Two of the cheapest places to see solar eclipse are in Upstate NY, study finds

Total solar eclipse

People gather near Redmond, Ore., to view the sun as it nears a total eclipse by the moon, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse in North America first hits land at Mexico’s Pacific coast, cuts diagonally across the U.S. from Texas to Maine and exits in eastern Canada. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)AP

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Two of the most affordable places to catch the 2024 total solar eclipse are in Upstate New York.

But book now: As interest in seeing the once-in-a-lifetime celestial show soars, prices for flights and hotels are expected to soon follow.

A list of the 30 cheapest destinations to watch the eclipse includes two communities in the Empire State: Buffalo in Western New York and Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. The ranking was compiled by KAYAK, a metasearch engine for travelers.

To create its list, KAYAK crunched flight, hotel and car rental prices for destinations set to experience two minutes or more of totality — the moment when the moon will completely block the sun, making the midday sky look like dusk — on Monday, April 8. The prices were for between April 5 and April 10.

Buffalo was ranked the 10th cheapest flight destination for offering $509 average roundtrip, economy airfare.

The Buffalo area is topping experts’ lists as one of the best places in the nation to watch the eclipse. Erie County is preparing for up to one million tourists to flock to the Buffalo region to view the historic event; in preparation, all but one of the 28 public school districts have canceled school on April 8.

With average nightly rates of $390, Lake Placid was ranked the eighth cheapest hotel destination in the path of the eclipse.

The ranking, however, came with a warning: With KAYAK seeing a 304% increase in flight searches for the dates around the eclipse, prices will likely rise soon.

More about the 2024 solar eclipse

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