Visited the fabled Bat bridge at 18.30, plenty of time to get a good spot. Within 15 minutes, there were lots of others all waiting for the thousands of bats to emerge. Sunset was beautiful, and new friends were made as we waited...........and waited. At 19.45, it was quite dark and no bats to be seen, many simply given up. Lots were disapponted, including myself, BUT I think some DID see bats with infrared lighting on their phones, but not me. Still, it was a lovely and relaxing 90 minutes, and the sunset over Austin was beautiful.

I want to try again. On October 4th, there weren't very many bats and they didn't rush out all at once. There were bats for sure, but they were sneaking out instead of flocking out. It was still like 95 degrees while I waited and waited and waited and waited. Go earlier in the summer.

Enchanting experience watching the Congress Avenue Bats is a must-do activity for locals and visitors alike. The Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, primarily consisting of Mexican free-tailed bats. These bats migrate to Austin from Mexico each spring, creating a seasonal spectacle that attracts thousands of spectators.

We had been guided that the bat's usually appear around 20 mins before sunset. The night we went it wasn't until 20 mins after when they started to appear. Yes thousands of the. Need to pick spot carefully for best view

Very cool experience! Weather will dictate if you see any bats. INT: If you are standing on the east side of the bridge, stand directly to the right of the 2nd street light & look down. Bats had to fly around the post of the light & were easily seen right below you. There is info on an Austin Bat Refuge page of daily predictions on bat flights.

If the bats fly it will be a cool experience but there is no guarantee. Get there early, because parking can be an issue. The bats do not fly every night so it is a little bit of a gamble but the Austin Bat Refuge website has a 7 day tracker that tells you what the bats have done the previous week, which can help with planning. It also talks about the conditions most favorable to them flying.

Visited in April and crowds waiting for the bats to emerge were huge (post eclipse crowds). I thought it felt too cold to me for bats, but seeing how many people crowded the bridge, and both shores on either side of the bridge, I figured they must know something I don't. Nope, many more people than bats emerged that night. We did see a few bats, especially when looking into the lights of the hotels and you can hear their squeaks. I would recommend checking the Bat Refuge website, they do a nightly prediction of what you might see. Would love to come back in summer and try again. We found some cheap street parking along the side streets on the North side.

It rained earlier in the day but the bats still came out. We didn’t see then cloud like you see in some pictures, but they were active under the bridge and there were thousands of them. A must do near sunset if the weather is right. We loved it!