Looking for eclipse accommodation? Try Kansas & Nashville say experts

The eclipse is nearing a sell-out, but if you want a hotel close to the Line of Totality, act quickly

The Total Solar Eclipse in the USA on August 21, 2017 is almost a sell-out – and some hotels in Oregon are reportedly charging $600 per night for a two-star hotel. However, there are hotels remaining within – or close to – the eclipse-track if you know where to look.

The best option is a big city, and perhaps the easiest both to get to, and to find a hotel in, is a city that regularly holds large conventions. “I would consider flying to Kansas City, Missouri because there are lots of hotels their because they’re used to having conventions hosting thousands of people,” says Daniel Opiliger at Tropical Sails, which sells tours to see eclipses around the world. “Rent a car and drive north to centerline, which grazes Kansas City on the north, maybe to St. Joseph.” A quick web search produces dozens of cheap hotels that would serve as a good base.

Or you could be REALLY lazy. “You only have to get to Kansas City airport because it’s so far north of the city,” says Opiliger. Hotels around Kansas City International Airport have plenty of rooms left.

Another great option is Nashville. Heather Middleton, Vice President of Public Relations at VisitMusicCity.com told WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com that only 38% of hotels in Nashville are booked-up around the dates of the eclipse. She recommends checking here to book a hotel in Nashville (when we checked, there were still dozens of hotels going for well under US$200 per night), and to also consider Gallatin, Tennessee in Sumner County.

Although the area gets a whopping 2m 40s of Totality, there is a drawback; it can get cloudy around here. “In the east they have hurricanes that blow across the Atlantic in the summertime, and when they do, everywhere east of the Mississippi is cloudy and rainy for a week.”

One option is out west, where the weather prospects are much better. “In th west, you could go to Salt Lake City, though you’re three hours south of the centerline and Interstate 15 will be very busy on the morning of the eclipse,” advises Opiliger.

Tropical Sails will have three eclipse observation groups in Wyoming, at Jackson, Moran and Caspar.

Photo credit: Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation