Free local livestream, virtual tours, and online classes

Listed below is local online content including livestreams and virtual tours at museums and other attractions around the Puget Sound region. We also have a list of free live music in the Puget Sound region, which these days is all online.

Drop us a line if you know of any other online content: editor@greaterseattleonthecheap.com.

Musuem of Flight aircraft gallery – DepositPhotos.com

Free local livestream and virtual tours

(Listed alphabetically by name)

Auburn Parks & Rec offers a variety of virtual recreation programs, including fitness exercises, sports, drills, senior activities, crafts, and much more. Check it out!

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art from Home features several programs you can enjoy from the comfort of home, including crafts, tours, and playlists.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shares expert perspectives and updates on the response to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). Subscribe for free to receive email newsletters with stories, research, and news.

Burke Museum from Home offers a variety of kid and adult activities, including virtual Burke Museum Visits featuring selections from their collections with incredible insights on a variety of topics.

Chronicles of Courage: Stories Of Wartime And Innovation is a collection of 20 short films produced by Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions in partnership with NBC Learn. It is one of the largest oral history video archives on war and aviation ever created.

Flatiron School online and from campuses across the country (including Seattle) offers curriculum for a career in software engineering, data science, or cybersecurity. They offer FREE introductory courses where you can learn more about these fields and decide whether this might be a good career choice.

• Hacking 101: Intro to Cybersecurity. This free online course (no credit card required, no trial periods, no expiration date) introduces you to the skills needed to be successful in this field. It includes a practice lab for you to get familiar with the basics of virtualization.
• Coding Bootcamp Prep Online.  Start learning to code today with this free online coding bootcamp — 75+ hours of HTML, CSS, Javascript, and Ruby lessons. Coding bootcamp immerses you in programming from day one and is the best way to experience Flatiron’s curriculum, community, and culture firsthand – and to explore whether you’re passionate about pursuing code as a career. No credit card required, no trial periods, or expiration dates, so you can set your schedule and learn at your own pace. 

The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is the most visited hatchery managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Last time we checked, the hatchery does not know when they will be open to the public in 2020. While the hatchery grounds are closed to the public, check out the Issaquah Hatchery online learning center.

KEXP Virtual Concerts. While music festivals are cancelled and venues are closed, many artists are turning to the internet to continue to reach their fans. KEXP calendar of live streaming video concerts includes recurring performances and special events. Be sure to use any digital tip jars or follow links from the performance to purchase music and merchandise from the artists.

MOHAI History at Home is a digital way to explore the museum.

Museum of Flight at Home. Virtual tours with the Curator, 3D Explorations, Podcasts, Flight Facts, STEM family activities and so much more.

National Nordic Museum. Digitally browse their collections via the online portal and list to hundreds of oral history interviews.

On the Boards choreographer Pat Graney’s “Faith Triptych” forms a mini retrospective of Graney’s work. The dance series includes three iconic performances that investigate the lives of women: Faith (1991), Sleep (1997),  and Tattoo (2001). Faith Triptych received the American Masterpieces grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Each part was originally commissioned for On the Boards featuring 12 of the original cast members. Rent or buy the series, Parts 1-3: $5-$15 each. More info: https://www.ontheboards.tv/artists/pat-graney.

Pacific Science Center Curiosity at Home offers streaming  of live science shows, hands-on STEM activities, tutorials, interviews, and more. These educational activities and resources are for all ages of learners and are meant to inspire and excite all people about science. Share these Curiosity at Home activities with friends, family, and schoolmates. Then, try experiments together over virtual chats and share the things you’ve learned with the community.

• Pacific Science Center YouTube channel has scads of interesting and fun videos on a variety of STEM topics. 

PCC Market online cooking classes. PCC Markets is moving cooking classes online through Zoom. You’ll get a peek inside instructors’ home kitchens — they’ll be sharing personal stories and tips as they demonstrate flavorful dishes that you can recreate after class and refer to a recorded version of the class to reference any time you want. New classes added each week.

Pretty Gritty Tours was founded in 2016 by a collection of guides, artists, and historian who feel that the South Sound is one of the most beautiful and underrepresented parts of the world. Since then they have been digging deep into the stories, the businesses, and the buildings that make this such an incredible place to visits and sharing those treasures with all of you. Now you can explore the pretty and the gritty–virtually with this collection of virtual tours: https://prettygrittytours.com/virtual-tours1.html. It includes tours of historic Meeker Mansion and Pantages Theater, tours of Tacoma’s underground, haunted tours and ghost stories, tours about BEER, Stampede Pass, Wright Park, and much more.

Seattle Aquarium online content. Seattle Aquarium online. While the Seattle Aquarium is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dedicated staff will bring the Aquarium to you! You can still learn about the wonders of the marine environment while the Aquarium is closed to help keep our community healthy. Here’s some of what you can find and enjoy online:

• Download coloring sheets, puzzles, and science you can do at home.
• Browse their colorful infographics about animals at the Aquarium and in the wild.
• Watch aquarium videos on their YouTube channel.
• Watch live webcams from 9am-6pm PST at the aquarium.
• Plus, each week features a different theme and activities for kids of all ages, so there is always something new!

Sea otter – DepositPhotos.com

Seattle Art Museum. Each week, SAM will feature an object from their collection on in their samblog series “Stay Home With Sam”.

Seattle Opera offers digital content on their website, including:

• Seattle Opera Podcasts feature the latest topics and news for the current season in weekly live broadcasts on your favorite podcast app and archived on the Seattle Opera website.
• Seattle Opera playlists are curated selections from past Seattle Opera productions. Whether you’re looking for tracks to help you relax at the end of the day or something to get you ready for your next at home workout, there’s opera music for that!
• Opera Time Videos for children and families. Read together and sing together! This musical storytelling program fosters literacy iand aligns closely with Common Core Standards in English Language Arts. The interactive programs builds skills in vocabulary, identifying character and motive, and selecting words that supply richness and meaning. For a list of Opera Time books visit seattleopera.org/operatime

Seattle Symphony free live broadcasts provide strength, comfort and joy in these uncertain times. Those interested can also sign up to receive email notifications about upcoming Seattle Symphony rebroadcasts and livestreams. Seattle Symphony musicians have generously volunteered to share their time to produce these virtual concerts. Please consider the role music plays in your life and make a donation to Seattle Symphony. The Seattle Symphony looks forward to welcoming audiences back to Benaroya Hall again very soon and wishes everyone health and comfort in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, its free video lineup features concert rebroadcasts, education programs such as “Meet the Instrument” and “Tiny Clips for Tiny Tots”, and daily Morning Notes featuring short performances by Symphony musicians–for more information about any of these broadcasts, visit: https://www.seattlesymphony.org/live. Find these broadcasts live streamed through the Symphony’s social media channels on YouTube and Facebook. The standard broadcast schedule is as follows: 

• Wednesday at 11 a.m. PT: Meet the Instrument
• Thursday at 7:30 p.m. PT: Concert rebroadcast
• Friday at 11 a.m. PT: Tiny Clips for Tiny Tots
• Saturday at 8 p.m. PT: Concert rebroadcast
• Sunday at 2 p.m. PT: Concert rebroadcast
• Weekdays: Morning Notes 

Seattle Symphony on YouTube includes recorded performances at Benaroya Hall, albums produced with Seattle Symphony, symphony musicians in solo performances, featured concerts, and more. Here’s just a sample of what you can find:

• “Baby Got Back:” Sir Mix-A-Lot with the Seattle Symphony
• John Williams Conducts “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• John Luther Adams’ Become Desert, the much-anticipated sequel to the Pulitzer-winning Become Ocean.
• About the Seattle Symphony: Lullaby Project. Lullabies created by homeless mothers.
• Seattle Symphony / Nordstrom “Messiah” Flashmob December 11, 2010
• Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
• Vivaldi: L’inverno (“Winter”) from The Four Seasons

Shorecrest High School were not able to perform their 2020 Spring show, Les Misérables, so they recreated one song from the show in this virtual format. This video was made completely remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak. Big love and big thanks to everyone who was a part of this show and helped make this video happen! See video below or visit: https://youtu.be/zZ_4HNeOqc8

Spite House is a DIY venue in a very small live/work studio on Capitol Hill. The space is a growing part of Seattle’s music community and features a musician or ensemble for a semi-public audience of peers, guests, friends, family, and friendly neighbors. Four resident curators play each Tuesday, sometimes with invited guests. For more info or the latest livestream, visit the Spite House Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheSpiteHouse/

Note: Livestream concerts are subject to change without notice. If a livestream doesn’t take place, we hope you’ll visit the performers’ website to explore their recorded performances, or discover another group to listen to online!

UW Recreation Virtual Classes are FREE of charge, easy to connect to, and offer options for beginning and more experienced participants. Current offerings include mindfulness classes like yoga, meditation, and nutrition, and fitness classes such as core conditioning, boot camp, and Zumba. If you’re not able to livestream a class, you can find it later on the YouTube library!

UW Cherry Blossom Trees 2020. Visitors should not come to the UW campus to see cherry blossoms amid the COVID-19 outbreak. You can still enjoy them a couple of ways from the comfort of home. In your jammies. With a beverage.

Velocity Dance Center is offering online dance classes via ZOOM. All classes are donation-based; $18 is recommended, which is the price of a regular class. But any amount is appreciated.. Even though you can access the class straight from your browser, for a better experience, download the Zoom app. There is no need to make a Zoom account to access a class, however a Zoom account is free. They can’t provide technical support during class, so check your setup before class begins.

Velocity Dance Center Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation – Online

• For the past 26 years, Velocity Dance Center has hosted the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI), a yearly convening of leading movement improvisation practitioners. This year they can’t do in-person events, so have created a new online format that offers two weeks of intensive dance classes, drop-in workshops, discussions, and events with their world-renowned faculty. SFDI 2020 provides the opportunity to learn and share research virtually while connecting and sharing practices of dance improvisation. Both free and paid events are available and donations are gladly accepted. Register for the whole festival, or mix and match to build your own schedule. Drop-in classes: $18, 4-class pack is $60, 8-class pack is $112. Workshops: $0-$250. Full Festival Package (all classes and workshops) $300. Free events require registration. More info: https://summer.velocitydancecenter.org/sfdi/  

Washington Park Arboretum on Mother’s Day is peak bloom for azaleas, rhododendrons, and some magnolia and dogwoods. With social distancing in place, you can help flatten the curve by staying home watching a virtual tour of the Arboretum in bloom, thanks to our production partners at Seattle Channel.

Washington State History at Home from the Washington State Historical Society & Museum has fun and engaging learning activities and lessons for you to use at home, including coloring pages, digital exhibits, podcasts, and more.

Washington Trails Association has several ideas to turn stay-at-home into fun play-at-home activities:

• Fill in the Blank: Mad Libs for Hikers, a hiking-themed fill-in-the-blank word game.
• The Great Neighborhood Map Challenge, stay entertained and excited even while walking the same neighborhood route everyday using memory skills and artistic prowess.
• Turn Cabin Fever Into Camping Bliss at Home. Raarrange the furniture to make a tent pad in your living room or set it up on the lawn, here are ideas to get the benefits of an overnight trip without leaving home.
• Plan Now, Hike Later. It’s hard to stay close to home, especially as the weather improves. But you can plan for outdoor adventures you’ll take later. Grab a beverage and plan your ideal outing with these resources.

Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience is the only museum of its kind in the United States. Visit Wing digital collections, including the Takano Studio Photograph Collection and the Cantonese Opera Collection that includes programs and audio recordings.

YMCA free online exercise videos are found on YMCA 360, with at least 60 on-demand videos for the whole family, from kids to youth sports and seniors, in a variety of styles such as yoga, barre, dance, tai chi, weightlifting, and more.

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More virtual events in the Puget Sound region

The following events include (mostly local) virtual events, anything from live music to virtual tours. Many are free, some are paid.