Travel and Recreation

Things to Do When You Can’t Do Things!

AS WE COME very close to having spent a year doing our best to stay home and be socially distant, the walls of our home, while offering shelter, can (and have begun to!) feel more than a little confining. Travel is still limited, filled with restrictions and anxieties of its own. So where do we find some respite from the every day, something different to focus on, and maybe even broaden our knowledge base?

Enter the “virtual experience” to break up some of the monotony. While online tours and classes are certainly not “new,” we are all feeling the need to expand our boundaries right about now, and the world wide web is conveniently at our fingertips!

Think of these virtual adventures as a mental vacation where you can focus on a National Park, your favorite artist, or the Eiffel Tower instead of yet another TV show. It is truly amazing just how much content is available now. Whatever hobby or interest you may have, there is surely an online experience to match it.

Begin locally with a tour of Knoxville’s own Blount Mansion, or watch the animals play at Zoo Knoxville. Expand your reach to Nashville with a tour of downtown or the Country Music Hall of Fame. Visit the Lexington Historical Society or selected parts of the Biltmore House in Asheville. Enjoy a beach view in Maui, Hawaii, or check out what’s going on at Pacific Walrus Beach in Round Island, Alaska. Take a tour of Paris’ Louvre museum or Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. And from there, the sky is the limit - literally! Take a trip on NASA’s International Space Station to see what the earth looks like while they orbit.

In addition, every craft tutorial imaginable is represented in a YouTube video. Interested in learning more about container gardening? Playing the guitar? Science projects with items you probably already have on hand? New makeup techniques? While most virtual experiences are free, some ask for a donation, and some charge a fee.

So go ahead and learn to cook with a TV star, “walk” through The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York - even Graceland is accessible through virtual tours now!

Maybe you’ll discover a place you just “have” to visit when we can all get outand-about again. It’s always nice to have something to look forward to!

Here are a few ideas to get you started on your virtual journey:

Take Route 66 from Illinois to California and “travel” this piece of America’s bygone auto culture before it’s gone! Find unique motels, iconic service stations, food stops, and other roadside attractions.

Love transportation? How about the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Michigan or The Museum of Flight in Seattle? Or watch the ships navigate through the Panama Canal locks.

Visit historical sites here in the U.S. like New York’s Ellis Island, where many of our families began their American adventure. Remember the Alamo in Texas, explore Alcatraz Island to bring “The Rock” to life, or discover Castillo De San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida - the oldest remaining 17th century masonry fort.

Go abroad with a tour of the Colosseum in Rome, the Egyptian Pyramids, or explore Peru’s Machu Piccu. Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil and the Great Wall of China are also available.

For music lovers, the Metropolitan Opera House hosts international concerts, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is ready to be explored. Type your favorite singer or band into your browser and just see what comes up - they may have a new album out or concert footage for viewing.

Many noteworthy museums are offering virtual tours, from the curving halls of the Guggenheim in New York to the British Museum in London that houses the Rosetta Stone. Or check out the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul.

Have a fondness for a specific artist or architect? Type in their name, hit return, and you’ll be amazed at what is available! Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh all have tours - just to name a few. There is also access to many Frank Lloyd Wright designed houses - even his personal home in Wisconsin, Taliesin.

If nature is more of what “speaks” to you, then most of America’s National Parks now offer virtual tours. Watch Old Faithful erupt in real time, go on a hike in Bryce Canyon, or visit Congaree National Forest in South Carolina to experience the largest old growth forest in the southeast.

The San Diego Zoo now live-streams many of its animal areas, as does the Houston Zoo. View everything from jellyfish to sea otters at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. You can even live-stream African elephants when the herd comes to drink at a Kenyan river.

Want a more interactive experience? Sign up for a cooking class to make homemade pasta with an Italian grandma or opt for delicious empanadas with a Costa Rican chef. Some of these classes are offered for individual or group participation, so making it a “party” with far away friends is a good way to reconnect!

Sports fan? Try the National Baseball Hall of Fame America, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, or maybe the Chicago Sports Museum. Get to know your way around Augusta National, where the Masters Golf Tournament is played.

Space nerd? Log on to Astronomy and Space to take a virtual tour of NASA’s Langley Research Center. Fan of both space & sports? Go straight to the International Space Station, Expedition 64, where last month they had a conversation with Pittsburgh Steelers’ Quarterback Josh Dobbs (of University of Tennessee fame!)

While travel has slowed considerably during the coronavirus pandemic, technology is allowing you to visit almost any place on the planet. From historical spots in the USA like Colonial Williamsburg and Mount Vernon to beautiful national parks and art museums here and abroad, there are many wonderful experiences waiting for you - all just a click away!