CLEVELAND, Ohio — Next year may seem far away, but when talking about the April eclipse, time is running out for people to plan. The eclipse will cut right across the U.S. with Cleveland in the path of totality, making Northeast Ohio a tourism hotspot.
A solar eclipse is something not everyone gets the chance to see, but right here in Cleveland, on April 8, 2024, the city will be in the path of totality for one.
“The thing to keep in mind is that the moon is going to completely block out the sun's light, and the shadow that's cast from the moon is going to create a shadow, and that shadow will be right over Cleveland, Ohio, completely blocking out the sun,” said JonDarr V.T Bradshaw community engagement coordinator with the Great Lakes Science Center.
The passing will start at 2 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m., but right around 3:15 p.m., for about four minutes, the sun will be completely blocked, and it'll feel like nighttime.
“You will see animals and insects that usually come out at night. They will suddenly come out here. Their biological clock will be all mixed up. It's just amazing. I mean, streetlights are going to turn on,” Bradshaw said.
So, thousands of people will travel to Ohio for the rare event, which has hotels like the Hilton Downtown already booked up.
“We are completely sold out leading up to the solar eclipse. We do have great availability that Sunday night of the women's championship game and Monday to stay through for the eclipse,” said Julia Austin, the director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Downtown.
For the city, it's a jam-packed weekend with the NCAA Women's Final Four, then the eclipse Monday. Joe Savarise the president and CEO of the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association, said there are 1430 Ohio hotels in the path of totality, and some have minimum stay requirements.
“So you might have a two-day stay or three-day stay required, and that will also increase the closer that we get,” Savarise said.
Adding not only will this bring in business for the state, but it’ll also benefit the economy.
“I think we're definitely talking about a $100 million impact easily within those affected areas within Ohio,” Savarise said.
So while at the Hilton, they are already gearing up and planning. Austin and Savarize said to book now before there's nothing left or prices go up.
Destination Cleveland has a growing list of Solar eclipse events, to find what will be happening in the city that day, click here.
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