Check out these attractions while you experience the 2024 solar eclipse.
The 2024 total solar eclipse will be a once-in-a-lifetime event for many people, and Arkansas will be Ground Zero for the celestial attraction. The Natural State lies directly under the path of totality, cutting a diagonal swath from the southwest to the northeast, giving the major population centers of Conway, Little Rock, Jonesboro and Hot Springs a splendid seat to the proceedings.
Hotel rooms and Airbnbs on and around the path have been sold out for the April 8, 2024, event for months as people are expected to flock to Arkansas to experience the eclipse. If you happen to live outside the path, you can find the exact course the phenomenon will take at arkansas.com.
But what to do when the 4-minute spectacle is over and the world returns to normal? Here are a few attractions within the path of totality to fill the rest of your visit:
DE QUEEN (Sevier County)
Total eclipse duration: 4 minutes, 19 seconds
Degree of obscuration: 100%
A town birthed by the railroad, De Queen will forever be remembered as the first Arkansas community to go dark with the 2024 total eclipse. After the lights come back on, drop a line in one of the picturesque Tri-Lakes (De Queen, Dierks, Gillham), each of which boasts a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area with campgrounds. Or, check out other natural wonders at the nearby 27,500-acre Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge.
MORRILTON (Conway County)
Total eclipse duration: 4 minutes, 13 seconds
Degree of obscuration: 100%
If it were us, we’d be atop Petit Jean Mountain to see the eclipse, the better to enjoy the comforts of Arkansas’s first state park once things returned to normal. Being springtime, Cedar Falls should be particularly robust this time of year. Down below, toast the sun and moon at Point Remove Brewery (102 S. Crestliner St.), serving craft beer and wine, or head into town and visit Big Cuppa (205 E. Broadway St.) for a hand-crafted beverage, tasty panini and reflection on the nature of the universe.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (Stone County)
Total eclipse duration: 4 minutes, 13 seconds
Degree of obscuration: 100%
Word is that the birds will stop singing during the eclipse as they will be convinced it’s nightfall and time to sleep. While that remains to be seen, you can rest assured the music won’t stop for long in Mountain View, home to the Arkansas Folk Festival and Ozark Folk Center State Park, which preserves the customs and culture of the mountain region. Outdoor amenities abound, from nearby Blanchard Springs Caverns to fly-fishing on the White River to the Epic Ride-awarded Syllamo Bike Trail.
(Eclipse information courtesy Xavier Jubier, xjubier.free.fr/)
