75 Local and Global Virtual Activities for Kids

From studying space travel to watching a live musical performance, these activities can be enjoyed by the entire family in the comfort of your home.

Fall is around the corner, and we still find ourselves surrounded by uncertainty. While we can expect frequent changes and cancellations of in-person events for the unforeseeable future, the following virtual activities are ones you can count on. Feel confident adding these to your calendar!

Local Virtual Activities

Keep up-to-date with local activities on our virtual calendar! 

AAPS Community Education and Recreation

They are offering a range of online courses for all ages. Prices vary. See their website for a list of courses.

1515 S Seventh St, Ann Arbor. 734-994-2300. aarecedonline.com

Ann Arbor Art Center

You can check out a variety of live, online art classes are offered for all ages. Prices vary. See their website for a list of courses.

117 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor. 734-994-8004. annarborartcenter.org

Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum

Free STEM at Home workshops on specific days: Tuesdays for members, Friday for everyone. Classes vary by week.

200 E. Ann St, Ann Arbor. 734-995-5439. aahom.org

The Ark

The Ark Family Room series brings live, evening performances to your home. Donations are accepted. See their calendar for a full list of performers. 

316 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor. 734-761-1818. theark.org/ark-family-room-series

Detroit Zoo

The Detroit Zoo’s Facebook page offers periodic educational posts on the animals that live there.

8450 W 10 Mile Rd, Royal Oak. 248-541-5717. facebook.com/detroitzoo

Frontière Farm House

Their Facebook page teaches kids and grown-ups about the inner workings of a farm.

11211 22 Mile Rd, Marshall. 269-830-6508. facebook.com/FrontiereFarmHouse

Leslie Science and Nature Center

Camp-at-Home through the end of August with the Leslie Science Center! Themes vary by week: $35 for members, $40 for nonmembers.

1831 Traver Road, Ann Arbor. 734-997-1553. lesliesnc.org/camp-home

Museum of Natural History

Their free Museum@Home program allows you to see some exhibits and behind-the-scenes images. 

1105 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor. 734-764-0478. lsa.umich.edu/ummnh

Wild Swan Theater
This local theater offers a series of free theater activities, both performance and playwriting, that can be done from home.
4800 E. Huron River Dr., Ann Arbor. 734-995-0530. wildswantheater.org

Yankee Air Museum

The Creativity Hangar is a free online center with games, videos, and activities all about air and space travel.

47884 D St, Belleville. 734-483-4030. yankeeairmuseum.org/creativity_hangar

YMCA Camp Copneconic 

Their Camp at Home program has videos with activities, character development, and weekly challenges.

10407 N. Fenton Rd, Fenton. 810-629-9622. Campcopneconic.org

Washtenaw County Public Libraries 

Support your local libraries by attending virtual activities, such as live storytime, arts and crafts lessons, and trivia nights. See each library’s website for specific offerings. 

Ann Arbor District Library

343 South Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor. 734-327-4200. aadl.org

Chelsea District Library

221 South Main Street, Chelsea. 734.475.8732. chelseadistrictlibrary.org

Dexter District Library

3255 Alpine Street, Dexter. dexter.lib.mi.us

Manchester District Library

912 City Road (M-52), Manchester. 734-428-8045. manchesterlibrary.info

Northfield Township Area Library

125 Barker Road, Whitmore Lake. 734-449-0066. ntal.org

Salem-South Lyon District Library

9800 Pontiac Trail, South Lyon. 248-437-6431. ssldl.info

Saline District Library

555 North Maple Road, Saline. 734-429-5450. salinelibrary.org

Ypsilanti District Library

5577 Whittaker Road, Ypsilanti. 734-482-4110. Ypsilibrary.org

National Virtual Activities

Explore the country virtually with these engaging and interactive tours!

Aquariums and Zoos with Virtual Tours

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Cincinnati, Ohio. facebook.com/cincinnatizoo

Georgia Aquarium

Atlanta, Georgia. georgiaaquarium.org

Houston Zoo 

Houston, Texas. houstonzoo.org/bringing-the-zoo-to-you

Monterey Bay Aquarium 

Monterey, California. montereybayaquarium.org

National Aquarium 

Baltimore, Maryland. aqua.org

New England Aquarium 

Boston, Massachusetts. neaq.org

San Diego Zoo 

San Diego, California. kids.sandiegozoo.org

Smithsonian’s National Zoo 

Washington, D.C. nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams

Zoo Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia. zooatlanta.org/learn/at-home

Famous Landmark with Virtual Tours

The Alamo 

San Antonio, Texas. youvisit.com/tour/thealamo

Boston Public Garden

Boston, Massachusetts. youvisit.com/tour/bostonpublic

Empire State Building 

New York, New York. iloveny360.com/panorama/empire-state-building-102th-floor

Grand Central Terminal 

New York, New York. youvisit.com/tour/grandcentral

Hoover Dam 

Arizona, Nevada. youvisit.com/tour/hooverdam

The Liberty Bell 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. historyview.org/library/liberty-bell

Mount Rushmore 

Keystone, South Dakota. youvisit.com/tour/mountrushmore

Statue of Liberty

New York, New York. nps.gov/featurecontent/stli/eTour.htm

The White House 

Washington, D.C. artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-white-house

Sports Stadiums with Virtual Tours

Hard Rock Stadium During Miami Open 

Miami Gardens, Florida. youvisit.com/tour/miamiopenstadium

Oracle Park (Formerly AT&T Park). 

San Francisco, California. jrgiantsathome.org

Yankee Stadium 

New York Yankees: Bronx, New York. mlb.com/yankees/fans/kids

Virtual Rollercoasters

Busch Gardens 

Tampa Bay, Florida. Busch Gardens YouTube Channel

Cedar Point 

Sandusky, Ohio. Cedar Point YouTube Channel

Disneyland 

Anaheim, California. Star Wars Millenium Falcon Ride

Hersheypark 

Hershey, Pennsylvania. 15 Coasters at Hersheypark 

Knott’s Berry Farm 

Buena Park, California. Knot’s Berry Farm YouTube Channel

Global Virtual Activities

Why stop at exploring the country when you can explore the entire world, even outer space? These virtual offerings will take you to places that are currently unavailable to explore.

Aquariums with Virtual Tours

Oceanogràfic de Valencia 

Valencia, Spain. oceanografic.org/visita-virtual

S.E.A. Aquarium 

Sentosa Island, Singapore. youtube.com/watch?v=T1of_pfa77c

Famous Landmarks with Virtual Tours

Buckingham Palace 

London, England. royal.uk/virtual-tours-buckingham-palace

Cliffs of Moher 

County Clare, Ireland. cliffsofmoher.ie/google-360-inside-tour

Forbidden City 

Beijing, China. youvisit.com/tour/chinatour

The Grand Palace 

Bangkok, Thailand. youvisit.com/tour/grandpalace

Great Barrier Reef 

Coral Sea, Queensland. Australia. attenboroughsreef.com

The Great Wall of China 

Huairou District, China. youvisit.com/tour/doilan

Mount Everest 

Nepal and China. solfar.com/everest-vr

Niagara Falls 

Ontario, Canada. niagarafallstourism.com/vr/journey-behind-the-falls

Sports Stadiums with Virtual Tours

Anfield Stadium

Liverpool FC: Merseyside, England. liverpoolfc.com/kopkids

Camp Nou: Barcelona Stadium

Barcelona, Spain.

youvisit.com/tour/campnou

Emirates Stadium

Arsenal FC: London, England.

footballstadiums360.com/stadiums/arsenal-emirates-stadium-360/

Virtual Rollercoasters

Peppa Pig World

Hampshire, England. YouTube Video

Shanghai Disneyland 

Shanghai, China. YouTube Video

Warner Bros. World 

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. YouTube Video

Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast 

Queensland, Australia. YouTube Video

Virtual Space Tours

International Space Station 

Low Earth Orbit, Space.

esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/virtual-tour-iss

Mars

Fourth Planet From the Sun, Solar System. accessmars.withgoogle.com

NASA Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio. nasa.gov/glennvirtualtours

Academic Classes, Camps, and Programs

Keep your kids’ reading, writing, and math skills fresh with these fun, online enrichment options!  

Activity Hero
Live interactive online classes & camps for Kids. Some classes are free. See site for offerings.

activityhero.com/online-classes

Khan Academy

Great for ages 2 to 7, this free interactive site helps kids develop reading, math, and social-emotional skills. 

khanacademy.org

Learn with Homer
For ages 2 to 8, this site is free for 30 days and helps kids develop writing skills through writing their own stories.

https://learnwithhomer.com/

My StoryBook

Best for elementary-age kids, this program allows kids to create stories with drawings they share online for free or have printed for a fee.

mystorybook.com

NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program

During the month of November, tweens and teens can participate in a free 30-day experience writing their own novel with support from fellow and professional writers.

ywp.nanowrimo.org

Storyline Online

This is a digital archive of celebrities reading books for elementary-age children.

storylineonline.net

Story Time From Space

This is storytelling with a twist: astronauts read to kids from outer space! 

storytimefromspace.com

Outschool

Live online classes and camps for kids, ages 3-18, starting at $10 a class.

outschool.com

See a local virtual activity not listed that should be? Please let us know! Email us at annarboreditor@adamsstreetpublishing.com so we can update our list!