4 Fun and FREE Things to Do During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Things have surely changed for 2 Girls Who Travel during this Coronavirus pandemic. Today, in fact, we were supposed to be in Cancun, Mexico, lounging on a beach with a refreshing beverage. But during this time, we are no longer traveling (domestic or international), visiting restaurants for our leisurely brunches and happy hours, or even enjoying concerts and movies the same way! The Coronavirus has changed the way we social butterflies maneuver.

Believe us, we feel your pain.

In that light, we are sharing some fun and free things to keep you entertained and sane during this time.

#1 Virtual Vacation at The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

We love museums (see our visit to the Museum of Fine Art Houston and Chicago’s DuSable Museum, Field Museum and Art Institute of Chicago) and plan museum stops on almost every trip we take. During this travel lockdown (and considering most museums are closed right now anyway), The National Museum of Natural History is offering free virtual tours of their permanent exhibits, current and past exhibits as well as a few other interesting virtual tours.

#2 Visit the Houston Zoo – virtually from your couch!

If you’re a fan of animals like us, chances are you’ve visited the Houston Zoo. Take a look at one of our past visits here. Right now the Houston Zoo is closed, but you can still tune into Facebook Live Monday through Friday at 11am CST to get a FREE peek at what the animals are doing every day. Plus, you can share your animal-watching photos from home.

#3 Support Small Businesses in Your Area – Order lunch or dinner to-go!  

There are tons of small businesses that are in need of our support during these times. Many of the restaurants that are keeping their doors open during this time can only do drive-thru, to-go or delivery orders. We want to encourage you to support your area restaurants. Yes, you pay for the food, but a ton of the delivery services are offering free delivery or great specials during this time. We’ve even seen a roll of toilet tissue with some orders! We are big fans of Kulture (check out a past visit here) and their sister restaurants The Reggae Hut and The Breakfast Klub. #supportsmallbusiness

#4 Attend a Free Live Concert

Musicians, DJs and musical organizations are finding creative ways to engage with their audiences who are missing them. Many are doing free shows on Facebook Live, Instagram Live and their personal websites. For instance, DJ D-Nice did a “#HomeSchool” quarantine party and had over 100K online viewers tuning in to hear him. We dropped in a few times and it was lit for hours! If R&B/Hip-Hop isn’t your thing, don’t worry because lots of musicians are joining in. Garth Brooks is doing a concert today at 6pm CST from #StudioG on his Facebook Live page here. If that’s not your cup of tea either, how about the Metropolitan Opera? While the stage is dark, the Met is offering free encore presentations from the company’s Live in HD series.

Now that we’ve given you some great ways to get out without actually having to leave the house, let us know what you’re doing!