Congress Avenue Bridge

Hotels near Congress Avenue Bridge, Austin, United States .

For one of the weirder destinations in Austin, head to The Congress Avenue Bridge. Visitors who aren't in the know might wonder why people flock to this simple bridge that connects the two sides of Town Lake, but those familiar with the back story just smile and wait until dusk. You see, Congress Avenue Bridge isn't just a bridge--it's the home of the world's largest urban bat population. That's right, the largest gathering space in a single city, in the WORLD, is right there in downtown Austin under a simple bridge.

The bats, which migrate home to Mexico in the winter months, number almost two million and are Mexican free-tail bats. Every single night from March until late November, all of the bats leave the bridge to find their evening meals (or, since they are nocturnal, their breakfast). It's an incredible site to stand on the bridge and witness this mass flight of bats, and the best month to be there is August, which apparently, is the most happening time for bats.

In addition to watching this from the bridge, SegCity and Capital Cruises both offer bat-watching tours that take visitors down to the bridge at sunset to watch the bats. There's also an information kiosk right on the bridge if you just want to find out a little bit more but not get herded with a group. Don't be concerned about safety or health--the bats are actually helping the city out by devouring many of its insects, including those pesky mosquitos.

Right in the heart of downtown, it's a short walk from any number of the city's most popular chain hotels to get to the bridge by bat-watching time. For more information on the bridge and its bat colony: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_Avenue or http://www.austincityguide.com/content/congress-bridge-bats-austin.asp

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Austin Museum of Art at Laguna Gloria
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Barton Springs Pool
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
Capitol Visitors Center
Congregation Beth Israel
Congress Avenue Bridge
Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium
Deep Eddy Pool
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East Sixth Street
Elisabet Ney Museum
Emma Long Metropolitan Park
Frank Erwin Center
French Legation
George Washington Carver Museum
Governor's Mansion
Governor's Mansion Austin
Guadalupe Street
Hyde Park Theatre
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Lake Travis
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
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Mount Bonnell
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St Edward's University
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