WEB WONDERS: Virtual Museums and Tours--Compiled by Lindsey Verble
From Paris to the Himalayas, virtual museums and tours entice surfers
young and old. Here, you may not find some of your old favorites, but I
guarantee that you will be amazed. Note: Most of these sites are
graphically heavy. Make sure you have a fast Internet connection, a current
browser, and a high-resolution monitor.
Paris Guide
http://www.smartweb.fr/paris/musees.htm
Paris was my first destination. Here you can find links to the Palace of
Versailles, the Mus=E9e d'Orsay, both featuring 360E panoramic views. The
Louvre's site is less interactive; however, the sheer volume of the online
collection is impressive. To visit the Louvre, make sure you have your
monitor definition set to 800 x 600, or you won't be able to navigate the
frames.
Westminster Abbey
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/
Next stop, London, the world-famous cathedral, Westminster Abbey. Though
this site is not terribly extensive, it provides fascinating historical
info, including a list of the kings and queens of England entombed within
the Abbey's walls. Lovely audio files include the choir link, where you can
hear recordings of two of the songs that the Abbey choir sang at the
funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. If you are curious about the
architecture of Gothic cathedrals, check out the National Cathedral in
Washington, D.C. (http://www.cathedral.org), for its virtual tour. Click on
Washington National Cathedral.
Cappella Sistina
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/sistine/0-Tour.html
If you thought that you might never get a chance to see the Sistine Chapel
in your lifetime, here's your chance. The famous ceiling and Last Judgment
by Michelangelo, as well as the wall paintings, are thumbnailed, which you
can click to enlarge.
Kyoto National Museum
http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/meihin/mase.htm
For those interested in East Asian art and artifacts, the Kyoto National
Museum has a beautifully designed sight. In the Masterworks section, you
can find captures of more than 100 of the museum's most famous works. The
site also provides a searchable, online catalogue of the museum's
collection.
Exploring Edo
http://www.exploringedo.com
Also for you Japan-ophiles, if you missed the Edo: Art in Japan 1615-1868
exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (you still have
until February 15) you can still visit Edo (now Tokyo) by downloading these
(free) programs. Exploring Edo was designed for single users to explore the
city, while Virtual Edo will allow students and teachers to interact online
while roaming Edo.
Smithsonian Without Walls
http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/ripley/eap/rt/
The Smithsonian Institution has organized and produced its first exhibit
completely for the Internet. "Revealing Things uses common, everyday
objects to tell stories about people, their cultures, and the meanings they
associate with their possessions." This site is still a prototype, it may
not work on all systems, so make sure to check the technical requirements.
The Smithsonian is also interested in receiving feedback on the exhibit.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
http://www.ushmm.org/exhibits/exhibit.htm
The online presentations from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum are almost
as poignant as the museum itself. Although the permanent collection is not
available, the exhibits (5 currently) are hauntingly presented and
beautifully designed.
Ancient Sites--Take Your Place in History
http://www.ancientsites.com/index.rage
If you are a history buff, you won't want to miss this site. Once you
register and become a member, you can visit Ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt,
Babylon, Nieuw Amsterdam, Machu Picchu, and Tara (a Celtic "town"). The
site is mainly a forum for historians to discuss related topics, but there
are some nice graphics and some very impressive historical games that you
can play.
Human Space Flight (HSF)--International Space Station
http://station.nasa.gov/station/index.html
Although NASA doesn't have an actual virtual tour, here you can find out
all you ever wanted to know about the International Space Station, which
was
developed with the support and resources of 16 countries. It also features
an 11-minute video for children, called "Meet Me at the Space Station," a
video tour of the Station.
Paleontology Museum Database
http://www.cyberspacemuseum.com/paleodbase.html
Are you or the kids you know fascinated with dinosaurs? Then visit the
Cyberspace Museum's Paleontology Museum database with its extensive listing
of dinosaur-related museums and exhibits in the United States.
Rollercoasters
http://discovery.com/exp/rollercoasters/rollercoasters.html
Discovery Channel Online has created a companion Web site to its programs
about rollercoasters. You can cast your vote for the best rollercoaster,
take a video ride, and build your own coaster, choosing from 11 kinds of
twists and turns.
Karamjeet Singh's Himalayan Home
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5112/
This is one of the most comprehensive travel sites I've come across. It
provides information on the Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the
world. You'll be blown away by some of the photos.
Virtual Tours
http://www.dreamscape.com/frankvad/tours.html
If you still haven't found what you're interested in (so what's not to like
about Paree? or Michelangelo? or the Himalayas?), here's an extensive
listing of hundreds of virtual tours of museums, cities, countries,
government buildings, and so forth. For example, try the Obsolete Computer
Museum (don't we all have one of those?).
From ASCD's Web site-- http://www.ascd.org you may search the archives of
the *Education Bulletin* for other virtual museums and virtual field
trips.)
