Within a day’s drive for a quarter of the entire North American population is the ultimate viewing experience for the 2024 solar eclipse – New York’s first total eclipse in 99 years. Lying directly in the path of eclipse totality is the Olympic Region of Lake Placid and its historic, recently renewed venues.
Lake Placid’s Olympic Regional Development Authority (Olympic Authority) is helping viewers take full advantage of this exceptionally rare event by organizing a full range of distinctive “Glow for the Gold” opportunities that will be premiere viewing events for the State of New York. All of them safe, accessible, and abounding in amazing Adirondack amenities.
Imagine this extraordinary window of time perfectly framed by breathtaking vistas of one of the most beautiful and wild regions of the country. Adding to it all, the nearby Olympic Village of Lake Placid – home to both the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games – is a genuinely captivating travel destination any time of year. It all comes together April 8, 2024, to create momentous opportunities on a galactic scale.
Elevating Your Astronomical Adventure
Savor spring skiing and riding on the mountain throughout the day until 2:00 pm, when ski lifts will close for the eclipse event. Before the eclipse viewing parties, enjoy your time on the slopes of this mountain widely known for the greatest vertical east of the Rockies.
During the eclipse, the Main Base Lodge will be a fun and exciting place to be. On the deck at the Cloudspin Bar & Grill, you’ll be part of a great crowd of snow sports enthusiasts all enjoying live music from Annie in the Water, great food, free safety eclipse glasses, and great food and drink specials.
Want to see it from farther up the mountain? The mid-mountain Legacy Lodge is also throwing a deck party, also with live music and food and drink specials, and whether you’re a skier/snowboarder or not, you can get there on The Notch, our new lift from the Bear Den Learning Center installed just this past summer.
For exclusive mountain top viewing, a limited number of viewers can access the Cloudsplitter Gondola to the summit of Little Whiteface, where a high-altitude party-on-the-deck awaits. This location will be limited to 125 people, and tickets will be for sale online.
Lift tickets are only $40 on this special day and include the Party on the Deck at either the Base Lodge or Legacy Lodge. The exclusive Cloudsplittler Gondola ride to the top of Little Whiteface for viewing is $50. Tickets are available online only beginning Thursday, March 28 at noon. Tickets and other event details are all available at this link.
Lake Placid’s Headquarters for History
“Great moments are born from great opportunities,” said 1980 Hockey Coach Herb Brooks.
Home to additional great opportunities for viewing the 2024 eclipse event, “Eclipse the House” is taking place at the Olympic Center, right in the heart of downtown Lake Placid. This amazing venue is also home to many remarkable moments in history, including Sonja Henie’s Olympic Gold in 1932 and the 1980 Winter Games’ Miracle on Ice as well as Eric Heiden’s unprecedented five gold medal victories. Precisely why it’s known as Lake Placid’s Headquarters for History.
Just outside under a wide-open sky with the Adirondack High Peaks in the background, the Olympic Center is hosting a unique viewing party at the historic James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval. Free to everyone, the oval affords outstanding views toward the south and southwest and an expansive area to spread out and select your personal spot for a prime experience. There will be food trucks, live music, and a free pair of safety eclipse viewing glasses for everyone attending. Gates will open at 1:00 pm before the 2:13 pm start of the eclipse.
The entire Olympic Center facility will be open throughout the day from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, so viewers can relish all the historical and eclipse perspectives this newly renovated venue offers. The new Miracle Plaza with the expansive Roamers Café boasts an astoundingly wide span of floor-to-ceiling windows giving way to a panoramic vista overlooking the Olympic Oval, the Village, and the mountains beyond. Beyond the Café’s internationally inspired menu, viewers can access the Roamers Patio Deck, also open for viewing the eclipse.
Before or after the eclipse event, visitors can also tour the Olympic Center, including the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena where the legendary US team triumphed over the Soviet Union, creating the most iconic moment in sports in the 20th century. And the arena will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and offer a live feed of the solar eclipse on the Jumbotron where the world watched the seconds tick away during the countdown to victory in 1980. Grab some food and beverage from Roamers Cafe and take it all in.
If all that weren’t enough fun, curling and skating under cosmically cool lighting is available for everyone, too. Imagine curling or skating to music in the historic 1932 Jack Shea Arena or the goose-bump-inducing 1980 Herb Brooks Arena. On April 7, curling and skating will be available from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm in both arenas, and April 8, they will be available from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Jack Shea Arena. Tickets for curling and skating on both April 7 and 8 will go on sale Friday, March 8.
The 1932 Jack Shea Arena, the first ever indoor rink used in the Olympic Games, is another remarkable historical site not to be missed. Additionally, there’s the Lake Placid Olympic Museum just down the stairs, where an immersive learning experience awaits. As inspiring as it is informative, the museum is all new and newly re-imagined, featuring state-of-the-art interactive displays with 3D, experiential learning exhibits, engaging exhibits, athlete stories, never-before-seen film footage, and many treasured artifacts.
And it’s all within easy walking distance of Main Street and many of Lake Placid’s fine hotels and restaurants. Admission to the entire venue is not only free for everyone but also the Olympic Center will be handing out solar eclipse glasses (while supplies last), compliments of the Olympic Authority and I Love NY.
Always More at Gore
Gore Mountain, the largest ski area in New York State, though outside the path of totality, will welcome viewers to a near total eclipse with a party on the sun deck at the base lodge. Join the crowd of snow sports enthusiasts on the mountain that day while also enjoying music, great food, free safety eclipse viewing glasses, and more.
As Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album plays in the air, Gore’s partial eclipse will begin at 2:12 pm with near totality at 3:24 pm and maximum at 3:26 pm.
With lift tickets at just $40 for the day, skiers and riders can savor the spring skiing through 2:00 pm when the lifts close for the eclipse event.
Olympic Jumping Complex
Lake Placid’s towering, iconic ski jump venue will host a viewing party from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with free admission, live music from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm by Austin and the In-Laws. Skyride Gondola rides are also available for purchase throughout the day. From the top of the Gondola, take the glass elevator to the deck of the HS 128 meter ski jump tower for fantastic views of Lake Placid and the Adirondack High Peaks.
Mt Van Hoevenberg
This historic venue will be open for all on the day of the eclipse from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Grab something sumptuous from the cafe and enjoy the lounge area with its large windows and fireplace. The venue offers prime viewing locations from the upper-level deck, from the stadium area, or from the rear deck of the 81-18 Cafe. They are all unique places from which to watch this strikingly rare eclipse event.
Little Extras Atop an Already Extraordinary Event
The Olympic Authority recognizes the uncommon and extraordinary phenomenon this eclipse is for us all. Our team is excited about this once-in-400-years celestial happening, and our visitors can expect the celebrations across Olympic Authority venues will exude that excitement. As part of it all, select venues in the path will offer include music, free eclipse sunglasses (while supplies last), giveaways, and much more.
Our locations are among the best anywhere to experience this remarkably rare happening. You won’t want to miss it, and neither do we. That’s why we’ve prepared well in advance with options and alternatives to suit everyone. Join us for this once-in-a-lifetime celestial adventure.
Special Notes: Special eclipse viewing glasses are vital because looking directly at the eclipse without proper eye protection is never safe. It should be noted that eclipse glasses are not regular sunglasses, and no matter how dark one’s standard sunglasses may be, they are not safe for viewing the sun. Viewing any part of the eclipse through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.
Always use caution walking on walkways and parking lots, especially in buildings. Melting and freezing, as well as water and snow accumulation, can cause surfaces to become slippery at any time of the day or night. Try to clean the snow off the bottom of plastic ski boots to help prevent slipping or a fall. Use footwear with good tread and/or use commercially available products made for the bottom of shoes and boots to give better traction.