7 Maps of Fun Eclipse Viewing Locations

Do you have your protective glasses and camera filter ready for the great American solar eclipse on August 21? Perfect. Now all you need to do is pick the ideal location for scoping out the event. Fortunately, the path of totality (the area from which the moon’s total coverage of the sun is visible) stretches from Oregon to South Carolina, and there are plenty of places in between where you can set up camp. We’ve tracked down maps of some of the most unique locations that will fall beneath the moon’s shadow on Monday.

1. WATCH FROM A NATIONAL PARK.

What better place to witness one of the most stunning events in nature than from a national park? Using data from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio, the National Park Service has published a map of sites that will provide the best views of the celestial show. Several locations, from Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the East to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in the West, fall in the path of totality. Click any marker in the interactive map to see if that place is hosting viewing events or other eclipse-related activities on August 21.

2. WATCH FROM THE CLOUDS.

When viewed from Earth, a total eclipse lasts only a few minutes. One way to get the most out of the experience is to head into the sky. You don’t need to board an invitation-only flight to see the eclipse from a bird's-eye perspective. There are plenty of airports in the path of totality, and NASA has compiled them all into a helpful map. In addition to choosing your departure and arrival points carefully, you’ll need to get the timing right. According to The Points Guy, taking an eastbound flight from a Pacific Northwest airport around 9 a.m., or a Denver, Colorado area airport around 10 a.m. will put you in a golden position for eclipse chasing—that’s assuming you can book a last-minute flight.

3. WATCH FROM A WAFFLE HOUSE.

On August 21, many Waffle House patrons will be treated to a mind-blowing experience—and we’re not talking about the topped and smothered hashbrowns. During the eclipse’s final hours it will be visible from dozens of Waffle Houses in the southern U.S. To choose a restaurant for viewing, refer to this map of Waffle Houses in the path of totality, put together by University of Georgia assistant geography professor Jerry Shannon. (He also tried making an eclipse map of Tim Hortons locations, but sadly fans of the Canadian chain won’t be so lucky.)

4. WATCH WHILE EATING FRIED CHICKEN.

Want some chicken to go with your waffles? Eclipse gazers watching from the southern states should have no trouble doing that. Twitter user Taber Andrew Bain made this map of fast food chicken joints that intersect with the path of totality. Bojangles' represents a healthy portion of the spots with 86 locations in the strip, but Zaxby’s is the most abundant by far with 117.

5. WATCH WITH WILDLIFE.

One of the more bizarre side effects of a solar eclipse is the reaction animals have to the sudden darkness. As most creatures time their habits to the rising and setting of the sun, totality can prompt different species to wake up, prepare for sleep, or just go berserk. We recommend watching this bizarre behavior with something separating you from the animals. NASA published a handy map of zoos that fall in the eclipse zone where you can do just that.

6. WATCH WITH SASQUATCH.

It’s not every day a solar eclipse occurs in your backyard, and it’s definitely not every day that you get to watch it in the company of Bigfoot. This map from cartographer and data visualization guru Joshua Stevens plots reported Sasquatch sightings in relation to the trajectory of the solar eclipse. It’s too bad that a bona fide Bigfoot encounter is a lot less likely to happen than a total solar eclipse—and even if you do spot the hairy guy on the big day, it might be hard to convince others of The X-Files-worthy coincidence.

7. WATCH FROM A LIBRARY.

Your local library isn’t just a great place to pick up free protective glasses leading up to the eclipse. It can also be a fun spot to witness the event itself. Libraries around the country are hosting viewing events on the day of, where visitors will be provided with the proper equipment and information about what they’re seeing. Check out NASA’s map of libraries organizing such programs to find one close to you.