Adirondack towns see business boom during solar eclipse weekend

Tourism officials estimate solar eclipse visitors spent more than $2.7M in Essex County alone

By Mike Lynch

Small towns throughout the Adirondacks experienced visitation and business that is rarely seen in the springtime — or ever — during the April 8 total solar eclipse and the days leading up to it.  

In the Champlain Valley, the Essex Ice Cream Cafe, which serves breakfast and lunch, did roughly $10,000 in business from April 6-8, manager Todd Farmer said. During a busy summer day, the business normally brings in about $1,000. The cafe sold 500 savory pies, one of its meat-filled specialities, over the three days. 

During the eclipse day, the line of waiting customers wrapped around the dining room and went out into the street, he said. 

“It was probably the busiest day that this place has ever seen in its history,” Farmer said. 

The cafe has been around for decades but came under new ownership within recent years and has expanded its offerings. The cafe’s experience was not unheard of during the eclipse period.

In Newcomb, about 2,000  people showed up to view the eclipse, said David Hughes, director of parks recreation and events for the town. 

“It’s the most people that have ever been in Newcomb on any given day at any given time,” he said. 

Spending boost during eclipse weekend

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism estimates that $2.78 million was spent in Essex County during the eclipse period, a $2.2 million increase over the same days last year.

That figure doesn’t include day trip expenditures and is based on a presumption that people paid an average daily rate of $258 per night over two nights. This estimate also includes food, attractions and retail expenditures based on traveler spend information from the 2023 Essex County Leisure Travel Study report, according to ROOST.

A more detailed and accurate report on visitation and spending is expected to be completed by mid-May, said ROOST Marketing Manager Michelle Clement.  

Anecdotal reports suggest other communities may have enjoyed an economic spike on par with those in Essex County. 

In Indian Lake in Hamilton County, roughly 5,000 people showed up to view the eclipse, said Christine Pouch, economic development, marketing and events manager for the town. That number exceeded town officials’ expectations of 1,500 to 2,000, around the size of the gatherings  for its big event, the Great Adirondack Moose Festival held in September. It was a welcome boost considering the winter snowmobile season was slower than normal due to a lack of snowpack, Pouch said. 

“All of our businesses, they had waits. They sold out that day. They had reservations made early and people couldn’t get it,” she said. 

Respectful, prepared visitors

Pouch said the crowd was very respectful and mellow. 

“They didn’t mind waiting in the lines for the porta-potties or for the food,” she said. “It was just a great crowd.” 

Essex Supervisor Ken Hughes said something similar in a video recorded on the day of the eclipse, saying there was no litter to pick up after the large crowds left, something that is unheard of. 

Total solar eclipse coverage

Check out our coverage from the day and all related eclipse articles

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Lake George residents Peter and Joyce Hawthorne stood on the bridge over the Northway that leads to Prospect Mountain in Lake George, waving to cars as they passed below. They wore homemade t-shirts depicting a solar eclipse. Photo by Gwendolyn Craig

Several people interviewed by the Explorer credited ROOST and Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory President Seth McGowan for preparing the small towns throughout the region for the large numbers of people who showed up. 

McGowan did 58 presentations about the eclipse throughout the Adirondacks, starting in January 2023. ROOST also held community meetings starting a year ahead of the event. 

McGowan and the sky center hosted an event at the elementary school in Tupper Lake in Franklin County that drew close to 5,000. Officials are estimating 15,000 people showed up in town, he said. 

Part of that was the clear skies, although McGowan said the event would also have been great no matter what the sky cover. 

“We were feeding NASA our view from our telescopes and they kept coming back to us because other sites along the path of totality were getting clouded out,” McGowan said. 

Overall, a great day

At Raquette River Brewery in Tupper Lake, co-owner Mark Jessie said there were more customers than during a busy summer day. On eclipse day, Jessie took a bike ride around town and conversed with fellow business owners. Some told him they did better over the weekend.

“They were all  pretty happy,” he said. “Some of them didn’t have a great day on the actual eclipse day. I think people came prepared.”

In Lake Placid, Olympic facilities drew upwards of 10,000 people, said ORDA spokesperson Darcy Norfolk. The Olympic Center and its skating oval and Whiteface Mountain each drew more than 3,000 people.

“There were many visitors with out-of-state license plates, and they were mostly people who had not been here before,” she said. “The feedback has been positive so we predict a nice group of return visitors in the future.”

Norfolk said the region drew millions of television viewers from the various stations covering the eclipse. About 46.3 million people watched the coverage on WCBS, which covered the event live, she said. 

In Keene, Cedar Run Bakery owner Kristy Farrell reported robust sales. 

“I think it outdid even a Fourth of July or any summer holidays, (and that was) coupled with super nice folks being patient and a genuinely nice crowd,” she said.