TOLEDO, Ohio — Thousands made their way to northwest Ohio to get a glimpse of the total solar eclipse. And while the big day has come and gone, the impact of totality tourism is still being felt.
On Monday, Thousands came into the area to get a front-row seat for a once-in-a-lifetime view and enjoy the sights and sounds of the region while they were at it.
"We thought there was a chance it might be cloudy, we might not even see it," Brian Yoder, an eclipse visitor to Kenton from Charlottesville, Virginia said. "I think the trip would have been worth it either way, but the eclipse was the cherry on top."
For the various tourism boards across northwest Ohio, these kinds of enthusiastic visitors were exactly what they were hoping for.
"Of course, it was a windfall for our businesses," Destination Toledo president Lance Woodworth said. "Normally, a Monday at the beginning of April is slower around here, but when you got thousands if not tens of thousands of people coming to town, everything I've heard has been great."
From downtown to the University of Toledo's Centennial Mall, and just about every wide open space with a view in between, you could find onlookers with their necks craned to the sky Monday afternoon.
Woodworth said, of course, those people had to eat and sleep and he predicts that means big dollars for the Glass City.
"I just have anecdotal evidence from looking at the crowds and saying, 'This was busy,'" Woodworth said. "But I can tell you, it will be millions of dollars in direct sales."
The city of Findlay saw similar success.
Sitting even closer to the center of the path of totality, tourism board member Alissa Preston said the city's various businesses hotels, restaurants and retail spent months preparing for the day.
"We were ready and waiting is what I would say," Preston said.
And based on early impressions, yet again, the guests delivered.
"Sunday night was very busy and Monday morning before the eclipse, specifically I was in our downtown area, the streets had a lot of foot traffic, folks hopping in and out of storefronts," Preston said.
Meanwhile, Bryce Riggs with Tiffin's tourism board didn't see the same sea of people as bigger cities did.
"There were a lot of people probably expecting a massive influx of people all at one time," Riggs said. "I wouldn't say necessarily that was the case."
But the city held various events like a 5K and a community concert to help bolster interest, and Riggs said the shops that stayed open coming into Monday were well rewarded.
"Saying, 'Hey, this is the busiest I've been in a three-day period since I opened up 20-plus years ago," Riggs said.
Much like the eclipse itself, the tourists came and went in the blink of an eye.
But these tourism leaders are confident, the guests' impression of northwest Ohio will last far longer.
"Now they're so excited about everything that they saw, they want to come back," Woodworth said. "And when they come back, they don't want to travel with just the two of them, they'll want to bring family with them."
Leaders in Findlay and Tiffin are expected to have a full financial report in approximately the next month.