Overview:
Ohio is gearing up for the 2024 total solar eclipse with events at Great Parks, the Cincinnati Museum Center, and across the state, offering viewing sites, eclipse glasses, and family-friendly programs. TourismOhio is encouraging residents and visitors to plan for the rare celestial event by sharing out-of-this-world inspiration and ideas for exploring Ohio's attractions, including museums and state parks.
Great Parks hosts viewing event for total eclipse of sun
By Peter Osborne
Great Parks will offer special viewing sites for the 2024 total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, including Miami Whitewater Forest in northwest Hamilton County, the only Great Park that will be in the path of totality, or total blockage of the sun by the moon. Darkness is expected to arrive at the park at 3:08 p.m.
“We already know how perfect Great Parks is for enjoying great scenes in nature, so what a perfect setting for us to all come together and experience one of nature’s rarest phenomena,” said Jordan Hoffman, a Great Parks interpreter. “Some places may experience totality only once every several hundred years, so we are thrilled that the path of darkness allows us to host eclipse watchers this year, and in the largest park in the county, Miami Whitewater Forest.”
Great Parks will also welcome eclipse-spotters to two satellite locations – Parky’s Farm and Sharon Woods. Although the satellite locations will not be in the path of totality, they should still experience over 95 percent blockage of the sun by the moon.
Eclipse enthusiasts are encouraged to choose their spot with plenty of time to spare, because at Miami Whitewater Forest, totality is only expected to last about one to two minutes. For guests who may want to be on site extra early, the Miami Whitewater Forest Campground is accepting camp site reservations, and a limited number of sites are still available for that day.
Great Parks interpreters will be present at all three sites to help share the nature of the moment. At Miami Whitewater Forest, animal ambassadors will be on site, in addition to yard games and informational stations about the day sky, night sky and eclipse science. At all three parks, Great Parks will also have a limited supply of certified eclipse glasses, available at no charge and on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no charge to attend. Great Parks is selling commemorative merchandise at the event and in gift shops. Food, drinks and merchandise will also be available for purchase on site.
Museum Center giving away eclipse glasses for Deep Sky OMNIMAX viewers/programs
By Cody Hefner
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is helping you get ready for the upcoming solar eclipse. The museum will host eclipse-themed programming each weekend leading up to the eclipse. And each weekend, the first 100 viewers to the OMNIMAX film Deep Sky will receive a free pair of eclipse glasses.
For those eager to look to the sky before the eclipse, CMC’s OMNIMAX Theater is surrounding you with the splendor of deep space. Deep Sky takes you 160,000 light years away and 13 billion years back in time. With never-before-seen cosmic landscapes beamed back to Earth by the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s newest telescope, dying stars explode onto the domed screen, icy exoplanets loom overhead and vibrant nebulas dazzle through awe-inspiring cinematography.
The glasses will be available during public showings March 29-31 and April 5-7.
CMC also has a schedule of programming every Saturday and Sunday for the youngest skywatchers. Kids (and adults) are invited to sing along to stargazing story times or show off their out-of-this-world dance moves during glowing neon dance parties in The Children’s Museum. They can also pick up a pair of eclipse glasses during an outdoor solar viewer program or an indoor hour of STEM in the Museum of Natural History & Science if rain forces activities indoors. For a total eclipse of the art, stop by KidSPACE in the Children’s Museum where your imagination is the only limit.
On the day of the eclipse, April 8, CMC will lead a solar viewing activity outside from 2 to 4 p.m., with free eclipse glasses for the first 500 guests. The full list of programming on March 30 & 31, April 6-8 and can be found at cincymuseum.org/eclipse-programming.
See the solar eclipse in the ‘Heart of it All’
Contributed by TourismOhio
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) —With just days until Ohio’s highly-anticipated total solar eclipse, TourismOhio is encouraging residents and visitors to start planning now by offering out-of-this-world inspiration to make memories that will last a lifetime.
“We anticipate that thousands of visitors will come to Ohio to join our residents in having a front-row seat to the solar eclipse,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “The solar eclipse is sure to be an educational and memorable experience, and Ohio will be ready to host visitors with a wide variety of activities, dining, and entertainment options.”
Several cities, including Dayton, Lima, Toledo, Findlay, Cleveland, and Akron, are in the path of totality. In some communities, the eclipse will last for nearly four minutes.
“The eclipse won’t last long, but there is plenty more to experience when you extend your stay here in Ohio,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development, which oversees TourismOhio. “From stargazing at one of our many state parks to exploring space at one of our many museums, you’ll discover all kinds of adventure here in the Heart of it All.”
TourismOhio is making planning even easier with a new all-in-one landing page featured at Ohio.org/Eclipse. The site includes a comprehensive map with the best places to watch the eclipse and an interactive list of viewing parties, festivals, and other events happening across the state. The website also includes other family-friendly ideas to make the most of the busy weekend, including the top stargazing spots and science museums.
Visitors should share their Ohio total solar eclipse memories and adventures on social media with #OhioTheHeartofitAll and #Eclipse2024.
Perfect for the long weekend, travelers can also go ‘to the moon and back’ along the Ohio Lunar Road Trip. Visitors can walk in the footsteps of Ohio’s famous astronauts and space pioneers at many museums across the state, including the Neil Armstrong Space Exploration Gallery in Cincinnati, the National Aviation Heritage Area in Dayton, and the International Women’s Air and Space Museum in Cleveland.
Fittingly, Neil Armstrong’s hometown of Wapakoneta will experience 3 minutes and 56 seconds of totality, among the longest in the state. The Armstrong Air and Space Museum shares the stories of Ohioans who have attempted to defy gravity and explore space, including the man it’s named for—the first person to set foot on the moon.
For the eclipse, the museum has special tours and events planned the whole weekend and for the eclipse Monday. The line of totality will pass almost directly over the museum grounds, providing a nearly perfect view of the eclipse.
Total solar eclipses are rare. Only 21 have crossed the lower 48 states in the existence of the United States, according to NASA. The last total solar eclipse in Ohio was in 1806. The next won’t happen until September 14, 2099 – making this rare event one travelers will not want to pass up.
For an experience closer to nature, many of Ohio’s 75 state parks will be open for visitors during the eclipse. Reservations for April are now open on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website.