Congress Bridge Bats in Austin TX
Austin is the state capital of Texas, an inland city bordering the Hill Country region. Home to the University of Texas flagship campus, Austin is known for its diverse live-music scene centered around nation, blues and rock. Its many parks and lakes are popular for treking, cycling, swimming and boating. South of the city, Formula One's Circuit of the Americas raceway has actually hosted the United States Grand Prix.
Austin's most popular tourist attraction with the tourists is the Congress Bridge Bats. It's an incredible visual to view 1.5 million bats fly across the sky in their nightly departure from Congress Bridge in their never ever ending pursuit to their meal of mosquitoes.
The Congress Avenue bridge covers Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin and is house to the biggest city bat nest in North America called the Congress Bridge Bats. This nest is estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats. Each night from around mid-March to early November, the Congress Bridge Bats bats emerge from under the bridge to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food. This event has actually turned into one of the most incredible and unusual tourist destinations in Austin Texas. The most incredible bat flights are during hot, dry August nights, when multiple columns of bats emerge. Throughout a rainy season (unusual in Austin), there are more bugs out and the bats do not need to leave as early to forage for food and you may not view as lots of bats. If you're on a boat searching for at the bats, the contrast against the night sky assists show them better. There is a good spot to view the bats along the Lady Bird Lake walking and bike trail simply East of the bridge on the South side of Lady Bird Lake. Many individuals will see them from the bridge above. Both spots can get extremely crowded and neither supplies as good of an experience as viewing it from the water on one of the tours listed below.
Capital Cruises Bat Watching Tours
Capital Cruises is house of the biggest electric paddle wheel boat in the nation and the now well-known Sunset Bat Watching excursion that uses an amazing view of the Congress Bridge Bats as they fly out overhead where the contrast against the night horizon helps them stand out. This trip fills up almost every night during bat season often a few days beforehand. Rates are $10 for grownups, $8 for senior citizens, and $5 for kids. You require to show up about 30 minutes before sundown to get on the boat and purchasing tickets in advance is extremely recommended during peak summer months as they sell out almost every night, including weekdays.
Lone Star Riverboats Bat Watching Tours
Like Capital Cruises, Lone Star Riverboats likewise offers bat enjoying trips along Lady Bird lake. Both companies offer weekend afternoon tours, however Lone Star also has a Friday night tour. Both business tend to run as roll over for the other especially when one boat is reserved for a personal occasion. The trips differ some, but the same terrific bat seeing from underneath the bridge in the comfort of a seat is offered here too. Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $10 for elders, $7 for kids under 12, and children under 2 are free. This is a terrific trip for the views of downtown and the Austin bats. I 'd advise some water on hot summer season nights.
Live Love Paddle Kayak Bat Watching Tours
Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake with Live Love Paddle's bat watching tour is one of our favorite ways to view visit website the bats. The cool water of the Colorado river below you drops the temperature almost 10 degrees. Plus the view of downtown at sundown can produce some amazing images that are almost as amazing as the bats themselves. Tours start at 1602 East Riverside Drive, cost $45 per person, and tandem boats are available. The minimum weight on bat-watching tours is 30 lbs and maximum weight is 275 lbs. That means THIS TOUR IS KID FRIENDLY. Tours start just before sunset so times differ with the season.
Your Biker Gang Bat Watching and Sunset Ride
Our good friends at Your Biker Gang have an unique flight committed to bat watching. You get to travel around an electrical hog with some rad helmets and hip tour guide. They'll show you some of Austin's best downtown websites and after that swing over to see the bats as they fly East on their nighttime mosquito consuming quest. This ride comes with complimentary snacks, an unique surprise, and boasting rights to show your pals! Moody Theater, the Driskill Hotel, plus various cultural and historical points of interest, street murals!
Don't Miss the Yeti Flagship Store
Located straight across the street from the bats primary departure point is a store with a different personality than your common retail outlet. Yeti was founded in Austin in 2006 and they selected this iconic crossway to open their very first shop front. The Yeti Flagship Store elevates the consumer experience by inspiring visitors to head out and check out the wild as it catches a core tenet of the brand in 8,000 square feet. It's an event area for locals and out-of-towners to enjoy a cold beer, listen to music, watch a movie or gain from a pro. There's lots of merchandise to explore and acquire and the shop features an energy that is unique to Austin and the Yeti brand name. Plus there's a bar on the side where you can buy a cold one! It's definitely worth dropping by prior to or after your bat enjoying experience.