds from their various award-winning exhibits. Check out the jelly cam to watch their delicate seat nettles dance through the water or the kelp forest exhibit where you can watch a vast range of gorgeous sea-dwellers swimming and clinging to kelp. If you’re feeling brave, the shark cam is worth a look too!
Feeling the itch to visit somewhere new?
[Scratch here] Portugal is offering an array of experiences that allow interested audience to experience all this amazing country has to offer. We recommend starting with the virtual train ride through Lisbon, the nation’s colorful capital. Portugal has a vibrant arts and music scene – see the beautiful city of Porto through the eyes of urban sketch artists. Don’t miss the National Museum of Ancient Art’s spectacular collection which you can tour virtually!
While it often feels we are quite literally stuck within the familiar walls of our homes, the internet is filled with opportunity for exploration and new sights for sore eyes.
Go forth and adventure (but stay home and stay safe)!
