Watched the eclipse from near Hot Springs, Arkansas today. It was freaking awesome. We booked a room nearly a year in advance and got a good rate - many hotels were charging $400 or more a night. Went into the town and National Park area yesterday. Tons of people but traffic wasn’t horrible (coming from someone who commutes in NOVA). The weather was beautiful after initial forecasts last week didn’t look great (though we’re now getting 2-3” + of rain overnight which sucks for folks camping out). Viewed the eclipse from a really scenic overlook about 30 miles west of town, the last four on gravel roads, on National Forest land. Lots of people but not as packed as the major cities were. The overlook had 360-degree views from top of a ridge overlooking a large lake to the north so the 360-degree sunset was amazing and the temperature drop was really noticeable. Hard to believe a year of planning was over in a matter of minutes but it was so worth it.
Recommend 10/10 if you ever get the opportunity.
the next one is in Florida from what I heard.
