New York is undoubtedly a culturally rich city. There’s so much to do that you might have to extend your stay by a week to cover it all. But with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to stay inside our houses, why not tour New York virtually?

Here are some virtual experiences available for some of New York’s most popular attractions. Pick and choose what you would like to enjoy:

BROADWAY

 

• Broadway Cares has put together a special encore series of two dozen or so recent star-studded performances from Broadway Backwards, where genders are swapped on famous show tunes

 

• The Broadway Dreams foundation is hosting free daily Broadway Dreams Live Lessons for aspiring student actors, singers and dancers with some accomplished Broadway-caliber talent

 

• Groove to disco versions of Stephen Sondheim songs on Broadway Records (Paid)

 

• Take a virtual walk-through of the Harold Prince exhibit at Lincoln Center

 

• Stars in the House is a daily live YouTube channel raising money for the Actors Fund emergency relief for those unemployed in the theater community

 

Comedy

 

• Caveat is livestreaming shows

 

• Littlefield’s weekly stand-up showcase, Butterboy, plans on streaming its show independently on Mondays at 7pm, with $5 tickets available on EventBrite

 

• The Magnet Theater is streaming some shows

 

• Stand Up NY is also streaming shows

 

Educational Activities for Kids

 

• Get your fill of “-ology” (read: science) at the American Museum of Natural History. The institution is also making digital tours of its collection available

 

• Learn about cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

 

• The Children’s Museum of Art has some how-to art projects online

 

• Find out what it’s like inside the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

 

• Lincoln Center at Home provides a daily learning activity on Facebook Live through its pop-up classroom; there are regular kid-friendly concerts as well

 

• Take a history lesson at the Museum of the City of New York

 

• The New York Hall of Science will help you get an idea about infectious diseases with its Transmissions: Gone Viral interactive comic

 

Galleries

 

• View Aperture’s special online exhibits on women photographers, and purchase prints and books from their online shop

 

• Visit the online viewing rooms of David Zwirner, with works by the likes of Jeff Koons, Marlene Dumas and Chris Ofili

 

• See Gagosian’s installation views of works by Donald Judd, Richard Prince and Roe Ethridge.

 

• Lévy Gory offers online viewing rooms of works from Art Basel Hong Kong (E-mail sign-up required)

 

Museums and Cultural Institutions

 

•  View much of the Alice Austen House collection online, including photographs and texts describing Austen’s life and work

 

• The American Folk Art Museum makes its collection of books, paintings, textiles and other works available on its website

 

• While the Brooklyn Historical Society is closed, you can still visit its collection digitally, with online exhibits on the history of Brooklyn’s waterfront and the borough’s anti-slavery movement

 

• Check out a 360-degree view of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum or read art books from its digital archive

 

• At the New York Botanical Garden online, visitors can explore recent installations, browse horticulture lecture videos and stay up to date with its latest news

 

• Take some time to meditate with a two-hour session in the Rubin Museum’s virtual Shrine Room

 

Performances

 

•  For the next eight weeks, the Chamber Music Society will release concerts from its 50-year archive every day at 12:30pm

 

• The Metropolitan Opera has been an innovator for years with its live high-definition broadcasts. Now they’re streaming one opera a day, starting at 7pm

 

• Stream avant-garde dance performances from the New York Live Arts archive for free; three shows will be featured each week

 

• Nowadays has launched Virtual Nowadays, a nightly stream of DJ sets and music discussions beginning at 8pm

 

Tours

 

•  Take a virtual stroll through Central Park—or many other parks in the five boroughs

 

• The Empire State Building has its audio tour available (in nine languages), with corresponding visuals

 

• Peruse both lesser known landmarks and beloved historic sites with video tours from the New York Landmarks Conservancy

 

• Viewing NYC has articles, photo galleries and videos that give a virtual first-person look at NYC attractions. Here’s one of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge