How to See the Austin Bats
Come with us as we watch over a million bats take flight in Austin, Texas. We'll give you tips and lots of info for when, where, and how to watch the bats of Austin so you can see the most bats and have the best experience.
When to see the bats in Austin:
Peak season is late July to mid-August. You'll see bats throughout the summer, but late July is when the babies are big enough to fly, so you'll start to see all the adults and the babies, so lots more bats than if you go earlier.
Where to watch the bats in Austin:
The bats live in crevasses below the South Congress Bridge in downtown Austin. The bridge crosses Lady Bird Lake, which basically makes up the southern edge of downtown. The bats always fly East, away from the sunset. They also tend to stay closer to the trees on the South side of the bridge, as opposed to the buildings on the North. So the best place to view the bats is on the Southeast side of South Congress Bridge.
How to see the bats:
You can decide to stand on the bridge, or the little clearing by the parking lot we used in the video, or on a boat tour. Based on blog posts and reviews, we opted for the boat tour since it had the best view and the best overall experience (especially for kids, since the public viewing areas get crowded and difficult to manage). The boat tour is inexpensive (when we created this video in 2023, the cost was $14 for adults and $9 for children).
If you'd like to book through Capital Cruises, here's a link: https://www.capitalcruises.com/
(not sponsored, no incentives, it's just the company we used and we liked them)
Timestamps:
0:00 Where to see the bats of Austin
0:23 Capital Cruises options
1:02 Tour of Lady Bird Lake and Austin
2:32 Why the bats live in South Congress Bridge
2:46 Bats!!
3:57 How to see the bats in Austin (all the viewing options)
4:55 Bat tour review and thoughts
5:24 Tips and other info to see the most bats
This video was not sponsored and all our opinions and reactions are genuine. If you have any questions, ask us in the comments. We respond to everything.
-Brian
---
Music is royalty free from Artlist:
"Cruise Control" by LOLEK
Filmed on on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 on a Canon G7X Mark II.
---
Our Gear:
Check out all the gear we use, from cameras and tech to our awesome camping gear, here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/perfectli...
---
About PerfectLittlePlanet:
I'm Brian and my wife is Isa. We travel A LOT. We're all about making memories and creating great experiences. We try to stay positive and optimistic and show you everything our perfect little planet has to offer.
Find everything in one place: https://perfectlittleplanet.com/
Follow us on Instagram: / perfectlittleplanet
Thanks so much for watching, liking, and commenting! We really appreciate you spending your time with us! We hope you have a great day and experience something new today!
