Across the U.S.

Gloria Steinem in her Upper East Side apartment

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Take a Virtual Tour of Feminist Icon Gloria Steinem’s Historic Manhattan Apartment

In honor of her 87th birthday, the speaker and activist is (digitally) welcoming visitors into her home

Crossroads General Store​, circa 1938

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Explore Dorothea Lange’s Iconic Photos With These Online Exhibitions

Digital hubs from the Oakland Museum of California and the Museum of Modern Art showcase the American photographer’s oeuvre

A two-page spread in a 1903 Brooklyn Daily Eagle supplement shows an aerial depiction of the "Brooklyn of the Future," complete with ferry lines and projected bridges, subways, tunnels and elevated roads.

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Explore Centuries of Brooklyn’s History With These Newly Digitized Maps

The Brooklyn Historical Society recently launched a portal featuring almost 1,500 documents dating back to the 17th century

Jean-Michel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 1983

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See Jean-Michel Basquiat Masterpieces Up Close in This Online Exhibition

The virtual experience spotlights a 2019 show that included around 70 works by the artist

Nancy Baker Cahill's Liberty Bell, as seen over the National Mall

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This AR Artwork Reimagines Historical Spaces Across the U.S.

Nancy Baker Cahill’s red, white and blue “Liberty Bell” rings over sites in six major cities

Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton, NY, Floor of Studio, 2018.

Travel

Take Virtual Tours of These Seven Historic Homes of American Artists

A new book looks at American art through the studios of the masters that made it

Photinus carolinus, or Synchronous Fireflies, are the only species in the U.S. that flash in coordinated bursts with one another.

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Watch Fireflies Flicker From the Comfort of Home

Most firefly watching events are canceled this summer, but you can learn about and watch the flashy insects in this online event

Vendors at the Queens Night Market represent more than 90 countries.

Travel

Sample the World’s Cuisines With This Cookbook From a Popular New York Market

The Queens Night Market’s new guide brings the international flavors of the city’s boroughs into your home

A virtual tour isn't the same as an in-person experience, but it can still afford some great views.

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Nostalgic for the North? Take a Virtual Dogsled Ride in Fairbanks, Alaska

Armchair travelers can also enjoy 360-degree views of the city’s famed Northern Lights

Explore the U.S. From Above with Smithsonian Channel's Aerial America

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Death Valley: One of the Most Extreme Places on Earth

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Take a Trip to Glacier National Park

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How Alabama Became Home to 'Rocket City'

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The Views of the Olympic Mountains Are Truly God-Like

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This Is Actually America's First Small Town

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How Minnesota and Music Made Bob Dylan

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The Strikingly Unusual Clingstone Mansion

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The Dark History of Maine's Harbor Island

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The Volcanoes of Hawaii

International Experiences

Portrait of Dante Alighieri, Florence and the allegory of the Divine Comedy, 1465, detail.

Travel

Follow Dante’s Footsteps Through Italy

For the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death, visit his birthplace, churches and tomb

Architect Julia Morgan is best known for California’s Hearst Castle.

Travel

Six Wonders Built by Pioneering Women Architects

Virtually explore these groundbreaking designs around the world, from an Italian villa to an American castle

A "deliberately inconvenient" twin champagne glass created by Athens-based architect Katerina Kamprani

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Take a Virtual Tour of Failed Designs, From the DeLorean to Google Glass

An online exhibition showcases 40 creative flops, including a curvy ping-pong table and a doll dubbed Little Miss No-Name

The Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington is hosting a photography exhibit, PHotoEspaña, posted on the fence surrounding its historic mansion.

Travel

Their Doors May Be Closed, but Embassies Are Still Showing People the World

From cooking demonstrations to poetry readings to special exhibitions, exploring another country has never been easier

A screenshot of the new V&A; digital tool, which allows viewers to explore high-resolution scans of Raphael's cartoons for his Sistine Chapel tapestry sequence. Here, Jesus speaks to Simon in The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (Luke 5: 1-11).

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New Online Tool Reveals Raphael’s Sistine Chapel Cartoons in Stunning Detail

High-resolution scans from the V&A offer an unprecedented view of the Renaissance drawings, down to every last line and wrinkle

An aerial view of the Mauseoleum of Augustus, which was recently renovated and will open to the public in Rome in 2021.

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Take a Virtual Tour of the World’s Largest Circular Tomb, Augustus’ Mausoleum

The Roman landmark will reopen in 2021 after a 13-year restoration

Encounters with the giant oarfish—the world's largest bony fish—may have inspired sailors to tell tales about fantastical sea serpents.

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Meet the Real Animals Behind Mermaids, Dragons and Other Mythical Creatures

You can now take a virtual tour of a “Harry Potter”–inspired exhibition exploring the origins of fantastical beings

Over the last nine months, Jane Austen's House has found inventive new ways to keep Janeites diverted during quarantine.

Travel

Celebrate Jane Austen’s Birthday With a 360-Degree, Interactive Tour of Her House

The trustees of the house where Austen wrote her celebrated novels are finding ways to keep visitors happy—even amid a pandemic

Grounded travelers, be thankful for these travel books released in 2020.

Travel

The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2020

In a year of travel restrictions, these titles helped us channel our wanderlust

The online exhibition "Missing Masterpieces" highlights 12 works of art that have been stolen or gone missing over the years. Pictured here: Vincent van Gogh's The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring (1884), which was stolen from a museum in the Netherlands in March at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown.

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Virtual Museum of Lost Art Asks Visitors to Help Track Down Missing Masterpieces

A new online exhibition revisits the fate of stolen or vanished paintings by the likes of van Gogh, Monet and Cézanne