Watch A Million Bats Stream From An Austin Bridge
At dusk, crowds pack this downtown Austin bridge to watch roughly 1.5 million bats pour out over Lady Bird Lake.
🦇 The dusk flyout
The Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge spans Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, and its underside shelters roughly 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats. From spring through autumn, the colony streams out around sunset, and crowds gather early to claim a spot.
Watchers spread across the bridge deck up top and along designated viewing areas on the banks below. The emergence runs unpredictable, trickling out by the dozens some nights and surging by the thousands on others. Tour boats idle on the water for a view from lake level as the light drops.
The show is free from the bridge and shoreline, with kayak and boat operators offering paid vantage points nearby. The bridge holds a 4.5 rating across more than 300 reviews, and it carries South Congress Avenue over the lake, a short walk from downtown hotels and restaurants.
