While Kentucky featured several destinations in the path of the 2017 eclipse, the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse is a different story. The Path of Totality skims a tip of the state bordering Illinois and Indiana, leaving only one destination as a great place to experience it.
Historically, Kentucky has a low to medium chance of clouds in early April. Spring weather typically has daytime highs in the upper 60s and overnight lows in the upper 40s. Pack a light jacket and jeans, which you may want to wear throughout the day.
Paducah is the only city in the Path of Totality in Kentucky hosting viewing parties for the eclipse. Oddly enough, Henderson, the only other Kentucky city in the path, does not appear to be hosting viewing parties or celebrations.
Fortunately, it’s easy to drive to this corner of the state with interstate highways passing through Paducah. There are no nearby airports or Amtrak stations, so driving is the only viable way to get there.
Table of Contents
- What is the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse?
- How to Safely View a Total Solar Eclipse
- How to Choose a Viewing Location
- Essential Eclipse Articles
- Map of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
- Best Place to See the Eclipse in Kentucky
- Alternate Place to See the Eclipse in Kentucky
- How to Get to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Kentucky
- Things to Pack for Eclipse Day
What is the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse?
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the sunlight and casting a shadow on the Earth. As the Earth, Moon, and Sun continue to move, the shadow sweeps across the Earth – called the Path of Totality.
Anyone in the Path of Totality experiences the eerie wonderment of Totality. Totality is the longest on the centerline of the eclipse. And for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, it’s the longest in southwest Texas.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse is on Monday, April 8. The partial eclipse will last from 12:42 until 3:20 p.m. (CDT). Totality will start around 2 p.m. (CDT) and last up to 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
How to Safely View a Total Solar Eclipse
The only time it’s safe to look at the Sun during a total solar eclipse is during Totality, when the Moon completely blocks the sunlight. But it’s critical to wear solar eclipse glasses or use solar filters while looking at the partial eclipse before and after Totality. These specially designed glasses and filters comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard, allowing only 0.0032% of light to pass through.
During the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse, the American Astronomical Society found that Amazon was flooded with counterfeit solar eclipse glasses claiming to be compliant. The AAS compiled a list of verified suppliers of safe and compliant solar eclipse glasses to combat the dangerously fake glasses.
All my recommendations for solar eclipse glasses, solar binoculars, and solar telescopes below are made by suppliers verified by the American Astronomical Society.
Here are a few options for certified solar eclipse glasses:
- American Paper Optics Eclipser HD Glasses are stylish and sturdy for long uses.
- Rainbow Symphony offers a variety of options like Solar Eclipse Glasses, Wrap-Around Goggles, and Clip-On Solar Eclipse Glasses.
- You can buy cardboard framed glasses from American Paper Optics or Rainbow Symphony in a pinch.
Read More: Solar Eclipse Glasses, Binoculars, and Camera Filters for Safely Viewing a Total Solar Eclipse
How to Choose a Viewing Location
Photographers, scientists, and avid eclipse chasers will flock to southwest Texas to see the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. That’s because they are looking for the slightest chance of clouds, the longest duration of totality, and the easiest travel logistics. Their sole purpose for traveling is to view the eclipse. But they will see nothing if it’s cloudy on Eclipse Day.
That’s why I think you should use the eclipse as an excuse to travel and not just travel for the eclipse.
Instead of choosing a place based on the best eclipse conditions, choose an exciting travel destination that gives you something to do over the preceding weekend.
Here’s what I recommend you consider when choosing a viewing location:
- Travel destination. Does the place you want to visit have things to do, like local shopping, outdoor recreation, and great places to eat? If the destination has a tourism office, you’ll likely find things to do.
- Historical cloudiness and weather. AccuWeather says places in southwest Texas have the slightest chance of clouds in early April. The further north along the Path of Totality, the greater the chance of clouds. Places northeast of Illinois have the highest chance of clouds.
- Duration of Totality. The duration is longest along the Centerline in Texas. However, it’s only a minute shorter – and almost 3.5 minutes long – along the Centerline in Maine.
- Travel logistics. Fortunately, it’s remarkably easy to travel to almost any place in the Path of Totality.
Read More: How to Plan a Trip to See the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Essential Eclipse Articles
Browse these essential eclipse articles to learn more about planning a trip to see the eclipse, solar eclipse glasses and other things to pack, and how to find lodging for the eclipse.
Map of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
How to use this map | Click the icon in the top-left corner to open the Map Legend, then click on any of the legend items to display more information. If you have a Google account, click the (very faint) star at the end of the map’s name to save this map to your account, then access the map from your smartphone during your trip.
Best Place to See the Eclipse in Kentucky
Note About Eclipse Times
Times and durations can vary widely. For precise times while choosing a viewing location, use Xavier Jubier’s Interactive Map. On Eclipse Day, use the Solar Eclipse Timer app for precise times based on your location.
Paducah, KY
Partial Eclipse: 12:42 to 3:18 p.m. (CDT)
Start of Totality: 2:00:50 p.m. (CDT)
Duration of Totality: 1 minute 31 seconds
With less than two minutes of totality, Paducah is not the best place in the country to experience the eclipse. But it’s a stellar destination for a weekend getaway. Explore the fascinating Wall to Wall Murals, take a guided tour of the Whitehaven Welcome Center, and visit the local restaurants, shops, and breweries throughout downtown. Visit the 2024 Solar Eclipse page to learn about viewing options and events.
How to Get to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Kentucky
Flying is a great way to travel for the eclipse because you bypass the congested highways and don’t have to deal with finding parking. It’s a better option than the train because flights are more flexible to sudden increases in air travelers.
International airports are typically larger than domestic airports because they must have customs and border control facilities for passengers flying between countries. These airports offer the most amenities, carriers, and flights.
Nashville International Airport (BNA) is about 120 miles southeast of Paducah.
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) is about 150 miles northwest of Paducah.
Read More: How to Plan a Trip to See the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Traveling by Car
It’s easy to drive to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse with dozens of interstate highways crisscrossing the Path of Totality. Interstates 10, 40, 70, 80, and 90 cross the nation through the eclipse path, connecting almost every state with viewing destinations.
But since most people traveling for the eclipse will travel by car, it will become increasingly difficult the closer the eclipse day gets. Friday evening and Saturday morning are the best times to drive to your destination before the eclipse, and Tuesday is the best day to drive out.
On Eclipse Day, plan for the driving time to be 2-3 times longer than a typical day. If you plan to spend the night before somewhere outside the Path of Totality, be ready to leave early to account for heavy traffic congestion. You can avoid much of the congestion after the eclipse if you wait about 2-3 hours before leaving your viewing location.
Things to Pack for Eclipse Day
Neatly folding your clothes into packing cubes and grabbing your travel tech bag is a good start to packing for any trip. But packing for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse isn’t like packing for a typical weekend getaway. It’s more like going to an outdoor concert that requires safety equipment.
Here are my suggestions for essential safety gear, chairs, power banks, outdoor games, and apps for seeing a total solar eclipse.
There are only 3 essential things to pack for a solar eclipse:
- ISO 12312-2 certified solar eclipse glasses. American Paper Optics Eclipser HD Glasses are stylish and sturdy for long uses. Rainbow Symphony offers a variety of options like Solar Eclipse Glasses, Wrap-Around Goggles, and Clip-On Solar Eclipse Glasses. You can buy cardboard framed glasses from American Paper Optics or Rainbow Symphony in a pinch.
- The Solar Eclipse Timer. The Solar Eclipse Timer app for iOS and Android provides audible notifications and countdowns to the key moments of the total solar eclipse.
- A comfortable chair. The Coleman Portable Camping Chair is the standard go-to for collapsible quad chairs, and the Coleman Big-N-Tall Quad Chair is slightly bigger and offers a higher seating capacity. The Helinox Chair Zero remarkably weighs just 8 pounds but supports 265 pounds. The Snow Peak Low Beach Chair folds into a storage bag and features a durable canvas material.
A quasi-essential thing to pack is a good power bank to keep your smartphone charged throughout the day. Some of these power banks have enough capacity to keep multiple devices charged:
- The Anker PowerCore III is a versatile power bank for Apple and Android phones. What I love most about this power bank is the wireless 10W Qi charger – simply set a compatible phone on top of the power bank, and it’s charging. There is no need to carry a charging cable. But the power bank also has an 18W USB-C and 15W USB-A port for additional charging options.
- The Anker Magnetic Battery only works with Apple MagSafe iPhones, but Wired
- wrote an article about adapting MagSafe products for Android phones. This power bank features a wireless MagSafe charger with an integrated stand – perfect for setting the phone upright to see the timer on Eclipse Day.
- The Anker Prime 20,000 mAh Power Bank is perfect for charging multiple devices on Eclipse Day. The hefty power bank features two 100W USB-C ports and a 65W USB-A port with a max 200W simultaneous charging capacity.
After packing the essentials for comfort, safety, and power, how about packing a few extra things for entertainment? Take one of these outdoor games for hours of fun while watching the partial eclipse slowly inch across the sky:
- This GoSports Cornhole Set features a solid wood design and includes a hefty carrying case for easy travel.
- The GoSports Left Center Right Giant Dice Game is a recreation of my favorite travel game. This set includes 3.5” wooden dice, giant tokens, and a carrying bag.
- If you’ve played Yahtzee, you’ll understand how Farkle works. The GoSports Giant Wooden Playing Dice Set has 3.5” wooden dice and a dry-erase board for keeping score.
- If you can find a solid playing surface like a picnic table or concrete pad, then you’ll love having the GoSports Giant Wooden Tower Game. It’s an outdoor-sized version of Jenga! The set includes a dry-erase scoreboard and a carrying case.
- The GoSports Regulation Bocce Set is a great game that requires little effort. The set comes with a premium carry case.
Finally, consider downloading some or all these apps that will be extremely useful during Eclipse Day:
- AccuWeather is my favorite app for tracking weather. The app is typically accurate and easy to use and has some great features you might find useful. Download on iOS or Android.
- If you insist on capturing eclipse photos with your smartphone, get the Camera+ 2 app. It’s one of the best camera apps, with many features and settings for getting the most out of your smartphone camera. Download on iOS or Android.
- Google Maps will be invaluable for spotting congested highways and finding alternate routes after watching the eclipse. It’s also a great tool to help you find public transportation to and from your viewing location. Download on iOS or Android.
