Airbnb-ers are making big bucks off eclipse nerds
Tickets for front row seats are available for Monday’s historical solar eclipse — they’re just on someone’s front lawn or a dirt patch in the middle of nowhere. Savvy property owners along the 70-mile “path of totality”—where the nation’s solar eclipse will provide a total black-out—are cashing in on the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon and putting their backyards, front yards, farm land and empty apartments up for rent on AirBnb for the busy event. And they don’t come cheap. For $500 a night, astronomy nerds can camp out in a “fenced in” family backyard in Lincoln, Nebraska — tent not included. Apartment and home rentals in the area typically go for as low as $32 a night on a regular weekend. In another ad, a dusty dirt patch in Hopkinsville, Kentucky — a prime eclipse viewing area — is available for $400 a night. “ 1 acre flat level graveled lot . No trees to block view, large area to have camp fire. Could hold up to 20 tents for camping, or parking for 40 vehicles,” the ad reads....