Austin Bat Tours — Attraction in Austin

Haven't been here in many years, brought my kids for the 1st time and it's still a cool experience. It gets very packed on the bridge and on the hill. I recommend bringing chairs and snacks lol. We arrived at 6 and picked our spot, by 7 the bridge was filling up and by 8 the area was pretty full, standing room only on the bridge. The grassy hill next to the bridge is still a great viewing area, no matter what the gentleman with the bat hat tries to tell you. The trees along the water have grown much higher over the years so you won't see the bats flying out over the water. HOWEVER, you do get to see the first signs of the bats emerging from underneath the bridge which for this time of year (3rd weekend in June) was about 840-ish. For about 15 mins or so the bats fly around underneath, and as more start to emerge they come out a little further. Later in the summer, Aug /Sept the baby bats are usually able to fly, which makes for even more bats flying around, plus they tend to emerge a little sooner than dusk. I'm sure the view from on top of the bridge is also great, and perhaps I'll try it another time. But we enjoyed watching them from the hillside next to the bridge. (See my pics) oh and there is a nice bike/walking path while you wait. Closest bathroom that I could find is the Hyatt hotel. Take the path under the bridge, you will see a flight of stairs going up the hill, at the top to your right is a small patio. You can enter that way into the lobby area. There's a Starbucks...

If you visit Austin, TX, you would be remiss to leave out this tradition. Each night of the week people congregate around the S. Congress bridge around sunset, to watch the “flight of the bats”. These are not scary blood sucking bats, these are small, adorable Mexican freetail bats. They live under the bridge and take flight at dusk, helping to control the mosquito population in our city. Feel free to Google them to get more information on these amazing mammals. While you are in Austin, get yourself a spot on the bridge, at the park to the right, under the bridge, or rent a kayak/canoe and just hang out in the water under the bridge. FYI, the bats don’t fly low and won’t get near you or in your hair, etc. However, if you see one on the ground, they do carry rabies, so you can call 311 and they’ll help you find someone to come out and...

Really neat, but here's the scoop. Some nights they don't come out. And, when they do, it will most likely be at dark. Harder to see. So, this is what to do.. either go early, to get a good spot, realizing you'll wait several hours. Or, go later, to avoid that. Crowds begin arriving between 6 & 7:30, but depending on time of year, bats may come out anywhere from 6pm-9pm. Definitely check for an accurate sun set time & plan accordingly. Maybe take a chair & snacks if you go early. If you go later, expect to stand on the bridge. Also, ask which side the bats are sleeping on. We went early, got a great spot on the viewing deck, then 2 hours later, with no chair, learned they come out on opposite side of bridge. There is a grassy knoll on that side (it's opposite the downtown side). Next time, I'll be spreading a blanket there. With...