NYC Eclipse Guide: Best spots to watch if you failed to book a trip out of the five boroughs
It’s going to be a real sun-stopper!
Monday’s rare total solar eclipse will saunter across Mexico, the United States and Canada, with several towns across New York experiencing full totality.
Among them are Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, where tens of thousands of tourists are expected to descend.
While New York City is outside the path of totality, “You’ll be able to view the eclipse from New York City, that’s the good news,” said Laura Motta, Lonely Planet’s senior director of content. “The bad news is that you won’t be able to see a total solar eclipse from any of the five boroughs, but you can get pretty close.”
If you haven’t already made travel plans, here are the best area spots to catch the event — which starts at 2:10 p.m. in New York City, with 89.6% totality set to occur at 3:25 p.m.
Manhattan
- Central Park: Motta recommends green spaces with views unobstructed by tree cover — like the park’s 55-acre Great Lawn or Umpire Rock, an outcropping near Heckscher Playground.
Brooklyn
- Green-Wood Cemetery: Join members of the Amateur Astronomers Association for a free event from 1:30 to 5 p.m. at the 478-acre burial ground, as well as food, drinks and telescopes equipped with solar filters.
Queens
- Flushing Meadows Corona Park: Head to the borough’s biggest park for unobstructed views of the eclipse near the iconic Unisphere — or watch while kayaking, biking or hiking the 897-acre grounds.
Bronx
- Roberto Clemente State Park: Watch the city dramatically descend into darkness from a 25-acre waterfront promenade along the Harlem River, where New York state parks officials will distribute free viewing glasses and host educational programs
Staten Island
- Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve: New York’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is also hosting a “Solar Eclipse Viewing Party” at the 265-acre oasis, with free viewing glasses while supplies last
Best spots to drive within 100 miles of Midtown Manhattan
“If you want to get closer to complete totality, you’ll have to head north,” Motta said. “Driving north along the Hudson offers a few excellent viewing spots, plus you’ll get closer to seeing a total solar eclipse than you would in the city.”
- Bear Mountain State Park: 92.1% totality
Catch the eclipse from a large field near the Bear Mountain Inn at this Hudson Valley getaway just 50 miles north of NYC. Food, drinks and special souvenir shirts will be available from 2 to 4 p.m. - Harriman State Park: 91.8% totality
New York’s second-largest public park offers spectacular settings to watch the eclipse, including 31 lakes and reservoirs, two beaches and 200 miles of hiking trails in Rockland and Orange counties - Jones Beach State Park: 89% totality
Roving park rangers will loan out eclipse viewers along the Long Island beach and boardwalk - Palisades Interstate Park: 90.8% totality
Spanning 12 miles of the Hudson River just outside Manhattan, the park provides stunning shoreline sights.
Best spots via public transport within 100 miles of Midtown Manhattan
Much like the event itself, eclipse-related traffic will be spectacular — so consider hitting the rails.
- Mohonk Preserve: 93.8% totality
Hudson Valley’s Shawangunk Ridge provides a perfect haven for eclipse chasers amid 8,000 acres of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding or rock climbing. Metro North from Grand Central Terminal; Amtrak from Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station - Long Beach: 89% totality
Take advantage of Monday’s mild but partly cloudy forecast – highs in the low 60s – and watch Monday’s show seaside. Long Island Rail Road from Grand Central Terminal or Penn Station to Long Beach - Sleepy Hollow: 91.1% totality
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery offers 90 scenic (and spooky) acres for watching the eclipse near burial sites of local luminaries like William Rockefeller, Walter Chrysler and Washington Irving. Metro North from Grand Central Terminal to Tarrytown; 10-minute taxi/Uber to Sleepy Hollow
Where to get free eclipse-viewing glasses in NYC
- New York Public Library locations citywide
- Warby Parker is giving away free glasses at all stores nationwide until Monday, while supplies last
Eclipse events in NYC
One World Observatory: Enjoy the eclipse event from the 102nd floor of the World Trade Center.
Package-deal tickets costs $94 for adults and $88 for kids and come with free viewing glasses, a complimentary beverage voucher, commemorative pint glass and souvenir photo.
The Edge: Free glasses and a “solar slipper” cocktail come with the price of admission ($75 adults, $70 kids) for Hudson Yards’ 100th floor open-air observation deck.
Everything to know about the 2024 solar eclipse
- The solar eclipse will take place Monday, April 8, blocking the sun for over 180 million people in its path.
- The eclipse will expand from Mexico’s Pacific Coast across North America, hitting 15 US states and pulling itself all the way to the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
- New Yorkers will experience the solar eclipse just after 2 p.m. Monday.
- A huge explosion on the sun, known as a coronal mass ejection, is anticipated, according to experts. This happens when massive particles from the sun are hurled out into space, explains Ryan French of the National Solar Observatory in Boulder, Colorado.
- To avoid serious injury to the eyes, it is necessary to view the event through proper eyewear like eclipse glasses, or a handheld solar viewer, during the partial eclipse phase before and after totality.
- The next total solar eclipse will take place on Aug. 12, 2026, and totality will be visible to those in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and a small slice of Portugal.
Intrepid Museum: Guests can watch the big show aboard the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Intrepid and receive commemorative eclipse glasses, with museum admission ($36 for adults and $26 for kids).
American Museum of Natural History: Visitors can enjoy family-themed educational activities and free glasses ($28 for adults; $16 for children).
