Congress Street Bat Bridge - Austin, Texas

Kayakers in the Colorado River

Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge
Southeast corner
South Congress Ave
Austin, Texas

Admission Cost: Free
Hours: 24/7 - Bats are active at sunset from March - November

Time: 1 - 3 hours
Trev's Rating: 3 stars

Description: As I spoke with the Austin locals at events and restaurants asking for local hot-spots to visit the first response was "Have you been to the Bat Bridge?"  During the day, South Congress street is a major thoroughfare leading across the Colorado River and Lady Bird Lake into Austin. Honestly, there is nothing exciting or unusual about the rather ordinary, arched bridge with no distinct features. You may notice a putrid smell emitting from the southern end and the 1980 bridge renovations make the bridge structurally sound but not very unique or photogenic.  Engineers reconstructed the bridge using concrete slabs which created long slender crevices between the joints. These small gaps running along the bridge bottom are an ideal roost for bats.  Each spring 750,000 pregnant female Mexican free-tailed bats migrate from Mexico to Austin.  In June each female gives birth to a single pup doubling the population to nearly 1.5 million. At sunset, over a million bats emerge from these crevices to eat between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds of insects each night.  To see a seemingly endless flying cloud of bats waking and leaving their habitat is amazing to experience and lasts several hours into the night making this the most unusual and fascinating tourist attraction I have ever visited. Most of the bats depart the southeastern corner of the bridge in an easterly direction.  The bridge sidewalk provides a great location to see the departure however the camera angle is looking down to the river and ground creating contrasts and shadows that result in poor quality photos.  I would recommend standing in the small park at ground level looking up for a better perspective and viewing angle for photos of the dark bats against the clear sky. Additionally, you can rent a kayak or charter a riverboat cruise for the full tourist experience (not free).