Some tips and towns to consider for a last-minute eclipse trip

If you’ve waited this long to make a plan to see the total solar eclipse, you could have some problems.

For one, getting a hold of eclipse glasses now is like trying to find bread and milk the day before a hurricane.

But if you have glasses, what about heading to northeastern Kansas to see totality – where the moon will completely block out the sun as its shadow passes from Oregon to South Carolina?

Traffic will certainly be an issue, as thousands will be on the move trying to see the total solar eclipse.

Lake Afton Public Observatory Director Harold Henderson recommended that last-minute travelers avoid larger cities in the path of the total eclipse like Atchison or St. Joseph, Mo.

“They’re going to be overwhelmed,” said Henderson, who is going to Nebraska to view the eclipse. “It’s only going to get worse the closer you get.”

But several towns within driving distance have free or cheap parking and no registration or in-advance sign-up required for their events, making them prime candidates for a last-minute excursion.

Marysville

Marysville, a town north of Manhattan in Marshall County, will see about 1 minute and 11 seconds of totality. It’s also one of the western-most Kansas towns still in the path of totality.

Hotels have been booked since March and RV parking was filling up rapidly last week, said Marysville’s director of tourism Michelle Whitesell. She said Marysville is seeing a lot more out-of-state license plates and out-of-town visitors.

“We don’t have people from France visiting very often,” Whitesell said. “It’s exciting.”

Whitesell said it’s hard to predict how many people will come to Marysville, but they’re expecting a lot of day-trippers from Manhattan, Salina and Wichita.

The town is hosting most of its activities on Sunday, the day before the eclipse, to give its visitors things to do.

“We don’t have vendors. We don’t have the beer gardens and the bands. It’s more of a laid back approach at the actual eclipse,” Whitesell said. “We just wanted to have a place for people to go.”

“We’re not expecting 20,000 people here,” she added.

Whitesell said that’s part of the appeal. Lakeview Sports Complex, which will host Marysville’s viewing event, has free parking, restrooms and picnic areas.

“We’re a great day trip … You don’t have to go too far to get here,” Whitesell said. “I think that we have room for them here.”

“We don’t want anybody to miss out,” she said. “It’s really a once-in-a lifetime event here in Kansas.”

Leavenworth, Lansing

Leavenworth and Lansing aren’t the best places to see the eclipse: Leavenworth is projected to get about a minute and a half of totality. Lansing will get about a minute.

But they are close to Kansas City and host a number of events that have free admission.

The Leavenworth Landing Park, at 123 S. Esplanade in Leavenworth, will host a public watch party, where solar glasses will be handed out to the first 250 people.

Lansing Community Library, at 730 1st Terrace in Lansing, will host a “Picnic in the Park(ing Lot)” event for the eclipse.

If you’re a beer fan, Ross’s 20th Street Bar & Grill will host a watch party with drink specials on domestic beers and well drinks. They’re located at 202 20th Street in Leavenworth.

Hiawatha, Sabetha

Hiawatha and Sabetha are among the better towns to see the eclipse because they will experience about two and a half minutes of totality.

The Brown County Blackout is a free event featuring a live band, beer garden, food and children’s entertainment.

It will be at the Fisher Community Center at 201 E. Iowa Street in Hiawatha.

Sabetha, directly north of Topeka along Highway 75 near the Nebraska state line, will host a viewing event at the 6th Street Ball Complex, at 192nd Road and N. 6th St.

“It’s crazy,” said Gina Murchison, director of the Sabetha Chamber of Commerce. “The phone’s been ringing off the hook.”

Local restaurants in town are selling grab-and-go meals to eclipse viewers, Murchison said.

Away from towns

Some people may want to avoid the crowds, preferring a viewing location in the country over the events and festivities in cities and towns.

Or you may get caught by traffic or congestion on the way to your destination when the partial eclipse peaks or when totality occurs.

If that’s the case, the Federal Highway Administration and AAA Kansas advises travelers to stay put during the actual eclipse, as well as these other tips:

▪ Exit the roadway and park in a safe area away from traffic to view the eclipse

▪ Do not stop along a highway or interstate to park on the shoulder

▪ Do not take photographs while driving

▪ Turn headlights on instead of relying on automatic headlights

▪ Be aware of pedestrians along smaller roads who may be randomly parking and walking along roadsides

You also shouldn’t wear eclipse glasses while driving, Henderson added.

“They are way too dark for that,” he said. “You might as well put on blindfolds.”

Traffic concerns

Kansas Turnpike Authority spokeswoman Rachel Bell said Kansas City and I-70 are going to be “the main areas that see a lot of traffic.”

“We do expect people to make a weekend of it so it could be heavier this weekend,” Bell said.

Interstate 29 from St. Joseph to Kansas City is expecting “tremendous amounts of traffic,” Henderson said. And the southern end of the Turnpike should also see increased traffic from Oklahoma and Texas drivers heading north, Bell said.

But Bell said it’s hard to predict how bad Aug. 21 traffic on the Turnpike and other highways will be.

“We’re just trying to be prepared and make changes as we need them,” she said. “We are going to be watching things closely.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation told local and state governments in a fact sheet to think of the eclipse as “a planned special event for which there has been no recent precedent in the United States.”

About 200 million people live within a day’s drive of the path of this year’s eclipse.

“If you’re going into the path of totality, particularly if you want to drive into the center of the path of totality, start early, be patient, be courteous,” Henderson said.

“There’s a lot of other people trying to do the same thing you’re doing.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2017 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Some tips and towns to consider for a last-minute eclipse trip."