Watching the Solar Eclipse in Columbus: Viewing Ideas Close to Home
Don’t feel like hopping in the car or fighting crowds? Check out local events, including a watch party at COSI.
For most of us who live inside I-270, it doesn’t make sense to stay put for this eclipse. Columbus is just outside the path of totality. And if you’re just outside the shadow, then all you get is a partial eclipse, which experts say is a far cry from a total experience. Even at 99 percent coverage, the sky is still too bright to truly enjoy the wonder of totality. And you’ll have to wait until 2099 for the next one in Ohio.
In the words of eclipse chaser and author Kate Russo, “If you've got one on your doorstep, half an hour's drive away, you're mad not to go.”
That said, if you’re content to be a homebody, Columbus has some options. At press time, Hotel LeVeque was finalizing plans for an eclipse package. Land-Grant Brewing Co. also plans to host a viewing party with free eclipse glasses, food trucks and its Totality Black IPA, a collaboration with COSI.
Speaking of COSI: The science center is going all-in on eclipse-viewing in the 614, embracing the city’s 99.6 percent totality. COSI will host an all-day eclipse viewing party on April 8 featuring hands-on educational activities, virtual reality activities with Meta Quest 2 headsets and a new Solar COSI Connects Kit. Inside COSI, visitors will find a livestream of the eclipse, which could be helpful if it’s a cloudy afternoon.
Also: Two Columbus Metro Parks, Prairie Oaks (West Jefferson) and Glacier Ridge (Plain City) are in the path of totality. They open at 6:30 a.m.
This story is from the March 2024 issue of Columbus Monthly.