Travel Tips

100+ Fun Things to Do at Home Right Now, From Virtual Tours to Animals Cams and More

Here are tons of fun things to do at home for the entire family during your coronavirus quarantine.

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Published on April 3, 2020

Variety of images composited together of virtual escapes — Photo: From Top Left Clockwise: Courtesy of Disney, Courtesy of Equinox Hotel; Getty Images; Courtesy of Anantara Golden Triangle; Courtesy of College Park Neighborhood Association; Getty Images; Courtesy of Neon Museum; Courtesy of Equinox Hotel; Getty Images

It’s safe to say things are understandably weird right now. As the world reacts to the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the planet are staying home, quarantining, and practicing social distancing as an effort to slow — and hopefully stop — the spread of coronavirus. Though staying home is totally necessary right now, it means many of us have found ourselves with a lot of time on our hands. If you're struggling to figure out how to keep yourself occupied beyond your usual at-home hobbies of Netflix and chill, you're not alone.

For us, we’ve taken this time to really lean into the leisure side of Travel + Leisure, and help our readers around the world realize that we’re all actually a lot closer than it feels right now. If you’re like us, the idea of not being able to get outside to explore is difficult, but we’ve found that virtual travel is not only fun and exciting, it’s helping us see and understand places we’ve only dreamed about going. From the comfort of your couch you can explore the depths of Carlsbad Caverns and other national parks before “jetting off” to a virtual tour of the Louvre in Paris. Afterwards join an online cooking demonstration from a world-famous chef before sitting down to a breathtaking performance from New York City’s Metropolitan Opera. The world’s the limit — really.

So whether you’re at home trying to find educational stimulation for your kids, in a tiny apartment with your best friend from college dreaming about restaurants, or alone with your dog or plant calling everyone you know on FaceTime, we’ve gathered up a massive list of fun things to do at home during this time. From livestreams of animals to games to play virtually, these activities will keep you entertained, informed, and hopefully put a smile on your face. And we all could use a smile right now.

Take a virtual trip at home

With travel basically at a standstill, it’s time to embrace a new way to see the world — virtual travel and virtual tours. Thanks to the World Wide Web we can go pretty much as far as desired — all without a passport. Below we’ve rounded up the very best ways to experience the world outside our homes from the comfort of our couches, all broken down by different activity types to make it easier to get going.

Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, Italy

Go sightseeing around the world with these virtual destinations

Explore museums, art, theater, and culture at home

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah — Getty Images

Get “outside” while stuck at home

Chef Alex Guarnaschelli — Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

What to eat and drink while stuck at home

Whether your shelves are totally stocked or you're trying to figure out how to make dinner with a box of noodles, can of beans, and some cookie dough, don’t fret. World-class chefs and Italian nonnas are taking to social media to teach you how to cook — and has there ever been a better time to learn? Plus, breweries are hosting virtual happy hours, quarantini happy hours abound, and digital mixology classes are popping up left and right.

Cocktails, mocktail, and drink recipes

Food recipes

Kennedy Space Center, NASA, Titusville, Florida — Getty Images/Gallo Images

Things to do at home with kids

With most schools shut down and kids turning to online lessons, it’s obvious that little ones are also learning to adjust to this new normal. Luckily, we’ve found plenty of fun and exciting activities for parents to do with their kids — and digital adventures kids can get lost in on their own. Play some travel-inspired games to help them learn about landmarks or set them loose in a virtual children’s museum to let their imaginations run wild.

Hawaii Is Only as Far as Your Living Room With This At-home Luau

How to experience Disney at home

There’s nothing more magical than a trip to a Disney park, and, sadly, many of us had to cancel trips to Anaheim and Orlando (and beyond) as coronavirus spread around the country when many families were about to embark on spring break. Disney parks have totally shut down, though reservations are open starting June 1. It remains to be seen if that will actually happen, but until then you can certainly conjure up some Disney magic at home by attending a virtual parade or taking a virtual ride. Here’s how to experience Disney at home:

Disney Recipes

Virtually visit other theme parks around the world

Games to play at home during quarantine

It’s safe to say that there’s plenty of time to play games right now, and it’s a fun way to get the whole family involved in activity. Below are some great games to play that are fun, educational, or even both. And for the travelers out there, Travel + Leisure has even created some of our own games for you to play to inspire a little wanderlust.

Siblings watching a movie in the backyard — Getty Images

What to watch at home during quarantine

While it’s true that this is certainly a time to do some armchair tourism, let’s face it, it’s also a chance to binge, binge, binge some TV shows and movies. And though you’ve probably already watched Tiger King and Love Is Blind, we’ve gathered up everything else you should be binge-watching while stuck at home. We even have a handy guide to the best wine to pair with every type of TV show.

What to read at home right now

If you’re like me, TV can only last so long before you need to change it up. There are plenty of travel books to give your mind a little sense of wanderlust while you’re at home, and libraries around the world are beefing up their digital subscriptions so you can download books straight to your favorite devices.

Koala in a tree — Courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland

How to watch an animal livestream at home

If there’s one group that seems to be thriving during this unfortunate time, it’s animals. Dogs have never been happier as their owners are spending hours-on-hours at home. It may be a different story for cats. But whether you have a pet or not, zoos, farms, and animal sanctuaries around the world are here to help by livestreaming their most adorable animals right into your living room. Might we suggest tossing one of these bad boys up on your TV and, well, never turning it off?

Lizzo — NBC / Contributor / Getty Images

How to connect with celebrities at home

Celebrities, like us, are also stuck at home right now. And they’re using this time to give live performances, teach us classes on things they’re experts at, and generally trying to keep us smiling. Here’s how celebrities can keep you entertained for a few hours.

The best classes to take online right now

One good way to spend this time is to take a class online. Maybe you’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to learn a new language or brush up or finally learn some basic accounting. Trust me, now’s the time. And you can even take free classes from Harvard. So what are you waiting for?

Equinox offers AM and PM Rituals online, this a pose from the AM Ritual — Courtesy of Equinox

How to stay fit and healthy at home during quarantine

Gyms and workout studios are closed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun by staying healthy while trapped indoors. Hotels are sharing their best workout tips and tricks while celebrity fitness instructors are taking to social media to do the same. Here are a few of our favorites.

How to take care of your mental health during quarantine

This list is full of things to keep you entertained and smiling while stuck at home, but the truth is we’re all dealing with the stress of living through a global pandemic. Now, more than ever, it’s important to take care of yourself, your mind, and your emotions. Below are some simple resources to help you.

Personal hygiene in quarantine

Have you tried to cut your hair yet? Is your skin dry and in need of some help? We’ve got you covered. Here are some expert tips to look good right now — even if the only one to see it is your four-legged friends.

OneFineStay Paris — Courtesy of OneFineStay

Zoom backgrounds to use at home

Chances are you’ve probably taken a few calls on Zoom lately. If so, why not spice up your Zoom presence with some of these free travel-inspired Zoom backgrounds?

How to date during quarantine

Your love life doesn’t have to stall just because we’re all staying home right now. Whether you’re currently single and willing to virtually mingle or in a relationship, below are tips to connect for a perfect social distance date night.

Medical workers wave outside NYU Langone Health hospital as people applaud to show their gratitude to medical staff and essential workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Noam Galai/Getty Images

How to give back while staying home

While we’re stuck at home it might feel difficult to give back to the people who need our help the most right now: doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, delivery people, and everyone else risking their own safety to keep our planet moving right now. People around the world are clapping daily for healthcare workers and hanging up rainbows in windows as a sign of hope. But that’s not all, below are ways you can give back to communities near and far as we continue to get through this together.

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