Congress Avenue Bridge

Love can make you batty

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What makes it fun

Bats. What could be more romantic than watching bats fly out in mass formations right at sunset? According to Austin locals and visitors from all over, nothing compares. Austin loves its bats and there’s no better place to see them soar than the Congress Avenue Bridge. The bridge beautifully resides over the famous Lady Bird Lake right on the skirts of Austin’s popping downtown city life. A perfect place for two love birds to enjoy a romantic evening, or should we say love bats.

Google Reviews

Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge

4.5

Based on 3403 reviews

Shane Johnson

20:04 29 Jun 22

Can get hectic with all the people but it was cool to see. We rented scooters to get down to the the bridge which was an exhilarating experience on its own. We arrived at sunset which is around 835pm in June. The bats started coming out about 10 minutes later. The majority of them looked to be coming from the middle section of the bridge and eventually swarming together farther down river. It was fascinating to see the way they flew with precision around the bridge.

Brandon Barrett

19:24 24 May 22

I've been to Austin several times before and have always wanted to see the famous bats so this time we finally made it and it really was a one of a kind experience. We got to a viewing spot southeast of the bridge about 90 minutes before sunset and found a comfortable spot on the hill to sit and wait. It wasn't overly crowded (it was a Thursday) but still I'd guess there were about 100 people there in addition to the boats and kayaks on the river. The bats made their first appearance around 830pm (about 10 minutes after sunset) and after spending 30 minutes or so flying right around the bridge they started streaming out into the night sky on their hunt. From what we heard from other watchers the time in relation to sunset varies from night to night and the way the bats exit varies too. The bats are tiny so in the dark it's hard to see individuals but once they start flying as a group you can see them better. This is something everyone should see!

NessMor_ Love

16:49 17 Apr 22

Omg! We love this place. I don't know how we've missed it before. Anyway, customer service is the best, server is very attentive and the food is delicious 😋 yummy!It's a very cute place, they have nice backgrounds for pictures all over the place. Oh, and live DJ,2 thumbs up for that. We sat at the outside patio because the day was beautiful.

Akshat Kumar

07:42 26 Dec 21

I visited this bridge on my Austin trip since it was listed on multiple websites as one of the must-do items in Austin. It’s one of those touristy places which is easily walkable from downtown Austin and provides magnificent views of downtown Austin.I was there on an evening in mid-December, and it was quite cold with the drizzle. The downtown buildings were lit up and that made for some great nighttime photos. You can walk along the length of the bridge and can also see the bats that call this bridge their home along your walk. There are stairs going down from one end of the bridge and people use the trail below for running or walking as well. If it’s drizzling or raining hard, then you can take shelter under the bridge. In the evenings, I gleaned it can get chilly, so a jacket would be helpful. Oh, and you can also see the Capitol Building from the bridge.This is an essential thing to do while you’re in Austin.