Are you running out of things to occupy your time? Are you starting to go stir crazy being trapped at home without your friends? Don’t let this get you down. Here are ten virtual experiences you can have from the comfort of your own home. You can do anything from taking a virtual trip to a National Park or setting up a Netflix streaming party with friends. Use your time at home to explore the world, unwind, listen to your favorite artists, and connect with friends.
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Explore up to 31 of America’s National Parks using Google Earth. You may not be getting ready for a hike, but you can enjoy the beauty through these amazing experiences.
2. Virtual Mini Concerts
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With the coronavirus making artists cancel their upcoming concerts, we all need something to remind us we are not alone. The Global Citizen organization, known for its annual music festival to raise money to benefit global poverty, has launched an at-home concert series called At Home Together. Artists across the country are turning to Instagram live to share their music and spread happiness during this dark time. Each week, Global Citizen posts a schedule of the artists performing live so that you can tune in and listen. If you can’t wait for a live concert to take place, you can always check out their past live sessions on the Global Citizen Instagram page or this Together At Home playlist.
3. Visit an Amusement Park
Using Google Street View, you can experience 360 views of your favorite parks. For added pleasure, you can even view POV videos of coasters on Youtube.
Hollywood Studios and some POVs
Animal Kingdom and some POVs
Disneyland and some POVs
Universal Studios Florida and some POVs
Islands of Adventure and some POVs
Universal Studios Hollywood and some POVs
4. Visit a Zoo
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While you can’t visit a zoo in person, you can have fun watching its inhabitants online. This site has a list of every zoo in the world that has animal webcams. All you have to do is click on the zoo you are interested in, and you will find interesting information about the zoo and links to all of their webcams.
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Created by the staff at Peters Township Public Library, this Hogwarts Escape Room lets you navigate through a magical adventure. Comprising video clips, short prose, and images, you must navigate through the challenge by answering a series of questions to escape.
6. Explore a City
Photo by Danielle Carlton
Visit cities across the world with YouVisit’s 360 experiences. You may be stuck at home, but you can still explore cities and the landmarks they are known for.
7. Play a Game
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Do you miss your game nights with friends? Using this site, you can virtually play games like checkers, match up, and their take on cards against humanity (remote insensitivity). The site allows you to share a link to friends so that they can join in on the fun, and they have a chat feature so you can talk to each other.
Photo by Buzzfeed
Do you have an obsession with Buzzfeed and their quizzes? Using Buzzfeed’s quiz generator, you can create a quiz and potentially have it featured on their site.
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While you may not be able to tour colleges in person, you can tour them online through YouVisit. With over 600 colleges available, you can explore your options and get an idea of what life at your favorite colleges would be like.
10. Host a Netflix Party
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Using this Google browser extension, you can watch your favorite Netflix shows with friends. The extension synchronizes your videos and gives you a chat feature so you can talk about your favorite shows in real-time. You must have Netflix to use this application.
--Danielle Carlton, Library Assistant