Interest is building for 2024 total solar eclipse

Last week’s event has people thinking about the next one.

You may want to save this date: April 8, 2024

That’s the next time parts of the United States will experience a total solar eclipse.

OK, so you might think it’s too early to plan, but remember Monday’s “Great American Eclipse?”

Camp sites, hotels and private rentals were booked months in advance. Remember the frantic hunt for those special glasses?

The Aug. 21 total solar eclipse stretched from Salem, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina. In 2024, the projected path in North America goes from parts of Mexico through Canada.

U.S. cities that will be in the path of totality include Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio; Little Rock, Arkansas; Austin, Texas; and Buffalo, New York, according to NASA.

If you’re fine with a partial view, you may want to consider a long weekend in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. or New York City.

One person who may not be there is Jane Tomlin.

“I do have to say it was probably one of the most awesome natural experiences I’ve ever seen,” said Tomlin, co-owner of Tomlin BBQ in Rabun Gap, which was packed with tens of thousands of sun gazers. Tomlin’s restaurant was closed that day, but she watched from her yard with friends and family. “Would I travel anywhere else to see it? I doubt it, I’m not much of a crowd person, but it was pretty fantastic.”