9 Virtual Ways to Experience Atlanta Attractions
Can’t travel right now? Not to worry – the internet offers a treasure trove of great wanderlust inspiration for when you can make it to Atlanta. Lots of Atlanta attractions have webcams and virtual tours so you can still “travel” the city even while you’re stuck at home.
Explore Atlanta Without Leaving the House
Want to “go to the museum” without even having to leave your house? Love watching animals do silly things? Want to learn more about Atlanta from the safety of your self-quarantined home?
You can do all of these things thanks to webcams and virtual tours at Atlanta’s top tourist attractions! You can explore the city, learn something new, and get some inspiration for when you can visit these attractions for real.
1. Take a 360 Tour of Atlanta
Taking a virtual tour of the city is a great way to get familiar with the layout of Atlanta. There are two great ways to take a 360 degree, panoramic tour of Atlanta:
360ATL: The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau put together the 360ATL virtual tour of the city in 2017 so you can explore from nearly anywhere in the world! You get a bird’s eye view of Atlanta landmarks, can zoom in on specific locations for a closer look, and get information on hotels and restaurants.
Virtual Bike Tour (ATL FlyCycle): Once you’ve gotten an aerial view of the city, you can explore from the ground. The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau has put together virtual bike and drone tour videos of the city’s best landmarks: You’ll ride and fly through Downtown at Centennial Olympic Park, Midtown at Piedmont Park, the affluent Buckhead area, and the urban BeltLine trails.
2. Explore the Ocean Through Georgia Aquarium Webcams
The Georgia Aquarium has thousands of aquatic animals, and while you can’t see them all from home, you can watch a lot of them on the aquarium’s webcams!
You can get live views of the Beluga Whales, the Southern Sea Otters, the Puffins from underwater, the African Penguins, the California Sea Lions, and the Piranhas. You can also watch the many animals in the Indo-Pacific Barrier Reef exhibit and the huge Ocean Voyager exhibit.
3. Take a Virtual Tour of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birth Home
The National Parks Service offers a virtual tour of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park where the civil rights leader grew up.
You can click through each room of the home to read and listen to audio about Dr. King’s childhood.
4. Watch the Panda Cam at Zoo Atlanta
If you love panda bears as much as I do, then you won’t want to miss Zoo Atlanta’s Panda Cam! You can see what pandas Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun are up to at any time during the day with this cute live webcam.
The camera periodically shifts to find the bears in their different day rooms and outdoor habitats. You can even scroll back and look at what they’ve been up to hours before (it’s mostly sleeping).
5. Virtually Tour the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
Thanks to Google Arts & Culture, which lets you virtually dive into museums and exhibits around the world, you can take a tour of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum online.
Just like Street View on Google Maps, this tour lets you click through the museum, zoom in to read the informational plaques, and really feel like you’re inside the museum.
6. Explore the High Museum of Art From Home
The High Museum of Art has another Google Arts & Culture virtual tour you can take.
You can walk through the museum, view virtual exhibitions, see high-res photos of art pieces, and even zoom in on images of masterpieces. You’ve never seen so much detail in a Monet before!
7. Virtually Tour the Georgia Governor’s Mansion
You can virtually tour the beautiful official home of Georgia’s governor with the Georgia Governor’s Mansion online tour.
Explore pictures and detailed information about each room of the mansion from the comfort of your own home while you wait for in-person tours to open up again.
8. Take a Virtual Tour of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Monetary Museum
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has a Monetary Museum that tells the story of money and banking throughout history.
If you can’t make it into the museum, they offer a virtual tour that will teach you about the Federal Reserve System and its role in the economy.
9. See the National Center for Civil and Human Rights with a Virtual Experience
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a poignant and inspiring museum that’s a must-visit. But if you can’t make it in person, you can still visit the Center with a virtual tour.
The Center’s virtual tour takes you through each of the three permanent exhibits as well as the rotating exhibits on display.
Ready to visit Atlanta, Georgia? Plan your trip with these tips.
- Get Familiar With the City: Check out my Ultimate Guide to Atlanta to help plan your trip!
- Book Your Flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
- Find Accommodation: You can find top hotels in Atlanta using Booking.com.
- Save on Attractions: Save 46% on admission to Atlanta’s top attractions using the Atlanta CityPASS.
Cheers!
Paige
Will you be taking a virtual tour of Atlanta while you’re stuck at home? Let me know in the comments!
This is the COOLEST thing! I Pinned it so that I can use it next week. I’m going to wait until my daughter (she just turned 18) starts to feel cranky about being stuck inside. Then one day I will tell her I have a surprise planned and I will set it up like we are going on a “virtual vacation”. I think this will be so much fun because I can really make it extra. My childhood best friend lives in Atlanta. I might FaceTime her into the “trip”. Thank you so much for sharing this idea. I might turn our “virtual day trip” into a blog post and I’ll link you in it.
That sounds AMAZING! I’d love to hear how it goes!
I’ve never actually been to Atlanta, but these are great ways to have a wonderful experience! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed virtually seeing Atlanta!
Super cool article! Love it!
Thank you!