Eclipse day was sunny in Indiana: Where were the crowds?

Where were all the expected eclipse visitors?

While the total eclipse proved spectacular for many who witnessed it, eclipse tourism in Bloomington and other Indiana cities and towns fell far short of projections.

Instead of traffic jams, local streets showed, for much of the day, less traffic than on a normal weekday. Instead of a shortage of parking spots, the availability of parking even in downtown Bloomington exceeded expectations.

Smaller than expected crowds, no traffic

Instead of 300,000 spectators, as multiple officials projected, Bloomington saw tens of thousands, according to early estimates. And while the smaller-than-expected crowds enabled the city to escape snarled traffic, the overestimates also kept some Bloomington residents from leaving their homes and attending the local events, from Switchyard Park to Memorial Stadium.

How it happened:The H-T's live blog from eclipse day

City and tourism leaders said they prepared for large crowds just in case, and those who made the trip weren’t disappointed.