2024 solar eclipse events in Northeast Ohio
Mar. 7—Area institutions are gearing up for the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse over Northeast Ohio at 3:13 p.m. April 8.
The following are what some of those sites have planned.
Cuyahoga County
—The Cleveland Museum of Natural History will kick off its celebration with "Think & Drink with the Extinct: Lights Out " at 7 p.m. April 4.
At this eclipse-themed evening geared toward guests 21 and older, attendees can party the night away with special shows in the Nathan and Fannye Shafran planetarium, meet-and-greets with museum scientists, live music and more.
A selection of space-themed foods will be available, and all guests will be provided with a pair of ISO-compliant glasses to safely view the eclipse a few days later. The event will cost $5 for members and $15 for non-members.
Then, "SolarFest: Eclipse Family Fun Days" will be held April 6 and 7 at the museum.
Beginning at 11 a.m., SolarFest will featuring hands-on STEM activities and discussions with museum experts. SolarFest is included with general admission and is free for all museum members.
Then, on April 8, the museum will join forces with University Circle Inc. and the University Circle community for the "Total on the Oval Watch Party."
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History will host a full day of family-friendly fun, featuring live music, hands-on activities, presentations from the museum's astronomy department, and more. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with additional activities located on Wade Oval. The Total on the Oval Watch Party is free for both museum members and non-members.
—Great Lakes Science Center and NASA's Glenn Research Center are hosting a Total Eclipse Fest 2024 from April 6-8.
The event will feature hands-on science activities, food vendors and entertainment. NASA experts will be on-site to share how the organization studies the sun and solar system, and NASA TV will be broadcasting live from the event.
It is a free outdoor festival open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and tickets are not required. The science center is located at 601 Erieside Ave. in Cleveland and entrances to the festival will be available on West Third Street, East Ninth Street and Erieside Avenue.
On April 7, Cleveland Orchestra will perform an "Out of this World" concert paired with images from the Hubble Telescope, International Space Station and NASA's photo archives.Cultural organizations and performance partners will include Karamu House, Talespinner Children's Theatre, Cleveland International Film Festival (two screenings), Refresh Collective and The City Club of Cleveland
The Science Center will offer free admission to its regular indoor exhibits on April 7 to celebrate The Cleveland Orchestra's performance. Normal admission rates apply on April 6 and April 8.
—The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's "SolarFest: Come for the Sun, Stay for the Stars!" four-day celebration will run April 5-8.
The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 .p.m daily during the event weekend, and will feature a variety of daily activities, including live music; album and playlist listening parties; trivia contests; educational and family programs and curated celestial-themed artifacts from the museum's vaults
Dance the night away on April 7 at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Celestial Blast, separate ticket required. Visitors will be able to explore all museum exhibits, hear from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame experts, and enjoy craft beer and specialty cocktails. Headlining the Celestial Blast will be a DJ set from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Grandmaster Flash.
Tickets for the Celestial Blast are available at www.rockhall.com/events.
On April 8, those with museum tickets can come to the Union Home Mortgage Plaza in front of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for eclipse viewing. Eclipse glasses are available for purchase in the museum store.
The museum is offering a SolarFest All Access Bundle, which includes access to the museum for all four days, admission to the April 7 Celestial Blast, an annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame membership, a commemorative laminate, a dedicated eclipse viewing area, discounts in the museum store and cafe, eclipse glasses, and more. SolarFest All Access Bundles are available at tickets.rockhall.com.
For more information, visit www.rockhall.com/solarfest.
Lake County
—Holden Arboretum in Kirtland will be hosting "Total Eclipse of the Arboretum" from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 8. Advanced tickets are required, and they can be purchased at holdenfg.org.
It is recommended attendees bring chairs and blankets, a picnic and even the dog.
The Canopy Walk will be open to ticketholders during event hours, and the Emergent Tower will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for members and $30 for non-members. Tickets include solar eclipse glasses, parking for one vehicle, admission to the arboretum, entertainment by DJ Kris Koch, and access to onsite activities and food trucks.
Due to an increase in local traffic expected throughout Lake and surrounding counties, travel time will be impacted. The arboretum is located at 9550 Sperry Road, which will be closed to non-ticket holders all day.
—Lake Metroparks Farmpark is hosting Total Solar Eclipse 2024 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 8. Farmpark is located at 8800 Euclid-Chardon Road in Kirtland.
According to Assistant Chief of Interpretive Services Caitlin Ambrose, activities for all ages will build up the anticipation of the main attraction, including hands-on experiments, an obstacle course, eclipse myths and legends hike, music, planetarium shows and themed presentations.
Offerings will take place both indoors and outdoors. The daily Lake Metroparks Farmpark attractions will be available for visitors as well.
Solar eclipse viewing glasses will be provided for guests in attendance.
"There is much anticipation for the eclipse so best to plan ahead," Ambrose said. "We recommend having a chair and some blankets to sit or lay on. There will be vendors on site for food and refreshments or visitors are welcome to bring their own picnic to enjoy."
Parking is limited in the lots and is first come, first served.
—Fairport Harbor will be hosting an Eclipse Viewing Party on the Lighthouse Hill.
The viewing party will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. April 8, and there will be music and food trucks for visitors to enjoy in anticipation of the main event, which will take place around 3:15 p.m.
—Grand River Valley Wine Region is in "the path of totality" for the upcoming solar eclipse and the wineries are ready.
The GRV group has created an eclipse-themed weekend event called Total Eclipse Wine Trail that will run April 5 through April 7.
Fourteen wineries have chosen to participate, each offering an eclipse-themed small plate paired with two wine samples. The cost is $10 per person at each winery.
All the wineries are within a few minutes of each other, making it an easy drive from one location to the next. Those who register in advance, by purchasing an official Eclipse Wine Trail Passport, will receive $5 off at each location and a commemorative wine trail T-shirt.
Passports are $70 each and can be purchased at valleywinegroup.com. These passports will only be available while supplies last and will be cut off two weeks before the trail begins.
"We have encouraged wineries to create events themed around the eclipse for that weekend. The trail runs from noon to 5 p.m., giving visitors time in the evenings for other experiences," said Loretta Todd, marketing manager for Debonné Vineyards. "Many wineries have created special wines in celebration of this event such as Bethany Ann Cellars Lost Chardonnay which is a 10-year aged chardonnay or Grand River Cellars Celestial which is a 3-year aged, port style, dessert wine. Many of the wineries are also organizing watch parties on the actual day of the eclipse."
Participants who purchased the passport and visit all 14 wineries will be entered into a drawing for an overnight package in the Grand River Valley, including hotel accommodations and gift certificates to various wineries.
—Lake Erie College and Painesville City's Recreation Department are planning a total solar eclipse event at the college's Jack Slattery Field. A city Facebook listing said that visitors can "bring a chair or blanket and enjoy food trucks, a DJ and eclipse information from LEC's science experts."
Lake Erie's website said that the food trucks will include Flavors Around the Square on the Go, Barrio Tacos, Cocky's Bagels and King Cone. The college will also have a limited supply of solar glasses available.
The free public event will run from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Jack Slattery Field is positioned west of the college's Jerome T. Osborne Family Athletic and Wellness Center, which is located on the northwest corner of Gillett Street and West Walnut Avenue in Painesville.
Geauga County
Geauga Park District has partnered with The Great Geauga County Fair to host a free large-scale viewing event April 8 at the Geauga County Fairgrounds.
Plan to come out for The Great Geauga Total Solar Eclipse for free eclipse-viewing glasses while supplies last and various activities beginning at 11 a.m.
A variety of food trucks will be onsite and bleacher seating will be available, or people can bring their own picnic and lawn chairs. No dogs or drones will be permitted.
Additional features will include a pop-up nature store with eclipse merchandise, multiple viewing stations with various equipment, citizen science projects, multiple photo ops and more.
Parking lots open at 10:30 a.m. Learn more, including the complete and detailed schedule of events, at geaugaparkdistrict.org.
