The 2024 solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8 and Dallas happens to be one of the cities in the path of totality. According to NASA, the partial eclipse will begin at 12:33 p.m. completely block out the sun at 1:40 p.m. and the sun will stay hidden behind the moon for just shy of four minutes, until 1:44 p.m. The partial eclipse will go on until 3:02 p.m.

What does that mean? For everyone, it means order some eclipse glasses and brush up on safety during the event now. For locals, ask your boss now about taking PTO or working from home that day (that is perhaps our hottest tip). And for the innumerable tourists descending upon the Metroplex for this auspicious event, it means you need to know where to watch the eclipse for the best views, plus where to eat and drink while you’re in town.

Eater Dallas has a running map of our picks for the best solar eclipse events to attend, from viewing parties to lunches to beer gardens, and our Eater’s Guide to Dallas is also a great reference for what’s hot and notable around town.

Here are our tips for navigating the Metroplex, both during the eclipse and the weekend before — and for however long you’re around.

What to know about DFW neighborhoods and the ‘burbs

For those staying in Dallas, you’ll find that many of the neighborhoods are walkable but walking from neighborhood to neighborhood can be challenging. Depending on both the weather and time of day, you might want to call Uber or Lyft, or ask your hotel if it provides car service.

That said, some key neighborhoods worth exploring include Deep Ellum, a historically Black neighborhood where the Dallas music scene was born; Bishop Arts, in the north part of Oak Cliff where lots of young folks live and lots of great restaurants can be found; Lower Greenville, which is a great slice of all kinds of Dallas experiences from dive bars to fine dining restaurants run by some of the city’s top chefs, are in one place; and Knox/Henderson, where you can hop on the Katy Trail for a hike or grab a ritzy bite to eat.

15 Essential Restaurants in Deep Ellum

11 Essential Restaurants in Bishop Arts

15 Essential Greenville Avenue Restaurants

14 Essential Knox-Henderson Restaurants

Many visitors find themselves staying Downtown, where there are loads of interesting places to eat within walking distance. Don’t just stick to your hotel restaurant and bar — there are great options nearby. For those heading to viewing events around lunchtime,

13 Essential Downtown Dallas Restaurants

The Metroplex is massive, covering 9,286 square miles and only a tiny part of it is Dallas. If you’re staying in Grapevine, Frisco, Fort Worth, or any of the numerous suburbs then transportation into Dallas proper is most efficiently done by Uber or Lyft but expect it to take between 30 minutes and an hour depending on traffic. But there are great hidden gems for food and drink all over so consult our maps of the ‘burbs to find the best places to eat wherever you are.

13 Essential Frisco Restaurants

How to Spend a Day Eating and Drinking at the Star in Frisco

14 Essential Restaurants in Plano

15 Essential Richardson Restaurants

14 Essential Carrollton Restaurants

11 Essential McKinney Restaurants

12 Essential Restaurants in Denton

What to eat in DFW

So many people who come to Dallas want to eat steak (we’re known for it), barbecue, Tex-Mex, tacos, and burgers. And they should!

14 Essential Dallas Steakhouses

13 Essential DFW Barbecue Joints

12 Essential Tex-Mex Restaurants in Dallas

The 10 Top Tacos in Dallas

The 8 Juiciest Burgers in Dallas

The city also has a wealth of sushi restaurants, a slew of amazing Asian foods from all over the continent, Mexican food (it’s not the same as Tex-Mex), and more.

12 Stellar Sushi Restaurants Around DFW

12 Essential Chinese Restaurants in DFW

13 Incredible Indian Restaurants in DFW

13 Essential DFW Vietnamese Restaurants

11 Essential Mexican Restaurants in DFW

13 Essential DFW Italian Restaurants

9 Marvelous Cajun and Creole Restaurants in Dallas

And if you’re here on a weekend, you have to know some of the best people watching in the city happens at brunch — which is less of a meal and more of contact sport here.

14 Beautiful Brunches to Eat in Dallas

More Eater Dallas maps to use while you’re here

The 38 Essential Dallas Restaurants

The 15 Hottest Restaurants in Dallas

The 14 Essential Hotel Bars in DFW

15 Excellent Dallas Breakfast Destinations

The 11 Hottest New Cocktail Bars in DFW

14 Essential Dallas Bars

14 Excellent Dallas Breweries

14 Essential Dallas Dive Bars

11 Stellar Rooftop Patios in Dallas

13 Delightful Dallas Patios

14 Most Mouthwatering Dallas Pizzerias

The 15 Coolest Coffee Shops in Dallas

12 Dallas Restaurants With Amazing Views