I want to go to Ohio next April to view the total solar eclipse, but I haven’t booked a hotel yet because I haven’t finalized my itinerary. This was a mistake, because every single hotel in the city I was planning to visit is already booked solid. I wouldn’t be surprised if every hotel in the path of totality is booked. I’ll have to look for one a few hours away.
Columbus and Cincinnati are probably booked up, so maybe I’ll try Louisville or Lexington down in Kentucky, or Detroit up in Michigan. Or maybe I should avoid big cities all together and look for a hotel in a small town instead.
Before I finalize anything, I want to know if any of my mutuals are planning on coming out for the eclipse. I’ve been banking on Ohio this whole time because it’s a straight shot up the I-75 from where I’ll be at, and I wanted to visit the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta (Neil’s childhood home, directly in the path of totality), but I’m willing to travel anywhere in the path
Mutuals, if you guys live in or near this grey band or are planning to travel there on April 8, 2024, let me know if you want to meet up. I was planning a big road trip up from Florida, with tentative stops at amusement parks along the way (Six Flags Over Georgia, Dollywood, King’s Island, maybe Cedar Point or Hersheypark because I don’t know the next time I’ll be up north, so I may as well cast a wide net).
My car can fit four comfortably (and I do mean comfortably, it’s big, lots of leg room), five max, so if anyone wants to fly out I can pick you up and we can carpool/caravan.
This is my tentative route from Gainesville on up, but I’m willing to deviate. I could take the I-10 west to Texas instead, or I could overshoot the path and meet up in Detroit or Chicago or as far out as St Louis.
It doesn’t matter where I end up just so long as it’s in the path of totality; come hell or high water I am going to see this eclipse.
DM me if you want to join in!
If enough people are interested, I’ll set up a discord server so we can all talk together and finalize our plans by committee. I’ll leave this pinned until August 1st, and if there are no takers I’ll go with my original plan; head out in late March, hit up Six Flags, visit the Smokeys for a couple days, mull around in Kentucky or Ohio until the eclipse, afterwards maybe head east to Pennsylvania, maybe visit some Civil War sites, maybe visit some relatives in the DC area, definitely hit up Dollywood on the way back (besides the eclipse, the theme parks are my main focus; hitting Six Flags and Dollywood both on the way up would be exhausting, so one up and one down works perfect)
This is a major undertaking, a trip of a lifetime for me, so I want to make it special. Spending a week with friends would be nice, before, during or after the eclipse, whatever boats your float.
Once I know who all I’m dealing with, then I’ll start booking rooms and buying tickets. I want to explore, I want to see the country, I want to have a real tourist vacation experience (I’ve been on the customer service end of things for too long, I need a break).









