HOW TO EXPERIENCE AUSTIN'S BATS

Starting in late March and continuing through early fall, North America's largest urban bat population calls Austin home. The bats begin to wake up and start their night flight around sunset, when the first few bats begin to trickle out from under the bridge. But after the sun sets, the show really begins, and hundreds to thousands of bats pour out and cascade east over Lady Bird Lake. 

The best time to witness the bats is around sunset, but the nightly show can take place anywhere from 7:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. It can take as long as 45 minutes for all of the bats to exit the bridge for the night. Plan to arrive early to find parking and secure your spot.

Credit Christopher Sherman. 

Get ready for the sunset show by heading toward the grassy hill vantage point of the Statesman Bat Observation Center, adjacent to the bat bridge. Paid parking is available at 305 S. Congress Ave., or you can head down the steps at the corner of Congress Avenue and Barton Springs Road. Bring a blanket and some chairs, then sit back and enjoy the show.

Visitors and residents alike line up nightly on the Congress Avenue Bridge to witness the bats fly out from beneath the bridge, forming a surreal dark cloud as they ascend into the night sky. Arrive early for a front-row spot (the sidewalk gets crowded) and be sure to face east, as the bats will fly out in that direction.

Courtesy of Rowing Dock.

If you'd rather make it a more active experience, there are many spots along the Butler Hike & Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake where you can stop and enjoy the view. Try to find a spot east of the Congress Avenue Bridge with a clear view of the sky, but be sure you're not blocking the trail from runners, walkers and cyclists passing by. You can also rent a kayak, stand-up paddleboard, canoe or water bike and join other aquatic adventurers floating under the bridge around sunset.

You can get an incredible view of the bats from the water with Lone Star Riverboat or Capital Cruises, putting you right in the middle of the action on Lady Bird Lake. Or, ply the waters yourself with Live Love Paddle or Austin Kayak Tours, which both offer nighttime bat-watching kayak excursions.

Stop in the Four Seasons Hotel Austin for food, drinks and gorgeous views of Lady Bird Lake. Dine on fresh, seasonal fare like achiote-marinated chicken, chile rellenos or a wagyu tomahawk steak at Ciclo. Sit on the hotel’s deck at Live Oak to watch the bats while sipping cocktails and snacking on bar food such as burgers, jicama-tuna tacos and chicken flautas. 

Do dinner — perhaps rabbit-and-ricotta dumplings or a grilled pork chop — and drinks at Arlo Grey. The sophisticated lakeside restaurant is helmed by award-winning chef Kristen Kish at The LINE Austin. Other dining options at the hotel include authentic Mexican cuisine at Veracruz All Natural or Mediterranean shared plates at the P6 rooftop bar, featuring an excellent bat-watching viewpoint.

P6 at The LINE. Credit Rebecca Chu.

Sample a variety of cuisines served by an array of vendors at Fareground on Congress Avenue. The food hall offers convenient access to the Congress Avenue Bridge, so you’ll have plenty of time to dine and catch the bats’ emergence at dusk. Choose from sushi, gyros, burgers, tacos and more. Quench your thirst at two bars and an all-day coffee shop.

Duck into the YETI Flagship store before the bats’ nightly show. Peruse signature mugs, tumblers, coolers, apparel and more. Then, relax outside with a frosty brew on the patio bar. Check the store’s schedule for special events like live music and book tours.

Austin's resident bats are Mexican free-tailed bats, which migrate each spring from central Mexico to various roosts all over the southwestern U.S.

On their nightly flights, the bats eat anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects, including mosquitoes and harmful agricultural pests.

Credit BentoBox Photos. 

Austin's bats are almost all female! In early June, each bat gives birth to one single baby bat (known as a pup). It takes about five weeks after birth for the pups to learn to fly and hunt insects on their own. In the meantime, the mommy bats nurse their babies and each can locate her own pup among the thousands under the bridge.

At the end of the season, you can see roughly 1.5 million bats ascending into the summer sky.

Austin celebrates its unofficial mascots every year in late summer/early fall (which also happens to be peak bat migrating season) right on the Congress Avenue Bridge. Bat Fest has become the biggest bat-viewing party of the year. Expect tons of live music, local food and drink, more than 50 arts and crafts vendors, children's activities and a bat costume contest (of course!).

Embrace the wonderful weirdness of Austin and come out to see the spectacle of the Congress Avenue Bridge bats for yourself. Be sure to share your bat-watching experience by posting pictures on Instagram or X using the hashtag #TrueAustin.

Learn more about bat conservation efforts at Bat Conservation International.