GRAYVILLE, Ill. (WEHT) — A year from Saturday, one of nature’s greatest spectacles will be visible for a slice of the Tri-State.
Campgrounds are already preparing for a flood of viewers for the 2024 solar eclipse. Several campsites around the Tri-State tell us they are seeing an increase in reservations.
In Grayville, Illinois, the I64 KOA Holiday says their cabins are almost sold out, with half of the RV sites already reserved.
“Some of the cabin reservations are from Virginia and Seattle, Washington. People all over the country are already making reservations,” says campground owner Michael Clark. “With the eclipse, we are planning for an upwards of 1,000 additional people.”
Clark says they have been filled up before, but not to this extent. On average, Clark says they see 300 to 500 additional people on site during the holidays. Since they are expecting double that amount, they are planning a year in advance. Clark says they are adding around 25 boondocking sites, which are RV sites with no hookups.
“We’ve done extensive planning,” he says. “We have already reserved extra porta-potties, facilities and we are starting to schedule some security, additional security and those types of things.”
Although we are still one year away from the 2024 eclipse, Clark tells us he is reminiscing about the 2017 eclipse.
“We had a John Deere store in Benton, Illinois, and we saw that the whole area was gridlocked for about six hours, three hours before and three hours after,” he says.
Clark says it is important for guests to plan ahead since spots at the I64 KOA Holiday are going fast.
