Being someone who loves natural history and exhibits from a wide range of humans to animals to full ecosystems, the Smithsonian is one of my favorite places to go for these reasons. Before last year, I had never been to the museum located in Washington DC, but I had always wanted to go. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity arise to me, but some people may not be that lucky for a multitude of reasons.

There is a solution to this problem. Even though seeing something on a screen may not have the same power as standing in front of it, virtual tours give people the opportunity to “walk through” different places they may not be able to visit. The Smithsonian virtual tour has many different options for you to select from.

Not only do you have access to the Smithsonian’s permanent and current exhibits, but you can also see past exhibits which is a neat thing for anyone to have access to. Yes the exhibit is gone, but in this digital format it is preserved in a way that it can still be viewed how it was meant to be. Narrated tours being offered virtually makes all of these super accessible to anyone who may need accommodations.

I’ve gone through some of the tours, and they are super easy to navigate, and you are also supplied with an interactive map of the museum. This is a great use of technology, and it is important not only to preserve art, knowledge, and hard work of those who made it. But also because these exhibits should be open to anyone who wishes to experience them. There may be many reasons a person cannot experience something in real life, but regardless of those reasons, now the only thing that they need, is a functional piece of technology, and an internet connection.