No Vacation Planned? Take The Kids On A Virtual Trip

Hands up if your kids have cabin fever. It can be hard when friends are on vacation and your family is spending a break at home—or when you're stuck indoors because someone is sick. Thankfully, some of the most exciting destinations across the globe have your family covered.

These virtual "field trips" are a great way to take a break from the day-to-day grind, and may even inspire you to start planning your next family vacation.

Arizona

Overlook the desert on a virtual hike through the Grand Canyon.

Chicago

The Windy City is one of our favourite family destinations. While you can't currently enjoy a slice of Chicago's famous deep dish pizza, you can visit some of the top attractions. The Adler Planetarium is offering a Let’s Do Science video series to help parents design at-home experiments. Dino-enthusiasts can ask Máximo the Field Museum’s titanosaur what life was like during the Cretaceous Period, how he came to be at the museum, and even his favourite colour or what he likes to eat.

Colorado Springs

Blast off with virtual tours, dynamic multimedia content and other inspirational educational programs and activities from the Space Foundation’s Discovery Center.

Make friends with the giraffes at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with the live giraffe cams.

Costa Rica

Is your kid obsessed with doing volcano experiments? Give them a taste of the real thing with these virtual experiences from Costa Rica. Using Google Earth, kids can explore the Arenal Volcano, Rincón de la Vieja, which features nine craters and 32 rivers flowing down its sides, the country's largest volcano, Poás, the country's tallest volcano, Irazú, and lesser known Miravalles Volcano.

Florida

Virtually visit your favourite beach in the State through a variety of webcam feeds.

Manitoba

Have you ever wanted to see the Northern Lights? Thanks to the folks at Polar Bears International and Explore.org, you can stream the spectacular natural fireworks show without trudging through the snow.

Massachusetts

Did you take your tween to see the latest rendition of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women? The entire 2019 film was shot in Massachusetts, and fans can now take a virtual tour of Alcott's house. For more Massachusetts history, the Salem Witch Museum is offering curious kids a virtual tour to learn about all aspects of the Salem Witch Trials.

Take a virtual visit to the New England Aquarium, where you can meet the divers that swim in the big tanks or watch a harbour seal get his teeth brushed.

And if a visit to the Boston Children's Museum has been on your bucket list, you can take a virtual tour of the museum—a useful tool for planning your physical trip there in the future!

Mexico

This stunning VR video takes little ones on an adventure-filled dive, where they can see giant manta rays, dolphins and more.

New York City

A trip to New York City wouldn't be complete without a visit to Central Park. Check out Strawberry Fields, Alice in Wonderland and more on a guided virtual stroll.

New York (state)

Weekly children’s programming including artful afternoons and tours for tots available on Hyde Collection's YouTube channel.

For some animal fun, peek the baby goat cam at Beekman 1802, visit April the giraffe at Animal Adventure park, the red pandas, herons, and more on the Trevor Zoo live webcams or check out webcams of "Ambassador" wolves Atka, Alawa, Zephyr and Nikai, and seven elusive packs of critically endangered wolves via unobtrusive cameras in and around anticipated den sites.

North Carolina

Explore more than 20 iconic mountain hikes in the Asheville Area or take flight with kitty Hawk Kites in a tandem hang glider for a 360 view of Currituck, in the Outer Banks.

Oregon

Got 20 minutes to kill? The Beaver State has you covered with their Oregon Moment of Zen video series, which feature clips of a musical performance at The Painted Hills, painting autumn colours en plein air at Lithia Park, watching waves lap the shore in Samuel H. Boardman State Park, fly fishing on the Deschutes River, chasing waterfalls at Salt Creek Falls, touring the Portland Japanese Garden and a relaxing fireside overlooking Mt. Hood and Mt. Hood Ski Bowl.

Orlando

It's no secret that Orlando is one of the most popular destinations for families. Thankfully, you don't have to miss out on the action, thanks to Visit Orlando's cool interactive experiences. Kids can try ziplining over alligators or standing on Main Street in front of Cinderella Castle.

For a taste of the theme parks,  the Disney Parks YouTube channel offers a sneak peek of new rides or virtually visit Universal Orlando Resort to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley or take a virtual ride on The Dragon at Legoland Florida Resort.

San Diego

This world-famous San Diego zoo has a dozen live cams, letting kids drop in on several exotic species, including tigers, elephants, baboons and koalas.

South Africa

An African safari isn't in the budget for most families, but now, thanks to Africam and Explore.org, kids can visit Tembe Elephant Park, the birds at Naledi Bush Lodge, leopards and lions at Nkorho Bush Lodge andthe lions, hippos and monkeys at Kwa Maritane.

Texas

Feel like going for a walk outside? Take a virtual walk through the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden & Museum from the comfort of your home.

For science experiments that can be done at home, head to The Children's Museum of Houston.

Run out of puzzles at home? In Dallas, kids can piece together virtual puzzles of the city's top attractions and neighbourhoods.

Toronto

Get a live view from the iconic CN Tower looking either east over the city or west over the water.

Thanks to Google Street View you can tour large swaths of the Royal Ontario Museum's collections. Note that some of the areas most popular with little kids, like the dinosaur gallery, are not available.

Most visit's to Toronto include a trip to nearby Niagara Falls. You don't need to miss out on the view, thanks to a camera pointed at the stunning 170-foot Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. Zoom in and pan for a closer look.

World Heritage sites

Bookmark Google Street View to access dozens of the world’s coolest spots at street level, from Banksy murals to Machu Picchu, to Anne Frank’s family home. You can also explore dozens of iconic vistas in US National Parks, from the Statue of Liberty to the Grand Canyon—these cams let you wander as long as you like. Other heritage sites, like the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge and Great Sphinx of Giza can be experienced through Google Earth.