I speak from experience of having witnessed a total solar eclipse in Turkey in March 2006.

If you are within a few hours drive of totality on August 21, don't hesitate to make the effort to find a spot to view it. This is one of the best Maps by Xavier M. Jubier for mapping the eclipse in your part of the USA. Just zoom in and click on a spot and it will show you the duration and percentage of the eclipse which you will see.

Take off work. Take the kids out of school. Do not miss this amazing natural spectacle of astronomical alignment. If the weather cooperates, it will be worth whatever hassle you have to go through in order to experience totality.

There will be a second chance as mentioned earlier, on April 8, 2024. Totality on that day will last over 4 minutes in many places. On that eclipse totality will sweep in from Mexico and run from the southwest to the northeast from Texas to Vermont.

On August 21 I'll be at an undisclosed location near Nashville.