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Congress Avenue Bridge / Austin Bats

100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701 (Downtown)
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As featured in Daytrips from San Antonio
Ranked #22 of 171 attractions in Austin
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Type: Bridges, Nature/ Wildlife Areas
Activities: Viewing wildlife
Fee: No
Recommended length of visit: 2-3 hours
Description: The Austin bridge is where nearly 1.5 million bats live.
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386 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    195
    115
    52
    19
    5
Date Rating
Senior Contributor
44 reviews 44 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 June 2013 NEW

We were told to go watch the bats under the bridge, so we really had no expectations. We got there about 8:00 which was about 45 minutes too early so we walked the trail under the bridge to waste some time. People brought blankets tot sit on while they waited and there were vendors selling ice cream, drinks and sno... More

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See 2 more reviews by Teachr5 for Austin
Lausanne, Switzerland
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 June 2013 NEW

I watched the bats twice, once from the bridge and once from under the bridge. Since they went out when it was already quite dark (after 08:30 pm) it was better when we watched them from down--we could see them better thanks to the light from the bridge. But, I guess that it's better to watch them from the bridge... More

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Tampa, Florida
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 June 2013 NEW

I've been to Austin three or four times, and this week I finally went to the Congress Avenue Bridge to see the famous bats. I think it is totally cool that a modern and hip city like Austin has BATS as one of its major tourist attractions. I went with friends, and we watched the bats from the park beneath... More

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See 4 more reviews by MeanOldUncleJeff for Austin
Texas City, Texas
Senior Contributor
28 reviews 28 reviews
20 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 June 2013

Much better angle to watch. You really get a better idea of flight path but watch for bat pee! I did lonestar for like $10 well worth it.

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See 6 more reviews by babymains for Austin
Cedarburg, WI
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 June 2013

We knew the bats came out around dusk so we headed down to the bridge at about 715pm. We waited until 9pm when the bats finally came out. The didnt darken the sky or go in waves like a lot of pictures show. There was a steady stream of them coming out from under the bridge--which was pretty cool. It... More

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See 6 more reviews by Laureng85 for Austin
Indialantic, Florida
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 June 2013

My daughter took us to see the bats our first night in Austin. We parked near a dog park and went for a walk ending up near the congress ave bridge. We were actually under the bridge off to the side. There were lots of couples and families on the grassy viewing area with us as well as many lining... More

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Houston, TX
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 June 2013

Love the bats...been there lots of times. It is pretty wild when they fly out from under the bridge at sunset. Don't worry about gettting bit. Good shopping and music down Congress Ave.

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See 9 more reviews by BabsTX for Austin
Monroe, Louisiana, United States
Senior Contributor
29 reviews 29 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 June 2013

Tips from a couple tourists visiting Austin for the first time: Drive to the south side of the lake. A business there on the east side of Congress Ave has a large parking lot that's open to all. Park there and walk. In the grassy area are some "information boards," but the best view seems to be from the bridge.... More

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See 8 more reviews by Scott H for Austin
Champaign, Illinois
Senior Contributor
36 reviews 36 reviews
21 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 June 2013

We were here on a Saturday night in early June. We arrived early as many said you should do that to get a good spot. We went on top of the bridge. There were a lot of families were under the bridge with picnics and blankets, but some came up on the bridge after the bats had been out for... More

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See 13 more reviews by jensen14 for Austin
SOUTH HOUSTON
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 June 2013

On the Bridge! thats the place to be, and it is a must see if your anywhere near Austin do the Bridge and see the Bats the Kids loved it.

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