Nashville is expected to experience one minute and 57 seconds of complete darkness during August's total solar eclipse. It's expected to draw up to one million visitors, according to the Adventure Science Center.
The rare eclipse will pass over parts of Tennessee and Kentucky On August 21.
"We've gotten calls over the last year from people in Ireland, the UK, France and Japan who are already planning to visit us in Music City, and those calls increase every week," said Derrick Rohl, the planetarium manager for the center.
Right now, Nashville hotels are about 60 percent booked for the night before the eclipse. The same percentage of rooms are filled in Hopkinsville, which is expected to experience about 2 minutes and 40 seconds of darkness.
Rohl said he isn't surprised by the number of people making plans to witness the eclipse first hand.
"Some people when they see a total solar eclipse will just go silent and stare up at the sky in awe. Some will actually scream, some burst into tears," Rohl said. "It's hard to tell what will happen with each person, but to see it as part of a big crowd will be something people will never forget."
The Adventure Science Center will host a viewing event, along with several other locations, including First Tennessee Park, Bicentennial Mall, Shelby Bottoms Park, and the Nashville Zoo.
