I Saw the Last American Solar Eclipse and Had an Awesome Time. Here’s Exactly What to Do
I had an absolutely perfect time at the last solar eclipse. Here’s what I did and what I recommend for you for the April 8th
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My last solar eclipse was truly unforgettable. It was part planning and part luck. Here’s how you can make the most of your experience on April 8th, 2024.
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1: Where to Go
Personally, I recommend watching the eclipse out in nature if you can. If you already have a plan to watch it in a city or a city is the most convenient for you, by all means, do it there. But if you are deciding on city or nature, I would choose nature.
Back in 2017, my partner and I woke up at about 5a and drove to southern Illinois. We knew we couldn’t get too close to Carbondale, IL, so we found a nature reserve about 45 minutes away from Carbondale. I think it was actually a hunting reserve.
In any case, we were one of the first people to arrive, but as we got closer to the time of the eclipse, lots of other people showed up. Some people showed up from Wisconsin.
As the eclipse approached, it started to turn dark and the animal noises changed. Shadows in the trees casted eclipse patters. The sky turned a unique color. It was all very cool and very surreal, and only to be experienced out in nature. I would be interested in seeing what the eclipse would be like in a city, but I think I am going to stick with nature for this one.
How we got LUCKY: the nature reserve we chose had bathrooms. It was a sweltering August day, and we were just waiting around for hours. It was convenient to go to the bathroom.
There were also other people there, who were friendly, funny, and very generous. People brought and shared with us sun and eclipse themed food and drink like Corona, Mars bars, moon pies, and Starbursts. It was a very community feel.
2: What to Bring
I’ll just make a list of eclipse essentials:
– Food and Water | Shop eclipse themed foods here: Moonpies, Corona, Mars bars, astronaut ice cream
– Your eclipse glasses – Order here from Amazon
– Lawn chairs to sit in – You can’t go wrong with these Coleman Foldable Lawn Chairs
– Shades or umbrellas
– Extra phone battery – Always be charged with this popular Amazon battery pack
– Games or toys for kids
– Patience
Like I mentioned above, we met people who gave us beer and snacks as we waited for the eclipse to begin. That was so much fun, and I plan on bringing these things to share with people I meet.
The build up to the eclipse is quite slow. You need to be patient for it.
I don’t recommend trying to get pictures. Unless you are a professional photographer, it will be really hard to capture well with your smartphone. Just enjoy it! I tried too much to get an iPhone picture, and it didn’t really turn out, and then it was all over.
3. What to Do After
Again, this is where patience comes in. If you can, try and stay at a hotel room local to where you are visiting. Right after the eclipse is when traffic will be at it’s absolute worst. There were many hour long delays at the last eclipse. Just book a cheap hotel where you can, go back there, take a nap, take a dip in the pool, eat some food, and just relax. You won’t regret it. You should google the traffic maps post-eclipse. It was bad. Probably the worst traffic of their lives.
How we got LUCKY: We booked a cheap hotel not far from where we saw the eclipse. I initially thought that the traffic wasn’t too bad and actually suggested that we try to drive home. But we quickly got stuck, and decided to go to the hotel. I am glad we did. The rest of the day, we relaxed in the pool. We met another eclipse viewer who had been at the Ozzy Osbourne concert in Carbondale, so we swapped stories. It was a lot of fun.
The next day we woke up fairly early and hit the road. By then, the traffic had eased. There were still a ton of cars on the Interstate, but nothing like the 8 hour backup some of my friends had gone through.
The sun and the moon are truly beautiful wonders of the cosmos. If you are interested in solar power, check out my post on how to go solar without installing roof top solar panels.
And check out my other posts on Cancun, Niagara Falls, and many of the other places I have been! Happy Trails!
I had an absolutely perfect time at the last solar eclipse. Here’s what I did and what I recommend for you for the April 8th
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