Awesome Virtual Field Trips to New York City for Tweens

Now’s the perfect time to take your tweens on virtual field trips to New York City. It’s one of the many virtual field trips for middle school.

New York City is one of the most visited locations in the world thanks to its amazing museums, beautiful parks, famous landmarks, and a variety of cultural experiences.

If you can’t visit this vibrant city in person, you can see it from home with the help of the many virtual tours available.

You’ll have no trouble putting together a grand plan for your tweens, full of unique attractions and adventures. In fact, the only issue you’ll have is narrowing down the sites on your list.

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TAKING A VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY

Are you ready to head over to New York City? There is so much to see and do in this famous city that there’s no way to list everything, but this list is a great place to start your journey.

I’ve separated the virtual tours and field trips into categories so you can go directly to the type of place you want to visit.

Below, you’ll find links to famous landmarks, museums, some fun, unique locations, and more. Some even include interactive experiences. Your older kids will have a blast visiting the Big Apple.

Use the Table of Contents above to help you move throughout the list.

EXPERIENCE NEW YORK CITY

Are you ready to experience New York City? Start here and see a flyover of the city and iconic spots like South Street Seaport, Union Square, the Empire State building and Madison Square Garden, just to name a few.

This is just a sample of all the unique, exciting sites you are going to see on your virtual field trip to New York City. 

FAMOUS LANDMARKS

New York City is home to several famous landmarks and tourist attractions you can view online.

STATUE OF LIBERTY VIRTUAL TOUR

No virtual field trip to New York City would be complete without learning about The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom and friendship to the world.

Take this 5 Things You Might Not Know About The Statue of Liberty tour. It offers some beautiful photography and facts that tweens will find interesting.

One of the great things about visiting this historic site virtually is that the view is always perfect. 

ELLIS ISLAND

Just under half of Americans can find a relative that came through Ellis Island. They packed this interactive tour of Ellis Island with interesting information.

Explore the island, see immigration data, meet immigrants, and read their fascinating stories of how they came from foreign lands, often in abject poverty, to seek a better life in America.

Plan to spend some time on this virtual field trip. 

9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM

Our world changed forever on that day back in 2001 and now kids can learn more about this fateful event by taking a virtual tour of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

Museum staff offer live tours via Zoom that are thoughtful, moving, and extremely informative.

They also just started giving students and teachers the opportunity to take virtual school field trips. These educational offerings are age-appropriate and give kids the chance to ask questions after.

ROCKEFELLER CENTER

This iconic building complex, known as Rockefeller Center, was built in 1931 and proclaimed one of the most successful projects of the Great Depression era. It became a New York City Landmark in 1987.

Rockefeller Center comprises 19 buildings, housing many famous businesses, including Radio City Music Hall. Their annual Christmas tree lighting is known worldwide.

On your tour, learn what makes this building complex unique and see the view from The Top of the Rock. 

TIMES SQUARE

Over 50 million people a year visit Times Square which is probably why it’s been referred to as the “center of the universe.”

Often seen in movies, it is iconic for its plethora of brightly lit billboards. It also houses the heart of the Broadway Theatre district.

As a virtual visitor, take a few moments to experience the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest places on earth.   

GRAND CENTRAL STATION

Most likely, if you visited New York City in person, you would visit Grand Central Station.

It is the third busiest train terminal in North America. We know this National Historic Landmark for its architecture and beautiful artwork. They built the current station in 1913, but its history dates back to 1871.

They have featured it prominently in many movies and television shows.

Grand Central Station is one of the top 10 most visited tourist sites in the world, so don’t miss it as you tour NYC from your home. 

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

I love visiting libraries and the historic New York Public Library is a beautiful architectural marvel. It was built in 1911 and constructed entirely of marble.

Enjoy this tour of the library and learn more about what makes it a unique historical icon and one of the best places in the city.

VIRTUAL MUSEUM TOURS

New York is home to several amazing museums that older kids must check out and luckily, it’s easier than ever to take a virtual tour of the museum.

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY – THE HALL OF PLANET EARTH

You won’t want to miss the Hall of Planet Earth at the American Museum of Natural History. This museum offers virtual field trips for specific age groups. You’ll find a field trip for middle school students where they can explore Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth and learn about Plate Tectonics.

Along with the virtual tour, you’ll find some extension activities, including an investigation into rock specimens and writing activities. All perfect additions to your geography lesson plans.

THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

The Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA as it’s known, is one of the most famous museums in the world.

Explore their virtual exhibits, which include highlights of the artist’s favorite works, video stories of the artists, live conversations with curators, and more. The exhibits are constantly changing and you can see past events in the archives.

You’ll find a plethora of information about the museum, the artists, and filmmakers on exhibition as you explore the website. Add this trip to your homeschool art lesson plan.  

THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, or The Met as it’s often called, opened in 1870 to educate the American people about art. It is the home of over 2,000,000 works of art from around the globe that span centuries.

At MetKids, tweens can explore online resources like a map of the museum, see exhibits, hop in a timeline to find art from specific periods or geographical areas, and watch videos about the museum from a kid’s perspective.

FINDING NATURE IN NEW YORK CITY

While most people think of city streets when they think of NYC, there are actually several beautiful locations highlighting nature, too.

CENTRAL PARK

A can’t miss stop when visiting New York is Central Park. This site has favorite photos shared by people who have visited Central Park and if you scroll down, there are several virtual tours covering different aspects of the park, like the Belvedere Castle.

You do have to register for these tours and they ask for a nominal donation.

However, if you are looking for something you can do at your own pace, here is a series of virtual walks through Central Park and highlights of Central Park.

THE BRONX ZOO

The Bronx Zoo is an amazing zoo and one that many people dream of visiting.

On your virtual field trip to the zoo, you can watch a live stream of the sea lions on Astor Court and the lemurs at Madagascar, plus the sharks at the NY Aquarium.

A cool experience for your tweens would be to book a virtual encounter with a zookeeper and a multitude of animals. There is a significant fee for these encounters, but you can share the experience among several families and it is less expensive than a trip to New York City.

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY

You can further explore the zoos in New York City by doing these quests from the Wildlife Conservation Society. Youth discovery guides assembled them as part of a virtual learning project during COVID-19.

These interactive, educational experiences will connect your middle schoolers with wildlife at the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Zoo. They’ll learn a ton about the animals as well as how the zoos operate. 

They would be a great addition to your science curriculum, especially if you have a future zookeeper in your house.

JAMAICA BAY WATERSHED

During your virtual field trip, take time to explore Jamaica Bay. The Jamaica Bay Watershed is a fascinating ecosystem on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

It has many unique habitats and is home to countless animals and plants that are constantly changing with the seasons. Depending on the time of year, diamondback terrapins, Osprey, and even harbor seals can be found at the watershed.

This natural wonder should definitely be on your list of places to see in NYC.

FUN VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS IN NYC

Take a step away from the well-known locations and have fun with these unique places.

CONEY ISLAND

Are you looking for thrills and excitement on your virtual field trip to New York City? Check out these interactive virtual 360 reality rides at Coney Island. They are fully interactive – you can click the screen and look around inside the video. They are also compatible with virtual reality headsets.

Coney Island is a New York City icon and has a long, rich history that goes back centuries. 

THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB MUSEUM OF THE DOG

Do you think your dog is the cutest? Do you have a favorite dog breed? Visit the AKC Museum of the Dog and take several virtual tours of their exhibits.

Teens can also take part in several educational activities. They can do virtual camp, learn about the artworks at the museum, download printables, and find educational videos.

Dog lovers everywhere won’t want to miss this stop on their virtual tour of New York City. 

THE LION KING BROADWAY SHOW

New York City is famous for its Broadway shows. The Lion King is the third longest-running one and has received worldwide acclaim.

From the comfort of home, you can watch the opening number, see stunning photos, and listen to interviews and playlists. Get up close and personal with the show through fascinating videos about the characters, costume development, and actors. You can even learn some choreography.

If your tween is a fan of the Lion King or Broadway, add these to your tour list.

YANKEE STADIUM

If you have a baseball fan, you’ll definitely want to look at these virtual tours of Yankee Stadium. Older kids can see the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009 but kept some original histories from the previous one which had opened in 1923.

On this site, you can also take a stadium venue virtual tour and learn more about Yankees baseball. 

These tours are free and open to the public, but you need to make a reservation in advance. Be sure to make yours early as these tours are popular and fill up quickly.

Now that you know a bit of all you can see and do from home to tour New York City, hopefully, you’re excited to put together a list for your tweens to see this amazing city themselves. You’ll feel like a New Yorker after these online tours!

BEST RESOURCES TO USE DURING YOUR VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY

• Bring Times Square to life by completing this 1,000 piece puzzle.
• Expand your armchair learning by going off the tourist path with this interesting guidebook.
• Older kids can build their own LEGO NYC skyline.
• Build your tween’s Statue of Liberty knowledge with this awesome book.
• Use this laminated Manhattan map to give kids an overall view of the city.
• Learn even more about New York City with this tween-friendly travel book.

 

More Virtual Tours for Teens

• Learn all about virtual field trips for middle school.
• Visit Washington D.C. from home and bring American history to life.
• Choose one of these educational virtual field trips. This list includes locations to learn about art, history, animals, nature, and famous sites from around the globe.
• Take a virtual tour of the Alamo and then add some of the suggested activities and resources to your history lessons.

Are you excited about taking some virtual field trips to New York City? What’s going to be your first stop?