A total transcontinental solar eclipse arrives Aug. 21, America’s first since 1918 and the only one until 2024. With an approximately 70-mile-wide path from Oregon to South Carolina, even partial views of this once-in-a-lifetime event will be possible across North America — something to celebrate with plenty of viewing parties and other events planned coast to coast. Get ready to dance in the (daytime) dark, and do a little research to view the event safely.
Oregon: A Little Learning
Willamette Park in Corvallis hosts events Aug. 19-21, including educational presentations, live music, kids activities, a disc golf course, bocce, food, and a beer garden.
Price: Free, with $200 optional RV/tent camping
Oregon: Sports, Stars
Watch the solar eclipse at the Capital FC Timbers Soccer Complex in Salem. Bring a blanket and picnic and as many people as can fit in a car.
Price: $20 for each car
Oregon: Simply Volcanic
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes minor-league baseball team hosts a three-game “EclipseFest” Aug. 18-21 in Salem. Festivities include local beer, wine, and food, kids activities, fireworks and an Aug. 21 morning game with a built-in “eclipse delay.”
Price: $25
Oregon: Museum Quality
The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville hosts an Aug. 19-21 weekend of hands-on activities and educational presentations. The eclipse will be live streamed in the theater, with astronomers on hand.
Price: $5 for the Aug. 21 eclipse viewing party
Oregon: Observe It
Lowell Observatory astronomers, educators, and personalities from The Science Channel take viewing party events to the next level Aug. 20-22 in Madras & Bend, running talks and solar experiments alongside star parties.
Price: $15
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Idaho: Impressive Surroundings
With its site near the rim of an extinct volcano, Crater Adventures in Menan offers a unique, 360-degree locale for viewing, and a weekend of activities Aug. 18-22.
Price: Parking fees start at $20
Idaho: Planetarium Perspective
There are multiple viewing sites and a weekend of activities Aug. 18-21 at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, including an eclipse movie and planetarium lecture.
Price: Free, but reservations are advised
Wyoming: Stargazing 101
Wyoming Stargazing in Jackson fills eclipse week with stargazing programs, daytime astronomy-related events, summit views from Snow King Mountain, and an eclipse viewing party downtown.
Price: Free
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Wyoming: On the Reservation
The Wind River Hotel & Casino on the Wind River Reservation in Riverton hosts the Arapaho Eclipse Celebration Aug. 17-21 with presentations, star viewing parties, Northern Arapaho music, dance, and storytelling, and tours.
Price: Free
Nebraska: Roadside Attraction
Combine a visit to “Carhenge,” the Alliance roadside attraction, with the eclipse. Educational programs and plenty of fun are promised Aug. 18-21.
Price: Free
Nebraska: A Spiritual Component
An outdoor worship service, along with a craft fair, live music, wagon rides, a cowboy skills competition, stargazing, a street dance, and post-eclipse barbecue are planned for Aug. 20-21 in Tryon, part of “Eclipse in the Sandhills.”
Price: Event fees start at $5
Nebraska: Step Back in Time
The Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island hosts “Gem Over the Prairie,” with Railroad Town interpreters offering a look at the eclipse in 1890s form.
Price: Museum admission is $8
Nebraska: Monumental Event
Speakers from NASA representatives to Bill Nye the Science Guy will be at Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice from Aug. 19-21, with music, hands-on activities, presentations, stargazing, and more.
Price: free
Kansas: Get Schooled
Astronomers from The Vatican Observatory are coming to Benedictine College in Atchison for Aug. 20-21 programs that include an astronomy-themed concert, solar telescopes, and a football stadium viewing party.
Price: Free
Missouri: Star-Themed Refreshments
Bring a blanket and picnic lunch Aug. 21 and nibble “cosmic cookies” and sip “star juice” at La Salle Retreat Center in Glencoe.
Price: Free, but overnight packages are offered
Missouri: Shop and See
The parking lot of the East Hills Shopping Center in St. Joseph turns into eclipse central Aug. 19-21, with activities including a walk-through planetarium and viewing party. (Show your eclipse glasses and get some mall discounts.)
Price: Parking spaces can be reserved for $25
Missouri: Food Frenzy
The eclipse-viewing event at E.H. Young Park in Riverside is also a “Food Truck Frenzy,” in case all that looking works up a hunger.
Price: Free, but $5 tickets include protective eyewear
Missouri: On the Big Screen
Bring a lawn chair and watch “Spaceballs,” just one part of Hermann activities Aug. 19-21 that include an eclipse viewing party — and coincide with an annual Wine & Jazz Festival.
Price: Some events are free; a viewing site hayride with a box lunch and solar glasses is $12
Illinois: Make a Toast
Mark the event at Alto Vineyards in Alto Pass, where Aug. 18-21 activities include live music, refreshments, games, the release of a special eclipse wine, and, of course, viewing from the patio or wine deck.
Price: Starting at $20
Illinois: Guided Vision
Southern Illinois University in Carbondale has Aug. 19-21 activities ranging from educational sessions to an arts and crafts fair; Crossroads Astronomy, Science and Technology Expo; and “guided eclipse experience” emceed by Mat Kaplan of Planetary Radio.
Price: There are free events; Eclipse Day at Saluki Stadium starts at $25
Illinois: For Bikers Only
Calling all H.O.G.s (Harley Owners Groups, that is): Black-Diamond Harley-Davidson is hosting a motorcycle-only eclipse viewing party and stunt show Aug. 21 in Marion.
Price: Free
Kentucky: On Golden Pond
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Golden Pond hosts “Sun and Moon Days” Aug. 16-23 with eclipse shows throughout at its Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory, and an eclipse viewing picnic at the Homeplace 1850s Working Farm.
Price: Most events are $5 for adults, $3 for children
Kentucky: Alien Encounter
This year’s “Little Green Men” Days Festival — an annual event commemorating a reported 1950s local encounter with extraterrestrials — falls during the eclipse Aug. 18-21 in Kelly. There’s a 38-foot flying saucer, concert, screening of “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” costume contests — and an eclipse viewing.
Price: Free; $5 parking and includes a raffle ticket
Tennessee: Lunar Talk
A lecture on “Eclipses in History and Culture” might grab adults’ attention, but all kinds of kids’ activities are on the agenda for “Eclipse 2017: Total Eclipse Watching,” an all-day event Aug. 21 at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin.
Price: Free
North Carolina: Block Party
Franklin hosts a “Total Solar Eclipse Block Party” with concerts and kids’ activities (and free RC Cola and Moon Pie for the first 100 attendees). The lower level of Town Hall hosts NASA’s four-hour live stream.
Price: Free
South Carolina: One Day Only
Normally closed Mondays, Ninety Six National Historic Site’s Visitor Center opens Aug. 21 with solar system-themed activities geared toward families in its Star Fort Pond, along with an eclipse viewing.
Price: Free
South Carolina: Loud and Proud
Columbia calls itself the “Total Eclipse Capital of the East Coast” and has some 80 special events planned Aug. 18-21 to prove it, including astronomy activities, a 5K run, space-themed musical events, a festival, public art/laser light installation, movie nights, a giant viewing tailgate event, and more.
Price: Most events are free
California: Partial Eclipse, Totally Worth It
Even those outside the path of the total eclipse are joining in the fun, spotlighting partial eclipses or sharing the main event on big screens. Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles holds a public viewing for the partial eclipse from 9 a.m. to noon.
Price: Free
