Your Guide to Virtual Museums
Fill your brain. From your living room.
Museum buildings may be closed to the public for the time being, but museum exhibits are still prime for viewing. Check out these popular educational establishments for your very own private experience!
The Valentine
Richmond has so many stories to tell, and The Valentine has so many ways to tell them (50 ways, in fact). From local theater to historical objects to … beards and tattoos, explore the collection that makes up the city we know and love.
Pamplin Historical Park
Wanna take a deep dive into the Civil War? Why, that’s what Pamplin is here for, of course. And, best of all, they’ve gone virtual. Explore documents from Antebellum America; get up close and personal with letters of soldiers and civilians; and see what post-Civil War life was like through memoirs and stories of those who lived it.
Riverfront Canal Cruises
History and scenery, no sunscreen required.
Virginia Museum of History and Culture
Get your learning on! The Virginia Museum of History and Culture has created dozens of ways to stay tuned in, and keep your history brain sharp and active.
- Take a tour of the museum. Go from room to room with a 360-degree experience, viewed at your own pace.
- Check out their vast selection of lectures. From topics like “How Virginia’s Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine” to “The Paradox of Robert E. Lee,” they’ve posted all of their banner lectures online for your viewing pleasure.
- Tune in for history-themed webinars
- Don’t forget to swing by their gift shop!
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Stop and smell the [virtual] roses at Richmond’s favorite garden.
- “Wander” through Lewis Ginter with an audio tour of their main buildings
- Explore some of their favorite March Blooms
- Get a virtual tour of their LOVELY spring offerings on any of their social media pages
- Or go all in through their Garden Explorer
Then, check out these other Virginia museums offering virtual tours, resources, webinars, and virtual learning experiences:
National Museum of the Marine Corps
Virginia Museum of Transportation
Blue Ridge Institute and Museum
Mural Tour of the Virginia Beach Creative District
Or, stretch your reach a bit further. Check out these top tier museums from around the world that are opening their, uh, “doors,” to the public.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- The Louvre, Paris
- The Guggenheim, New York
- Victoria & Albert Museum, London
- Bauhaus Foundation, Dessau
- Musée d’Orsay, Paris
- The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
- The Palace of Versailles, Versailles
- La Galleria Nazionale, Rome
- The Uffizi Gallery, Florence
- The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
And if none of those are quite what you’re looking for, Google’s got 2,500 other museums that might tickle your fancy.
Fancy some other ways to keep yourself virtually amused? Try…
