As expensive as it is to travel these days, most of us don't
have the opportunity to visit places that we've always wanted to
see. But did you know that you can take virtual tours of
museums, exhibits, and tourist attractions in cities from around
the world-all in front of your computer screen?
We'll begin at Virtual Tours, which offers a collection of
over
300 tours of places worldwide. As it says at the site, "Travel
and visit the Smithsonian to museums in Paris and St. Petersburg
all in one day." Have you always wanted to go to Amsterdam? What
about Vatican City? Would you like to tour the White House?
http://www.d
reamscape.com/frankvad/tours.html
Have you ever thought about touring magnificent Gothic
cathedrals from around the world? At NewYorkCarver.com, you can
do just that without packing a single suitcase. View pictures of
the Tympanum Cathedral of St. Lazare Autun, France, or take a
tour of Westminster Abbey in London. This impressive website
will keep you occupied for hours.
http://www.newyorkcarver.com
/
Now here's an interesting site. A 6th grade class from Amman,
Jordan, studied the Middle Ages and went on field trips to
crusader castles in Jordan, then researched the causes and
history of the crusades. At their website, Crusades: A View from
Jordan, you can take virtual field trips to three castles in
Aqaba, Shobak, and Ajlun. For classes that are studying the
Middle Ages, this site will provide a wealth of information.
http://www.acsamm
an.edu.jo/~ms/crusades/
A slightly different approach to virtual tours is The Virtual
Field Trips Site. Would you like to watch "fierce creatures" in
their natural habitat? Would you like to see what it's really
like at the bottom of the ocean? This site offers field trips
that are designed to teach, while at the same time, are just
plain fun!
http://www.field-
guides.com/
At the World Famous San Diego Zoo, you can see the animals and
take virtual tours of their featured exhibits. Visit the Giant
Panda Research Station to meet Bai Yun and Shi Shi, two giant
pandas. View their outdoor play area, or read fact sheets about
the animals. Or, visit the Zoo's Wild Animal Park and take a
cyber-safari!
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/
Would you like to visit Le Louvre, the home of the Mona Lisa?
Learn the history of this famous museum, or take a virtual tour
of its facilities.
http://mistra
l.culture.fr/louvre/louvrea.htm
Finally, for an extensive listing of science museums, visit
Yahoo! Science: Museums and Exhibits, where you can visit the
Franklin Institute Science Museum, the San Francisco
Exploratorium, or the Smithsonian Institute.
http://
dir.yahoo.com/Science/Museums_and_Exhibits/
