On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the country from Texas to Maine. It will bathe people in the Path of Totality in darkness and introduce millions to the eerie wonderment of a total solar eclipse. It’s something everyone must experience at least once in their lifetime.
But planning a trip to see the eclipse is not as easy as planning a typical weekend getaway.
Thirty-two million people live in the Path of Totality – the eclipse area that will experience total darkness. Another 200 million live within a three-hour drive of the path. People will travel by plane, train, and automobile to stake out a viewing location in the 120-mile-wide path.
Scientists, photographers, and avid eclipse chasers will head to southwest Texas for the longest duration of totality and the slightest chance of clouds. But the most important thing to remember about seeing an eclipse is that it depends on the weather. No matter where you plan to see the eclipse, you won’t see anything if clouds blanket the sky 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 a list of places in the Path of Totality, I’ve created a list of travel destinations in the Path of Totality. Every location listed in these eclipse travel guides has a tourism office to help you find things to do and places to stay. And many of these destinations will host a viewing party.
The best-case scenario is that you experience the eerie wonderment of a total solar eclipse after an exciting weekend exploring a great travel destination. And the worst-case scenario is that you spend an exciting weekend exploring a great travel destination.
So, where will you go?
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 – this is 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. It will start with a partial eclipse just after Noon CDT in Texas, moving northwest to Maine, where the partial eclipse begins just after 3 P.M. EDT.
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.
2024 Total Solar Eclipse Travel Guides
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will sweep across 13 states from Texas to Maine. It will pass over hundreds of cities, towns, state parks, and national park sites. I’ve created a series of travel guides to help you find a travel destination to see the eclipse.
Each travel guide features the following information to help you choose a viewing location:
- Map of the eclipse with destinations and transportation
- List of the best places to see the eclipse
- List of alternate places to see the eclipse
- Eclipse details for each destination
- Tourism information
- Airports and train stations in the Path of Totality
- Trip planning resources
Click on any of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Travel Guides below to begin.
How to Get to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Do you prefer traveling by plane, train, or automobile? However you like to travel, there are many great options for getting to your destination for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.
Traveling with Amtrak
There are 11 Amtrak routes with 38 stations in the Path of Totality. These routes connect to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, and Washington – offering a chance to easily travel from almost anywhere in the country to the eclipse.
Traveling by train certainly has some advantages. You won’t have to deal with congested traffic on the highways or find parking at the viewing location. You’ll have to wade through the least number of fellow travelers at the stations. And you can enjoy the gorgeous scenery in Viewliner cars.
However, traveling by train does come with a few disadvantages. Amtrak has a notorious reputation for delayed trains – do not plan to travel by train on Monday. There are also far fewer trains scheduled than any other transportation, which means fewer seats. And the cost of traveling by Amtrak is frequently higher than flying or driving.
Here’s a list of Amtrak routes with stations in the Path of Totality during the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse:
- Capitol Limited
- Cardinal
- City of New Orleans
- Empire Service
- Heartland Flyer
- Illinois Service
- Lake Shore Limited
- Maple Leaf
- Sunset Limited
- Texas Eagle
- Vermonter
The best Amtrak routes to travel for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse are the Lakeshore Limited and Texas Eagle.
Traveling into Airports
There are 15 international, one national, and ten regional airports in the Path of Totality. These airports offer countless connections around the world for an easy flight to the eclipse.
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.
There are 15 international airports in the path of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse:
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
- Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Frederick Douglas Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
- James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY)
- Massena International Airport (MSS)
- Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG)
- Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV)
- Plattsburgh International Airport (PBG)
- Presque Isle International Airport (PQI)
- San Antonio International Airport (SAT)
- Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)
- Watertown International Airport (ART)
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the best to fly into for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Although the Time of Totality is shorter than other places near the centerline of the eclipse, the Dallas – Fort Worth area features a few solar eclipse festivals and plenty of other things to do.
National airports are sometimes as large as international airports, with nearly as many passengers, but only serve domestic flights between metropolitan areas. Bill and Hilary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, Arkansas, is the only national airport in the Path of Totality. Although Little Rock has a shorter duration of Totality and a high chance of clouds on Eclipse Day, it’s still a good place to visit for the eclipse.
Regional airports connect smaller metropolitan areas to the national aviation network. These airports typically have few amenities or carriers but can easily connect passengers with larger airports.
There are ten regional airports in the path of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse:
- Adirondack Regional Airport (SLK)
- Akron Canton Regional Airport (CAK)
- Barkley Regional Airport (PAH)
- Cape Girardeau Regional Airport (CGI)
- Dallas Love Field (DAL)
- Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport (TOL)
- Evansville Regional Airport (EVV)
- Texarkana Regional Airport (TXK)
- Tyler Pounds Regional Airport (TYR)
- Waco Regional Airport (ACT)
Waco Regional Airport is an excellent airport to fly into for the eclipse. It’s easy to fly into the airport with connecting flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The airport is about five miles from Waco, a city hosting many events and festivals on Eclipse Day.
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. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best places to see the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will be in Texas, Arkansas, or Missouri.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will pass over 30 million people between Texas and Maine. It will be the last total solar eclipse passing over North America for twenty years.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will last up to four and a half minutes in southwest Texas and up to three and a half minutes in Maine.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will be longest in southwest Texas along the centerline of the Path of Totality.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will begin just after 12 Noon CDT in Texas and last until about 4:40 P.M. EDT in Maine.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse is a spectacular celestial event where the Moon moves between the Earth and Sun, casting a shadow onto the Earth.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse can be viewed in the Path of Totality from Texas to Maine.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will be on Monday, April 8, 2024.
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will be on Monday, April 8, 2024.
