Waugh Drive Bridge Bat Viewing Platform
attraction
Free viewing daily, year-round; the flight happens around sunset. Rain, or sunset temperatures near 50 degrees or below, usually keep the bats inside the bridge.
Free entry
Free, no-booking bat watching in Buffalo Bayou Park, where up to 300,000 Mexican free-tailed bats leave the bridge crevices around sunset.
Description
The platform sits on the southeast bank where Waugh Drive crosses Allen Parkway, next to the bridge, with parking along Allen Parkway. Bats begin leaving the crevices around sunset, drift east along the bayou, then scatter over downtown. On rainy evenings, or when the sunset temperature sits near 50 degrees or below, the colony stays inside the bridge. No ticket and no reservation apply to the platform, the sidewalk or the east rail of the bridge. Winter viewing can be spotty depending on weather, so a warm night is worth the trip.
