The eclipse is the astronomical event of generations. Across its path, celebrations will abound, and tourism officials across the continent are trying to attract visitors for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

MAP: See an interactive solar eclipse map.

First touching down in northern Mexico, totality’s shadow will darken the skies in parts of 13 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland).

According to Space.com, the eclipse will first hit land about 370 miles off Mexico’s west coast on Isla Socorro. Mazatlan, Mexico, will be the first piece of the mainland to see totality. After Mazatlan, the eclipse will travel over Durango, Torren and Monclova, reaching the U.S. border at Piedras Negras.

The total solar eclipse will be moving northeast across the United States for a little over an hour, crossing the Mexico border into Texas around 2:28 p.m. and entering Canada from Maine around 3:32 p.m. In Lake Placid, the total solar eclipse will start around 3:25 p.m. — with maximum sun blockage around 3:26 p.m. — and will end around 3:28 p.m. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine will witness totality.

A solar eclipse reaches totality when the moon passes precisely between the sun and Earth, casting its shadow directly on Earth. Nationaleclipse.com, which has cataloged many totality states’ events, shows Texas, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio and New York with the most scheduled celebrations and viewings.

According to Weather Underground, there have been only 15 total eclipse events in the U.S. since 1867. In those 157 years, only one other eclipse has traversed the country from coast to coast. April’s will be the first since 1918. That year, the total eclipse crossed the country from Washington to Florida.

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Texas tourism

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Texas will be the first U.S. state to witness the eclipse, and Texans are not holding back. Nationaleclipse.com lists 40 festivals and multi-day events across Texas, as well as many single-day viewing parties and activities.

Burnet, Texas, the Texas Eclipse festival will host nearly 200 artists between April 5 and April 9, as well as astronauts and scientists.

In Waco, the Eclipse over Texas festival will feature astronomers from Lowell Observatory and Baylor University, with telescopes, educational programs and food trucks to boot. Waco will see four minutes and 13 seconds of totality.

Thirty two state parks will also see totality, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. Camping and visiting reservations will be needed.

Even Smithsonian Journeys is trying to cash in on the eclipse in this state, hosting several multi-day trips to the Texas Hill Country.

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Arkansas

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The moon’s shadow will touch down in the southwest tip of Arkansas near De Queen and exit the state near Pocahontas in the northeast. The entire state of Arkansas will see at least 94% obstruction during the eclipse. Festivals are planned statewide, and 25 state parks will fall within the path.

According to the Arkansas House of Representatives, the state expects this to be the biggest tourism event in its history. Up to 1.5 million out of state visitors are expected, with another 500,000 native Arkansans expected to travel to the path of totality.

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Indiana

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On a southwest to northeast diagonal from St. Bernice to Woodburn, totality will be seen across much of the lower half of Indiana, while the upper reaches of the state will see 90% totality. Eclipse events are scattered across the state and range from viewing alongside alpacas to watching on a train to camping in huge fields.

Indiana has a long history of producing astronauts, including Gus Grissom, a member of the “Mercury 7”; the first seven astronauts selected for spaceflight. Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon, graduated from Indiana’s Purdue University with a bachelor of science in aeronautical engineering. The late Janice Voss, who traveled 18.8 million miles over 779 Earth orbits, earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering science from Purdue in 1975. Former astronaut Mark Brown, yet another Purdue alum, will be speaking at an event at the Conner Prairie Fair Ground this April.

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Ohio

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Nationaleclipse.com lists over 30 eclipse events around Ohio, including a tailgate party at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Ohio’s last total solar eclipse was in 1806.

In downtown Cleveland, the Great Lakes Science Center is hosting a three-day eclipse celebration in partnership with NASA Glenn Research. John Glenn, the first man to orbit the Earth, was born in Cambridge, Ohio. Later in life, at 77, he became the oldest man to travel into space. Neil Armstrong, though an alum of Purdue, was born and raised in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

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New York

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The path of totality will stretch across the top of New York on a beeline to the Adirondacks. On Wednesday, Jan. 10, Governor Kathy Hochul issued a press release detailing the state’s plans for the eclipse. The path of totality will cover 29 counties, while the rest of the state — mainly central and southern New York — will see between 88% and over 99% coverage. The press release listed Jamestown, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, Old Forge, Lake Placid and Plattsburgh as falling within the path. The state is promoting eclipse tourism online at iloveny.com/events/eclipse-2024.

The Rochester Museum & Science Center will host a three-day festival — “ROC The Eclipse” — filled with hands-on activities, speakers, live entertainment, eclipse merch, food trucks, and more. There will be solar telescope viewing, theater shows, science experiments and other activities.

Geneva, New York, just south of Rochester, will hold a three-day festival called “Embrace the Dark”, from April 6 to 8.

Here in the Adirondacks, hotels are already full and local organizations are preparing for a tidal wave of visitors.

Saranac Lake will put on Solar Fest, a four-hour downtown event with live music, food, art and more.

In Lake Placid, the Olympic Regional Development Authority is operating two viewing celebrations. At Whiteface Mountain, viewers can ride the lift to the Main Base Lodge for $40, where they can view totality on the deck of the Cloudspin Bar & Grill. There will be live music and giveaways, as well as complimentary viewing glasses while supplies last.

At the Olympic Center, ORDA is hosting a viewing party on the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval, conditions permitting. Inside, viewers can watch the eclipse on the Herb Brooks Arena jumbotron. The patio deck of Roamers Cafe, the Olympic Center’s restaurant, will also be open for viewing with limited capacity.

On the other side of the Tri-Lakes, Tupper Lake will see three minutes and thirty-five seconds of totality.

The Wild Center will host a weekend-long festival to celebrate the event, and admission will be free on a first come, first serve basis on the day of the eclipse. The festival will feature such things as glass-blowing demonstrations, a solar-powered silent disco, food trucks and live animal events.

The Sky Center will host a two-day event on April 7 and 8, with family-friendly activities, music, fireworks, guest speakers and more.

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Canada

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Once past New York, the path of totality will continue through six Canadian provinces. It will barely pass through southern Ontario, missing Ottowa, before reaching Montreal, Monteregie and the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

Canada’s eclipse webpage highlights Quebec and the observatory as the places to be for totality. Mont Megantic National Park sits at the center of the region and will see the longest period of totality at around three-and-a-half minutes. It is the heart of Quebec astronomy, home to the Mont-Megantic Observatory.