Get Ready for the Solar Eclipse | Main Street America
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Photo of a crowd of people wearing eclipse protective eyeglasses look up at the sky in a downtown scene.

Sweetwater, Tennessee © Main Street Sweetwater

You’ve probably started to hear more news about the total solar eclipse that’s just a few weeks away on Monday, April 8. A recent article noted cities along the path are seeing increases in travel demand of 50 percent to 950 percent for the same week, year-over-year!

Visit Main Streets in the Path of Totality

Fifteen Main Street communities were awarded grants as part of the Simons Foundation’s In the Path of Totality initiative to organize science engagement activities and events for residents for the eclipse. Most will have activities for residents and visitors the weekend leading up to the eclipse. Learn about the program here and see a list of grantees here. You’ll also find the many Simons Foundation activations from Texas to Maine here.

See all 2024 Main Street communities in the path of totality here >

Looking for information or resources?

Interested in learning more about the eclipse, or need last-minute resources? Take a look at our eclipse planning information and resources here, which includes a downloadable resource guide, blogs, webinars, helpful links, and more. Also consider reaching out to local science teachers and science enthusiasts in your area.

Curious about what you’ll see if you’re not in the path?

Most communities not in the path of totality across the country will see a partial eclipse (see the ​“General Education” section of the Resource Guide for more). There are multiple websites online that allow you to look up your town and some that even provide a time lapse illustration of what you will see for each moment of the partial or total eclipse, projected cloud cover and visibility, and more based on where you are in the country. 

Finally, you’ll need glasses for all phases of the eclipse except the short period of totality. Many local libraries, science museums, and others have glasses for free or for sale. Please double check any solar glasses you may purchase or use meet the safety requirements outlined here by the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Solar Eclipse Task Force. They recently issued an alert to be aware of fraudulent and fake eclipse glasses. This and the other resources are all outlined in the toolkit linked above.

Whether you travel near or far to witness the solar eclipse on April 8, we hope this information provides inspiration for a fantastic experience.

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