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Home to the world's largest urban bat colony that emerge from underneath the bridge at dusk across Lady Bird Lake attract as many as 100,000 tourists annually
General Information
Head south on Congress Ave toward E 5th St. Turn left onto Barton Springs Rd. Turn left to stay on Barton Springs Rd. Turn right.
Overview
The Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, spanning Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, is home to the world's largest urban bat colony — as many as 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats that roost beneath the bridge deck each summer. Their nightly mass exodus at dusk, streaming out over the lake to feed, has become one of Austin's signature free attractions, drawing roughly 100,000 visitors a year.
History
Long known simply as the Congress Avenue Bridge, the span was renamed in 2006 to honor Ann W. Richards, Texas's 45th governor and a longtime Austin resident. When Bat Conservation International founder Merlin Tuttle arrived in Austin in the 1980s, the bat colony was widely feared and at risk of extermination; his public education campaign reversed local opinion and turned the bridge into one of the city's most beloved attractions.
Popular Attractions and Activities
Watching the Bat Emergence
From spring through fall, the colony streams out from beneath the bridge at dusk to feed, flying mostly east across the lake.
- The colony is a maternity roost, with females raising their pups from mid-summer through fall.
- Bats are migratory, spending summers in Austin and winters in Mexico.
- Colony size ranges from 750,000 to 1.5 million bats at its summer peak.
Best Viewing Spots
There are several good vantage points for catching the emergence, each offering a different view.
- From the bridge itself, looking down over the railing.
- From the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake on either side of the bridge.
- From a kayak, canoe, or guided boat tour out on the lake.
Visitor Highlights
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Bat Watching | Watch up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge at dusk. |
| Bridge Views | Observe the emergence from the bridge railing directly above the colony. |
| Lakeside Viewing | Watch from the banks of Lady Bird Lake as the bats fly overhead. |
| Boat Tours | See the bats up close from a kayak, canoe, or guided boat. |
Best Time to Visit
| Time | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Spring through Fall | Bats are present, with colony numbers peaking in late summer. |
| Winter | Bats have migrated to Mexico; the colony is absent. |
| Dusk | The best time each day to catch the mass emergence. |
Why Visit the Bat Bridge?
- Witness a free wildlife spectacle found nowhere else in this scale in an American city.
- See the world's largest urban bat colony up close from the bridge or the lake.
- Enjoy a uniquely Austin evening just steps from downtown.
- Photograph the bats streaming out over Lady Bird Lake against the skyline.
This article is based on publicly available information about the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony, as well as material from the Wikipedia article "Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge", used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
