travel plaza broadview heights

Great Lakes Service Plaza

Location & Hours

Suggest an edit

Ohio Turnpike

Broadview Heights, OH 44147

You Might Also Consider

Cakeful Travel

Your time is valuable. We help you make the most of it. We design dream vacations. For special occasions and beyond. 💫 read more

in Travel Agents

Nothing Bundt Cakes

8.6 miles away from Great Lakes Service Plaza

Michele B. said "Nothing Bundt Cakes is a clever play on words, but seriously this shop is so much MORE than cakes! I was tickled when I walked in this place. It is more like a boutique cake shoppe without the sky-high prices and stuffy service. We…" read more

in Cupcakes, Bakeries, Desserts

Amenities and More

5 More Attributes

Ask the Community

Ask a question

Yelp users haven’t asked any questions yet about Great Lakes Service Plaza .

Recommended Reviews

• 1 star rating Not good
• 2 star rating Could’ve been better
• 3 star rating OK
• 4 star rating Good
• 5 star rating Great

Select your rating

Overall rating

Forgot a drink completely. Was out of pumpkin muffins at 10am. So just bad ordering? I don't think they sold out this morning. Workers were pleasant and happy tho.

One of my favorite stops when we travel on the Ohio Turnpike. This plaza is always clean no matter what time of year. As we went in to use the services the sidewalks were clean and easy especially for my husband since he uses a cane. I am not sure what was smelling so good but I got hungry the moment we went through the doors. Needless to say, we ended up staying much longer than we intended. The cleanliness of the restrooms were more than sufficient. The eating area was busy though clean and the seating area was attended to promptly as people would leave. I am always a sucker for plaza treats and spent too much on a stuffed animal but when you are a Grandma that's what happens. Also, the price was gas was pretty decent.

See all photos from Penny S. for Great Lakes Service Plaza

Free shower at this plaza just like the others on the Ohio turnpike, restrooms are definitely clean and well maintained by the great staff, you can get Ohio souvenirs and shirts here as well as a bite at the restaurants plus there is vending machines too.

Fine service plaza on the turnpike. I always stop here for a break and to fuel up and the women's restroom is typically pretty well clean. Wish there were more food options though, the lines are always long.

I went to the pizza hut and it was very bad service. The person behind the counter handling the food had no gloves on, they got the prices all mixed up, and it took forever to get our food. Horrible service and horrible quality.

It has relatively clean restrooms and good service . The good options are good here - they have mandated entry with masks only.

Fairly standard Turnpike Service Plaza. Stopped by the Sunoco for fuel. Only $2.09 so a nice deal. Gas in Michigan includes a 15 cent state tax so getting gas in Ohio is dirt cheap. It's a little more on a turnpike but cheap enough for me. This one has a Pizza Hut, KFC, Panera, Starbucks, and Burger King. Some of the other ones further westbound have fewer options so your best bet is here.

We stop here for a rest break, food, and stretch our legs out. The service plaza had a lot of parking spaces, clean inside, restrooms are clean.

My daughter and I stopped here today and I got a latte at Starbucks and my daughter got a strawberry Frappuccino at Starbucks. By the time we got home which was about 20 minutes later we both had diarrhea! I think the milk was bad!

Pretty large service plaza with several fast food restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut Express, Panera Bread, Burger King, Starbucks), a tourism information booth, an Ohio souvenir/gift and shop with snacks and drinks, various video game machines , a lotto machine, and a gas station. Reminds me of the NJ Turnpike rest areas but this place is cleaner, pretty clean (helps that it is a lot less crowded than the service areas back in high population density Jersey, which I recently moved to Ohio from.. )

See all photos from Mark N. for Great Lakes Service Plaza

Crumbl - Parma

7.4 miles away from Great Lakes Service Plaza

Morgan R. said "If you want to find a sweet treat here it is ! The store is esthetically pleasing as well as the representation of the cookies. The staff is very welcoming and professional. I came in during a rush and some team members looked…" read more

in Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bakeries

Brunswick Grab n Go

9.9 miles away from Great Lakes Service Plaza

Jason kelce got his free vape and is going crazy! Every 5 vapes you get the 6th free! Take advantage of the loyalty punch card! Follow us on Facebook @ brunswick grab&go read more

in Convenience Stores, Tobacco Shops, Vape Shops

People Also Viewed

Uptown Mart

Coffee in the Valley

Market Eatery

Pit Stop Deli

FriendShip Kitchen

Deli-4-Less

Valley City Chill And Grille

Market District Strongsville

Pic Quick Deli

Best of Broadview Heights

Things to do in Broadview Heights

Other Places Nearby

Find more Coffee & Tea near Great Lakes Service Plaza

Find more Convenience Stores near Great Lakes Service Plaza

Find more Travel Services near Great Lakes Service Plaza

Browse Nearby

Circle K Near Me

Coffee & Tea Near Me

Coffee and Tea Shops Near Me

Convenience Stores Near Me

Related Cost Guides

Town Car Service

Lost Your Password?

Registration is disabled

Ohio I-80/Turnpike Mile 170 East

Towpath Service Plaza

Service Plaza on Interstate 80/Turnpike at Mile 170 near Broadview Heights, Ohio. This rest area is also known as Towpath Service Plaza.

The access from Ohio Interstate I-80 is in the Eastbound direction only.

• Ohio Turnpike
• Accessible Facilities
• Family Restrooms
• Food Service
• Gas Station
• Pet Exercise Area
• Picnic Tables
• Vending Machines

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Message Vendor

• Tiffin River
• Commodore Perry
• Vermilion Valley
• Brady's Leap
• Glacier Hills
• Mahoning Valley
• Great Lakes
• Middle Ridge
• Erie Islands
• Indian Meadow

Milepost 170.1 – Eastbound Between Exits 161 and 173 County: Cuyahoga How it got its name

FUEL SERVICES:

ELECTRIC VEHICLE FAST CHARGING STATIONS:

RETAIL SERVICES:

FOOD SERVICES:

TRUCKERS LOUNGE

• Designated truckers lounge with easy access from the 88-space commercial truck parking lot  
• Separate restrooms & complimentary shower facilities
• Coin-operated washer & dryers with vended towels, sundries, and laundry supplies
• Touch & Win Ohio Lottery EZ Play video gaming terminals

OTHER SERVICES:

• Travel Mart - Customers looking for gifts, merchandise, on-the-go snacks and beverages can find them here
• Snack and beverage vending machines.
• Travel Board InfoCenter  and Turnpike Television (traffic alerts and weather information
• Ohio Lottery- Travel Mart and Sunoco are the authorized Ohio Lottery retailers at this location.
• Arcade Games
• E-ZPass  – stop by the E-ZPass Vending Machine at this location to pick up an  E-ZPass  transponder 24 hours a day. (Passenger car customers only)

HOW TOWPATH SERVICE PLAZA GOT ITS NAME

Along the towpath of the old Ohio and Erie Canal, which lies beneath the Ohio Turnpike’s Cuyahoga River twin bridges seven miles east of the Towpath Service Plaza, straining mules once pulled the canal barges that brought improved transportation and prosperity to Ohio in the 1830s and 1840s. It was close by the old towpath that the first shovel full of earth was overturned on October 27, 1952 to start construction of the Ohio Turnpike, which provides in the mid-twentieth century another great step forward in expanding Ohio’s markets and improving its main avenues of transportation.

The towpaths along the old canals were built on compacted earth fills, like the top of a dam, and offered a solidly supported roadbed along which horses or mules pulled the canal boats. The paths were six feet or more in width and ran along the side of the canal nearest the river. On the opposite side of the canal, workmen used a small “heel path”. Mules were found to be best adapted to pulling the boats and were used singly or in teams of two or three in tandem. Horses were generally too nervous for the bustling canal-side life. The driver boys often raced their teams along the towpath to the locks, and there were loud and epithet-filled disputes over which boat should be first to use the locks, often resulting in fist fights.

At intervals along the canal there were large basins where boats could be unloaded and turned around. One of these – now called “Stumpy Basin” – lies just at the foot of the huge fill supporting the turnpike’s eastern approach to the Cuyahoga River bridges.

There are interesting parallels between the old Ohio and Erie Canal and the Ohio Turnpike. As with turnpikes today, construction of the canals was authorized by the state legislature to break bottlenecks in transportation. In those days public roads were a sea of mud; by 1949 when the Ohio Turnpike Act was passed public roads were a bedlam of traffic. Construction of the canals brought engineers face to face with soil problems inherited from the glacial era; the same type of problems plagued the builders of the Ohio Turnpike more than 100 years later. The canals locks, which were ingeniously devised structures built of hand-cut rock, became centers of activity around which stores and inns were built; today the intricately engineered interchanges of the Ohio Turnpike attract motels, shopping centers and service stations seeking the patronage of turnpike users.

Just as favorable reports on the success of the Pennsylvania Turnpike gave an impetus to the movement to build a turnpike in Ohio, the glowing accounts of the success of the Erie Canal in New York State influence the people of Ohio in trying to solve their transportation problems in that era by building inland waterways that would enable boats to travel between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Ohio farmers needed outlets for their abundant harvests and urged political leaders to build the canals. Two major canals connecting Lake Erie with the Ohio River were begun with elaborate ceremonies in 1825, partially opened in 1827, and completed 20 years later. These were the Ohio and Erie Canal, between Cleveland and Portsmouth, and the Miami and Erie Canal, between Toledo and Cincinnati. These 813 miles of canal gave the infant industries of Ohio new markets; boosted wheat from $.20 to $.70 a bushel; attracted thousands of immigrants to the state; and connected interior Ohio with New York and the Atlantic Coast, with New Orleans and the Deep South and, through these, with the trading centers of foreign countries. In its route across northern Ohio, the Ohio Turnpike crosses the remnants or locations of both of these canals, and of still another – the Ohio and Pennsylvania Canal – which paralleled the Mahoning River.

The first portion of canal opened in Ohio was the section of the Ohio and Erie Canal now spanned by the Cuyahoga River bridges near the Towpath Service Plaza. Akron owes its very existence to the canal, having been established in 1825 at the summit of the canal route, in preparation for the influx of business activity that the opening of the canal was expected to bring. On July 3, 1827, the first boat to sail the canals – the “State of Ohio” – was launched at Akron amid speeches, toasts and cheers and sailed the 27-mile route to Cleveland. The boat’s arrival at the lakefront city heralded the beginning of a phenomenal boost in Cleveland’s population and commercial importance.

Cleveland might not have been the Lake Erie terminal for the canal had it not been for the efforts of a young Cleveland attorney named Alfred Kelley. For five years he worked to overcome financial and legal hurdles to realize his dream of linking Cleveland with the Ohio River. Then as Canal Commissioner he abandoned a rich practice and lived in a shack along the muddy backs to oversee the canal construction work.

Other sprouting villages – Newark, Chillicothe, Columbus, and Toledo – rapidly became cities as a result of the Midas touch of Ohio’s canals.

Life along the canals was rowdy and carefree. Saloons sprang up at the locks. “Luxury” excursion boats cruised up and down the canal carrying merrymakers at two or three miles per hour. Passenger fares were one-half cent a mile. Sleeping accommodations on the packets were somewhat primitive, consisting of three-foot shelves with straw mattresses, and clouds of mosquitoes made sleeping even more difficult. Church people complained that the canals brought undesirable elements to the quiet Ohio countryside.

The Ohio and Erie Canal, which was at least 26 feet wide at the bottom, 40 feet wide between the towpaths, and four or more feet deep, cost nearly $8,000,000 to build. In 1840 there were 420 boats – barges, line boats and packets – in the first 100 miles south of Cleveland. Immigration filled up the state so rapidly and productivity increased with such speed that the building of railroads across the state in the 1850s did not at first affect canal business seriously. Packet boats did a brisk business. The trip between Cleveland at the northern end and Portsmouth in the south was advertised as an 80-hour journey; between Columbus and Portsmouth a day sufficed. Eventually the speedier transportation offered by the railroads being built into every nook and corner of the state brought about the canal’s decline. Traffic moved sporadically and by the beginning of the twentieth century the Ohio and Erie Canal had become a respectable ghost, filled up in places, dry in other localities, used here and there for a fishing pond or a skating rink. The towpaths became overgrown with trees and bushes. Some of the canal beds were filled with earth and used as grades for interurban lines, railroads and highways.

Today efforts are being made to get the state to restore remnants of the canal and maintain them as they were, including old-time canal boats pulled by mules along the towpaths. The word “towpath” has almost gone out of use; perhaps the Towpath Service Plaza will at least keep the name alive close by the scene of the busy towpaths of an earlier era.

Great Lakes Travel Plaza

Contact and address, opening hours:, location & routing.

Clean Plaza to do a 10 or a 34. They have 4 nice showers and a laundry facility, both in the trucker lounge. LOTS of vending machines and a Starbucks ☕️ , Pinera? , Burger? , and a ?Hut. Lots of easy quiet parking and well lit at night.

I love these rest areas. It's really nice to get ample parking off the side of the toll roads. The only drawback to these is that the restaurants don't abide by the company chain offers. They won't allow you to use the coupons. Either that or the not-so-friendly lady at the counter by to me.

Ohio always has really clean service stations it's always convenient to stop with these places just be mindful that getting food here may take longer than expected

The prices for everything are kind of high, but convenience has a price. The actual plazas are very nice, bathrooms are usually very clean. They sell passenger vehicle E-ZPass at all plazas, too.

Photos of Great Lakes Travel Plaza

Similar businesses near me in Broadview Heights, OH

• Sunoco Gas Station 2000 E Edgerton Rd, Broadview Heights, OH 44147, USA Gas station | Convenience store | Store
• Sunoco Gas Station 10037 Broadview Rd, Broadview Heights, OH 44147, USA Gas station | Convenience store | Store
• GetGo Café + Market 4955 E Royalton Rd, Broadview Heights, OH 44147, USA Gas station | Convenience store | Store
• GetGo 4955 E Royalton Rd, Broadview Heights, OH 44147, USA Convenience store | Gas station | Store
• AB Resources Llc 6802 W Snowville Rd E, Cleveland, OH 44141, USA Gas station
• Pilot Travel Center 5219 Brecksville Rd, Richfield, OH 44286, USA Gas station | Convenience store | Store
• truenorth 8952 Brecksville Rd, Brecksville, OH 44141, USA Convenience store | Gas station | Atm | Car wash | Cafe | Store
• Shell 8952 Brecksville Rd, Brecksville, OH 44141, USA Gas station | Atm | Car wash | Convenience store | Store
• bp 14043 State Rd, North Royalton, OH 44133, USA Gas station | Atm | Convenience store | Store
• Mastro's The 3 Spot 13855 Ridge Rd, North Royalton, OH 44133, USA Restaurant | Gas station

Most Recent

• Louisiana Contractors Licensing Service, Inc. [School]
• SlapHappy Yacht Tours [Travel agency]
• Intelligent Design Air Conditioning, Plumbing, Solar, & Electric [Roofing contractor]
• Essentials Massage & Facials of Wesley Chapel [Spa]
• GreenLight Roofing and Remodeling [Roofing contractor]
• By Your Side Home Care [Health]
• Air Conditioning Alliance [Home goods store]
• Blue Anchor Psychology [Health]
• Dentistry For Little Folks [Dentist]
• NOMI - Bathroom Remodel [Plumber]

Today most viewed

• Canger Engineering Associates
• CrystalCase
• Willow Pass Dental Care
• Norton Flooring
• Sutter Urgent Care - Berkeley
• Your Choice Pregnancy Clinic
• First Choice Electrical of Miami
• Western Collision Works
• Lan Antiques & Estate Jewelry 金玉满堂
• Victory Aquatics
• SlapHappy Yacht Tours

Home page   .   + Add listing   .   About   .   Privacy Policy   .   Terms of Service   .   Contact Us   .  

© 2024 BusinessYab.com All Rights reserved.

• © Roadtrippers
• © Mapbox
• © OpenStreetMap
• Improve this map

• Broadview Heights

Towpath Service Plaza

Ohio Turnpike Mile Marker 170, Broadview Heights , Ohio 44147 USA

• Independent
• Credit Cards Accepted

Learn more about this business on Yelp .

Reviewed by Zac H.

Clean and tidy, no complaints about the sanitation here. For food there is a KFC, Pizza Hut, and Panera. There is a Starbucks and a little convenience store with typical fare, but also a small... Read more

Reviewed by Bobby Y.

The restrooms were clean and modern, and I was excited to learn that Tesla charging stations will be coming soon. Overall, I had a great experience at the Towpath Service Plaza and would... Read more

Reviewed by Kerry K.

Clean, well maintained facility with plenty of room to eat and stretch your legs. Souvenirs and snacks are available as well. Easy parking. Read more

View 7 reviews on

Problem with this listing? Let us know .

Has RV parking changed? Let us know .

• Unavailable Parking
• Unknown Pets Allowed
• Unknown Restrooms
• Unknown Wifi
• Unknown Wheelchair Accessible
• Check Credit Cards Accepted

Nearby Hotels

Click to discover a great deal!

Related Trip Guides

The top things to do on a u.s. route 20 road trip, the top things to do on an i-75 road trip, the top things to do on an i-80 road trip, the ultimate guide to cuyahoga valley national park, keep exploring with the roadtrippers mobile apps..

Anything you plan or save automagically syncs with the apps, ready for you to hit the road!

Connect with us and hit up #roadtrippers

Tall tales, trip guides, & the world's weird & wonderful.

• Roadpass Digital
• Mobile Apps

Business Tools

• Partnerships

Get Inspired

• Road trip ideas by state
• National parks
• Famous routes
• Voices from the Road

Fresh Guides

• The ultimate guide to Mammoth Cave National Park
• The Ultimate Guide to Badlands National Park
• Route 66 Leg 2: St. Louis to Tulsa
• Route 66 Leg 1: Chicago to St. Louis
• Route 66 Leg 3: Tulsa to Amarillo
• Top 10 things to do in Ohio
• Offbeat Road Trip Guides
• Road Trip USA
• Scenic Routes America
• National Park Road Trips
• Terms and Conditions

• Pro Sign In

Road Guides  > Ohio Truck Stops

Towpath Service Plaza

Details - Reviews - Nearest - Legend

Truck Stop Location:

Truck stop details:, truck stop reviews:, nearest truck stops:, add a truck stop, free ohio travel planner, featured apps, rate ranges, allstays pro online.

Sign up for more pure information, faster, no ads, privacy, full screen maps, more filters, layers for traffic, biking, transit, over half a million search combinations. Join now

More Guides

Indie Truck Stops CAT Scales AM Best Speedco Flying J Travel Plazas Thermo King Loves Travel Stops Utility Dealers

Pacific Pride Commercial Truck Dealers Petro Center Truck Wash Pilot Travel Centers Tank Wash TA Travel Centers Weigh Station Scales

More about AllStays Home Affiliate Contact Us Support - Legend Site Map Privacy Policy Terms Cookie Settings Jobs

Connect Facebook Advertising Add A Campground Add A Room Add A Truck Stop Add Other Places

AllStays Classic Guides Hotels By Chain Luxury Hotels Spa Resorts Eco & Green B & Bs Haunted Hotels

Extended Stays Real Suites Pet Friendly Yoga Retreats Ski Resorts Road Guides

Copyright © 2000-2024 AllStays LLC

Planning a trip to Cleveland?

Foursquare can help you find the best places to go to..

Great Lakes Travel Plaza

• panera bread

Related Searches

• great lakes travel plaza broadview heights •
• great lakes travel plaza broadview heights photos •
• great lakes travel plaza broadview heights location •
• great lakes travel plaza broadview heights address •
• great lakes service plaza west bound side broadview heights •
• great lakes service center broadview heights •
• great lakes service center westbound broadview heights •
• great lakes service center - westbound broadview heights •
• great lakes service plaza broadview heights •
• great lakes service plaza (westbound) broadview heights •
• great lakes service plaza westbound broadview heights •
• great lakes service plaza womens room broadview heights •
• greay lakes service plaza broadview heights •

• Your Privacy Choices
• Bahasa Indonesia
• Los Angeles
• Philadelphia
• San Francisco
• Washington, D.C.
• Great Britain
• Netherlands
• Philippines
• More Great Places in Broadview Heights:

Foursquare © 2024  Lovingly made in NYC, CHI, SEA & LA

Places inside Great Lakes Travel Plaza

Burger King

Fast Food · $

2000 Edgerton Rd (Great Lakes Service Plaza)

"Check out price pie... 1.70....then check what they charge...1.89. Thanks for robbing me more"

Fuel Station

Ohio Turnpike (Great Lakes Service Plaza)

Travel Mart

Convenience Store

You might also like

Towpath Service Plaza (Eastbound)

10037 Broadview Road (Milepost 170.1)

"Free Wi-Fi at Panera and a bottomless cup? Pay for Wi-Fi at Starbucks for a single cup? You decide."

Middle ridge service plaza WB I 80

Super Secret Ohio Rest Area Trucker Showers

Places people like to go after Great Lakes Travel Plaza

Panera Bread

Bakery · $$

2000 E Edgerton Rd (Great Lakes / Towpath Service Plazas)

"The Pick Two combos are a decent deal."

Coffee Shop · $

Ohio Turnpike, 2000 Edgerton Road (Great Lakes Service Plaza)

"Timmi is the sweetest barista I've had! She answered my. Questions honestly and really made me feel welcome. And my coffee was great! Love it."

Appears on 3 lists

Ohio Turnpike

Created by JP 44 items • 2 followers

places I frequent

Created by Leslie S. 11 items

Is this your business? Claim it now.

Make sure your information is up to date. Plus use our free tools to find new customers.

You must enable JavaScript to use foursquare.com

We use the latest and greatest technology available to provide the best possible web experience. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings to continue.

Download Foursquare for your smart phone and start exploring the world around you!

What time is the eclipse today in Illinois? And how to watch solar eclipse 2024

The solar eclipse is upon us.

As the day progresses and the 2024 celestial event crosses into Illinois , the Journal Star will provide coverage from the path of totality — where the effect is greatest — to the partial eclipse seen elsewhere in the state and the country.

Peoria Riverfront Museum has thousands in attendance for solar eclipse

As of 10 am there were already 1,700 people assembled in the Riverfront Museum's Sun Plaza preparing to view the eclipse, said Kara Cutting, the museum's creative director. By 12:40, Cutting had welcomed hundreds of people as they climbed the stairs onto the plaza.

"It's been very festive. Everyone is having a good time," she said.

With a warm sunny day, eclipse viewers in Peoria are likely going to have a better view than many who traveled to the path of totality.

-Leslie Renken, Peoria Journal Star

Festivities underway at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale

Robert Dennis, a Southern Illinois University grad, was a post-production supervisor for the "Star Wars" movies. He was in Saluki Stadium on Monday running cameras for the eclipse show.

With clear skies overhead as of noon, a dance troupe is out on the football turf dancing to Aquarius' "Let the Sunshine In." The wind is picking up at Saluki Stadium, where a giant ball depicting the sun, tethered to the turf at the 50-yard-line, is attempting to gain first-down yardage.

-Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star

Some eclipse glasses sold in Illinois are recalled

Double check your eclipse glasses before staring at the sun today. Some glasses sold in Illinois have been recalled due to ineffectiveness at protecting the eye from the sun.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is urging people to check their glasses and make sure they are not among those that have been recalled.

Recalled glasses were sold on Amazon as "Biniki Solar Eclipse Glasses AAS Approved 2024 – CE & ISO Certified Safe Shades for Direct Sun Viewing (6 Packs)."

They were also sold at the following southern Illinois retailers:

• Farm Fresh Market, Breese, IL
• Highland Tru Buy, Highland, IL
• Perry County Marketplace, Pinckneyville, IL
• Sinclair Foods, Jerseyville, IL
• Steelville Marketplace, Steelville, IL
• Big John Grocery, Metropolis, IL

Still need eclipse glasses? Here's where to look

The Peoria Public Library is giving away eclipse glasses for free and grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger and HyVee have the glasses for sale as does hardware retailers Menards and Lowe's.

Cracker Barrel restaurant is also selling eclipse glasses.

The Peoria Riverfront museum, Chillicothe Public Library and Fondulac District Library also carry eclipse glasses. At this point, you should try to call ahead before you make the drive anywhere.

More: Where can I get eclipse glasses? What to know about special eyewear on April 8

NASA teams, 50,000 people in Carbondale for solar eclipse

CARBONDALE – SIU-Carbondale officials were joined by teams from NASA and Chicago's Adler Planetarium for a 7 a.m. news  conference Monday ahead of the eclipse.

They expect 200,000 to 300,000 people to flood the region today for viewing of the totality, with a projected 50,000 in Carbondale – roughly double the town's population.

Michelle Nichols, director of public observing at Adler Planetarium, will co-host an eclipse show in Saluki Stadium. 

"Thousands of people are here today to see this eclipse, feel the temperature drop, and feel the overall excitement and hear the reactions of everyone around them," she said. "This is a multi-sensory experience involving the sun, the moon, and you. 

"It involves one single action: Looking up."

NASA is sending up a pair of balloons and deploying some aircraft at high altitude to study the corona during totality.

What will the weather be for Monday's solar eclipse in Illinois?

Monday's weather forecast is a dose of great news for Illinoisans hoping to see the solar eclipse on Monday.

The National Weather Service in Lincoln, Ill. tweeted Monday that most of Illinois will have favorable viewing conditions, adding that only thin, high clouds are expected in the path of totality.

What to know about the eclipse

During a total  solar eclipse , the moon appears the same size as the sun and blocks the latter. The daytime darkness will last a few minutes within the path of totality — where the effect of the eclipse is greatest. Within the U.S., the eclipse path will stretch from Texas to Maine and includes, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, among others. Only certain parts of those states will be within the path of totality .

Other parts of those states and the rest of the country will experience a partial eclipse.

Solar eclipse 2024 warning: Drivers beware of unusual conditions April 8 in Illinois

What time is the eclipse on Monday?

The  total eclipse enters the U.S.  just after 01:27 p.m. central time April 8 at a point in Eagle Pass, Texas, according to eclipse2024.org. The eclipse will end in Maine at 3:35 p.m. eastern time. Even if you're not in the path of totality, you may still experience the eclipse to a lesser degree.

How to watch solar eclipse live stream

Many people are traveling to the path of totality to see the total solar eclipse in Illinois or somewhere in the United States. Others will enjoy a partial eclipse outdoors. If you'd like to watch indoors, you also have options.

Solar eclipse 2024 live

The NASA live stream of the eclipse is available on its various social channels, including an  official broadcast  and a  telescope feed  on YouTube.

Illinois solar eclipse 2024: Here's a traveler's guide with warnings and advice

Eclipse time by zip code

USA TODAY has an interactive graphic that shows you how the eclipse might look in major cities and, if you enter your zip code, it shows the start time of the partial eclipse, the length of totality and the end.

What time is the total solar eclipse? Search your ZIP code for a viewing guide

When does the eclipse start in Illinois?

A partial phase of the eclipse will begin in southern Illinois just before 12:42 p.m. near East Cape Girardeau, where  totality will enter the state  after 1:58 p.m. and last about 4 minutes. Totality will exit Illinois after 2:07 p.m. near Palestine. For a list of all  communities in the path of totality , visit eclipse2024.org.