One of the reasons we love our Nest communities is the abundance of museums. They bring art, science, and history to locals and visitors alike. Many institutions offer online alternatives to physical tours, so you can expand your mind from home even if you can’t visit your local museums in person.
Here are some of our favorite online museum exhibits and tours:
Asheville, North Carolina
The Biltmore estate one of Asheville’s grandest attractions. Biltmore in 360 lets you explore various locations around the grounds and admire the mansion’s lush exterior.
Outdoor lovers can explore Mount Mitchell State Park and many other sites across North Carolina courtesy of the NC Department of Information Technology. Use the map view to navigate your way around the state!
Atlanta, Georgia
Never been to the ATL? The 360 bird’s eye view map from the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau can help get you oriented.
Learn all about money when you take the virtual tour at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Monetary Museum.
Experience the Southeast’s premier art museum as you check out the online exhibitions at the High Museum of Art.
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville’s No. 1 historic site, Monticello, offers a few options for virtual guests. You can browse their extensive online exhibits, or you can take a live guided tour of Jefferson’s home through Zoom. (Note: Live guided tours cost $10 per connection.)
The neighboring home of President James Monroe, Highland, also offers a virtual tour.
Fredericksburg, Virginia
For those who can’t tour America’s most historic city in person, the American Battlefield Trust provides an in-depth virtual tour of the town and battlefield sites as they relate to the Civil War.
Greensboro, North Carolina
Did you know our Nest Greensboro office is located in an old mill? Explore this online exhibit to learn the stories of the millworkers who once lived here.
Thanks to the NC Department of Information Technology, you can also take a virtual stroll around the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum and learn about the contributions of this African American educator.
Jackson, Tennessee
Legendary railroad engineer Casey Jones was a Jackson resident, and a museum in town teaches visitors about his life. This episode of Tennessee Crossroads explores the museum’s offerings.
Lake Norman, North Carolina
The Mint Museum in nearby Uptown Charlotte offers a fabulous online tour of their exhibit space.
Greater Louisville, Kentucky
The Frazier Kentucky History Museum may be closed, but they have moved many operations online and operate an excellent virtual museum. Explore Kentucky history here!
Derby fans will love browsing the exhibits of the Kentucky Derby Museum and watching past race highlights on the official Kentucky Derby YouTube channel.
New River Valley, Virginia
Enjoy a virtual tour of Smithfield Plantation, one of the most historic buildings in Blacksburg.
The Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation has also made many of their past and current exhibits available digitally.
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
In Raleigh, the North Carolina History Museum offers fascinating online exhibits. The UNC Museum in Chapel Hill features a virtual museum of the history of the University of North Carolina. You can also get a bird’s eye view of Bull City at the Discover Durham website.
Through the NC Department of Information Technology, you can explore sites in the Triangle area including Umstead Park, the North Carolina Museum of Art Park, and the Centennial Trail at NC State University.
Richmond, Virginia
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a classic Richmond destination, and you can view several custom virtual tours online!
Thanks to Google Arts and Culture, you can take a deep dive into the history of African American civil rights pioneer Maggie Walker and the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site.
Encyclopedia Virginia brings many places throughout the Commonwealth to life with virtual 360 tours, including the State Capitol and St. John’s Church in Richmond.
Roanoke, Virginia
Check out the digital collections of the Historical Society of Western Virginia!
You can also get your daily Star City fix thanks to the Star Cam, which gives a live view of Roanoke from the Mill Mountain Star.
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Did you know President Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton? Take a virtual tour of his birthplace!
Wilmington, North Carolina
Orient yourself to Wilmington from the air with this 360 virtual tour from Wilmington, NC River District and Island Beaches.
Then head out of town to explore history at Fort Fisher and nature at Carolina Beach State Park through the NC Department of Information Technology site.
We’ll be updating this post as we learn of more virtual #LocalLove activities. Stay tuned!