Reviews of Statesman Bat Observation Center (Tourist Attraction)

da King Trae

Good veiw for the bats

Amilkar Mendizabal

Really great. Totally recommended for a family visit or tour.

Keith Pare

The pay station in the parking area is very difficult to read and we could not get it to work. Need to download the app to pay for parking

Indra Sindhu

Visited end of March. Not a lot to see if you are not there at the very beginning when the bats start flying out.

Martin Gjonaj

Waste of time. Spent three days there. Three hours each day.

Brooke Fink

Great experience watching 1.5 million bats!

Bbalila USA

First time came to Austin & specially to see the Bats. There not many Bats to see now a days but it’s a nice city, river & 6th street is lovely places to hang around.

Peggy Chen

bats won't be out on cold days

Sam Christie

Awesome experience - could have got there later than I did - the website was accurate

David Kunkel

Love the bats under the bridge

Amit Gupta

Nice view of the bats flying out

D Lee

Get there by dusk and learn about bats while seeing them fly out from the bridge. Amazing!

willam sims

The few bats there were didn't fly til after dark. Summer time would probably be a better time to see them and more of them.

Alex Luk

It’s too dark to actually see the bats. I could barely see them flying out from underneath the bridge and then they disappeared from my vision. If you came here expecting to see a black cloud of bats in the sky as shown in the tourism advertisements, you would be disappointed.

Mike Holp

Tourists and locals alike gather at this location every night to watch 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats fly out from under the bridge before sunset. Here’s a few of my favorite photos from the 15th Annual Bat Fest, kayaking tours, and assorted bat photos. Enjoy!

Anna Valencia Hall

Best place to see the Mexican Free-tailed bats leaving their roost underneath the bridge around dusk to feed. Recommend arriving early (about an hour or 45m before sunset) for a parking space, bring a blanket to sit on, bug spray if you wish, and water as there are no facilities on site. This awesome spectacle of nature can be for 15+ minutes and is amazing. And please DO NOT use a flash when taking pictures!

Samsudin Kamis

Waited to almost and hour and the bats decided to fly out 10 mins after unset.

Monica Rodriguez

6 bux for 4 hr parking, not too bad for a miracle o nature.

Pedro l'amoroso

Fantastic experience! Wow. Hundreds of thousands of bats, streaming out for close to half an hour. Unbelievable. If you are interested in bat watching only, remember to check the date in advance. try standing on top of the Congress Bridge or rent a kayak.

David Tung

在城市裏要看到成群的蝙蝠

Marco Soffientini

It took a while but it was really cool

A XD

Always enjoyable to watch the bats

Chef and the Girl

Watching the bats fly from under the bridge was awesome. The locals say they don't always do it so if you are in Austin and it's a clear night out you might get a chance to see 1.5 million bats take flight.

Fielding Schmidt

Lots of people but well worth it!

Viet Huynh

Don't go there expecting a swarm straight out of Batman Begins and you won't be disappointed. Nature is awesome.

Frankie Owens

convenient place to view the bats. relatively easy to get to, and hearing the bats before they come out is a perk! not very close to the main chunk of the action, but maybe that might be a good thing

cornelius warren

Good to be on the water

Regino Rodriguez

Bring your own seats and blankets, and enjoy the show

Misty Zapata

No bats. Guess I came at the wrong time of year. Kids had fun playing though.

Allen Acord

Parked at the statesman bat viewing parking lot for $6. Paid with the App Spot Hero, fairly easy process. We got there about an hour before sundown and was able to park and get a good spot easy. Things seemed to get crowded about 30 min before sundown. The best viewing place if you park at the statesman is either on the bridge or under the bridge as close to the river as you can get. The bats came out about ten min after official sunset, but there was still plenty of light.

Karma H

It was very underwhelming to say the least. The bats did come out but you could barely see them. It was very very hot here so for me it was not worth the hot and sweaty wait.

Syed Raza

A very popular place in Austin . A large crowd is seen in the evening for bat observation. I visited this place first time on Labor day. There was a big gathering on the bridge and below for bat observation. Kayaking and boating is also available.

harrybrecher

Check the season first! Bring an strong flash! Learn to take fast night pictures. Be amazed by the amount of bats!!!!

Catherine Peet

Parking was easy. Great place to park to watch the bats as they flew out from under the bridge. Ice cream was available to purchase as well. Bring a blanket to sit and enjoy.

Andrei ILYIN

It was hard to see bats, I wish they install some sort of special light like other places

Andres Quintana

Very interesting and amazing

Nadja Cockrell

AMAZING.......A MUST SEE!! We stood it there 30min and the bats never so coming out!!

Hector Diaz

Loved seeing the bats

Rick Lesms

Beautiful place

Madara Baudanza

Bats do no not always come out. Easy accessible

Pedro

As most tourist/local attractions in Austin, expect this to be busy and parking nearby to be limited. The upside is a gorgeous view of our skyline and watching the bats take flight. Beware of mosquitoes

Sean Fota

Cool to see IF you are in the area. Wouldn't go out of my way to see it.

Cameron Snow

It is quite a unique thing to see millions of bats flying around in a single area! You need to be down there after sunset to see them, but they will always emerge. Sometimes if it is too hot out, it can be hours before they finally come out. They are down in Mexico for the fall and winter, so certain times a year it's not something you want to try and do as you'll be staring for hours without a single bat passing by. Definitely recommend taking the kids, or a date down here! Bring a blanket, bug spray, some drinks, and some snacks and you will have fun!

Diane

Very fascinating. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Andrea windy4always

There were a lot of people, so I'd definitely recommend getting there 30-45 minutes before sunset to get a good spot. There were still bikers and runners using the trail, so watch out for fast foot traffic! But it was really impressive to witness the sheer numbers of bats coming out at sunset. Wish I could post a short video! Very worth it.

Jovan Hudson

Find the entrance to Batman's cave here. Grwat experience.

Anissa Shantele

Phenomenal! Austin is such a cool city! I had so much fun riding Lime scooters to Congress bridge! The bats were spectacular

Craig Grady

Very nice place to watch the bats come out in the evening.

Anthony Guzzardo

If you like bats, have I ever got a place for you.

Apriljean Atwood

Batfest baby. Keeping it weird.

Jordan Horrocks

Bats came out way later than dusk, hard to see them. We were there late may. Might be worth trying again???

Stephen Philpott

Be prepared to wait well pass sunset by 30 to 45 minutes.

Chika Ehirim

It was nice seeing the bats but the wait time made the experience a bit distracting since they the bats don’t come out at an exact time. If you want to get a good spot to watch that’s not on a ferry, come out like between 7-7:30pm (during the summer) and find somewhere comfortable.

Renee Lord

Nice bat show at sunset.

Terry Beck

A must see! An incredible experience to see!

Nico Smith

As a pedestrian, I didn’t particularly care about the parking options. I found the view on the bridge better than ground level of the Observation grounds.

Barbara Brown

Very Interesting.

Jeniffer Jonnie

Great experience, If someone really want to see and want to take experience of bat than he have to visit here once.

Robb Merchant

Fantastic experience! I had read mixed reviews and wasn’t sure if we would see any bats, and if so how many. Wow. Hundreds of thousands of bats, streaming out for close to half an hour. Unbelievable. And free! Except for the parking. If you are in town at dusk, make this a priority!

Manesh Nair

Can park right by the bridge in the austin statesman parking lot (try spot hero). If you time it right, great place for bat viewing.

Ashley King

Really cool. Make sure you go later in the season so they come out while there is still light. We saw them mid August.

zach horlacher

Get there early. The beige was pretty crowded.

Joe Blow

"Bat observation center" seems like a rather grandiose term for a small kiosk with some facts about bats next to a bridge. When the water is clear you can see some scooters at the bottom of the lake though.

A serendipitous life

Great place to view the bats from. Parking was easy, we got there about an hour before sunset and walked around. There is space for blankets on the lawn. Easy walk up to the top of the bridge or below.

Darkangel Simpson

every day is a expectacle of bats going to hunt and eat every night

Lisa Schneider

Definitely liked it. Stood under the bridge and viewing was ok. Maybe next time I'll try standing on top of the Congress Bridge or rent a kayak.

Tyssen Toll

An Austin Must-see attraction! Bats are a misunderstood mammal, and it was great to see so many curious onlookers take notice and enjoy the daily migration for food.

Charmrie Labuschagne

Loved spending time in Austin so much. The bat's was amazing

Vivek Shah

Yes, we saw several bats coming out and flying. Was it as good as the reviews? Not even close. Not sure what people are so impressed of. Nothing impressive.

Sukumar shah

This is different place to visit. We have made mistake to stand on bridge, if one wants to see bats flying neatly then be sure that you will be under bridge where observation spot is made. Thousands of bats fly underneath the bridge after sunset. You also watch scenic beauty of place

Rachel Brown

We loved chilling while we waited to see the bats. Although the bats didn't come out like the pics we have seen they did come out enough for us to see a few.

N Suvor

Recently visited. Arrived at 7pm. With chairs, bug spray, and snacks. The park was beginning to fill with tourists and locals alike looking to watch the bats come out into the dark. Saw very few bats. So many bugs and mosquitos! The park ended up being incredibly crowded. Overall, a disappointing way to waste several hours. I would return again, but only in August for the Bat Festival.

Silvia Rivera

Waited on bridge for hours and no bats. I'm sure it would of been 5 stars had the bats showed up to be observed. Lol

ReviewBat

Visited with the School Tours Of America group... NO BATS ARRIVED! Was so looking forward to this but that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes though... be prepared for this eventuality and don't go in thinking everything will be automatically perfect. Not mad in any way just a little bit disappointed.

rkhami68

I recommend watching from the bridge. We were on the grass below but didn't see much and park at Embassy Suites much cheaper and easier to get out than the Austin Statesman Newspaper lot

Milagro Jimenez

Beautiful sunset

April Davis

This is a must do summer in Austin event!!!!! Go in August or September to see twice as many bats.

Cirel Marasow

The bats came out after dark. So see couldn't ready see them

Sean Drew

We we're on the bridge right by the center. However, not the active time of year for the bats. However, amazing when it is the right time to see the inky black sky river that flows from the bridge.

Heidi Anhalt

Dusk is the best time to come out and see the bats.

Matt Bohnhoff

Quite a show. Rangers were excellent and knowledgeable. Parking was a bit of a hassle but not much can be done about that.

Mike Wolfe

I visit Austin yearly for work and stay at the Embassy Suites across the street from the Congress Street Bridge. I make it a point to go out and watch the bats every visit, it's so good! Where else can you watch 1.5 million bats take to the skies at once? Nowhere! The largest urban colony of bats in the world! Nature!

Matthew Penn

Great location for bat-viewing. Get here early so you can find a decent parking spot. Bats take over 20 minutes to leave so you have plenty of viewing time. Parking is $6 at this location, quicker to pay with App and not stand in line at pay station. Depending on weather conditions, bats may fly early or late, so be prepared.

Andrea Worthy

So its really dark when they come out on 10/1 but if you go to the corner where the bridge meets the edge under the light you can hear and see tons of them. Added a photo for reference

Vickie Jordan

Oh my where can i start this was the most amazing sight to see. I was told by so many to see this and it definitely was.

Mrs Lemons

Not worth it at all. The bats did not come out and over the bridge as expected. We had to lean over the bridge to see the small swarm of bats flying around. Don’t get sucked into this during the month of April. Heard it’s potentially better in the summer. I don’t know though.

Jab ch

Experience was great!! Try to be at the location during sunset. Thousands of bats flew out.

diaryofareader

Went to the ATX Asian Night Market. It was enjoyable but could have been managed better.

Frankie Zellner

All my best shots of downtown are here. I also run past the bridge every morning. Bats are fun and cool to see a couple times. But if you are in town for the first time, check it out on your way up Congress.

Jeff Stilwell

They're really small. And they didn't show up on time. Guess they missed the announcement on showtime

Derek Parker

Great place to go and just observe.

Slvrsrfr

We went there on a weeknight hoping to see the bats, but got there late. There was a sign saying we needed to pay to park, but was unable to find the pay station. Then, the signs were unclear as to where to go for viewing; by that time we were discouraged and gave up.

Courtney Wright Fisher

Perfect go-to for visitors

Jae STEEZY

It was very good

Patricia Williams

The bats didn't come out!

amy weeks

This place was interesting to say the least. Got there around 7 40 and there was already a crowd by 8 20 there is elbow to elbow of people everywhere to see the bats. We got to see some fly were we stood but best view was down at the opposite side of this deck they were all flying out over the bridge.

David Allen

Great experience, so many bats, the boat excursion is amazing

Sonny Hong

Awesome sight to see millions of bats flying out for feeding!

Sierra Blackbear

Bats are just so darn unpredictable. The trails and scenery are beautiful though. We waited with a huge crowd for about 2 hours and the bats finally trickled out. The River was beautiful though and it’s a lovely place to hang out.

Amits

Wonderful place to chill out with family and friends

Rick Von Dran

Fantastic event!!

Carlos Rivas

Great place to watch the bats. Bring a blanket to sit on. Parking is $10. Vendors sell ice cream.

Anne Clark

BATS! Get here 30ish mins early to stake out a good spot.

Joe Johnston

The bats are very cool

Sue Clara Kim-Chung

The number on the parking lot was hard to see. I had to put the parking lot number into the paying machine, but the numbers were erased everywhere, and everyone just put random number to get the ticket.

Scott Middleton

Learn why bats should not only not be feared, but worthy of praise!!

N. Natusch

Amazing experience, not only was it nice seeing so many people together just to watch bats, but my everyone was so excited. The official bat watching website gives you everything you need to know about time and places to be if you want to see the bats. Highly recommend it!

Dt Maph

Crowded. I wait until almost 9 but there was no bats insight.

Erik Covert

Came here twice in March. Unfortunately it was during an arctic blast so we didnt get to see any. This is a good view of the city skyline and if you are able to go out into the water at this point, it is even better.

Paula Reedy

Beautiful city! The amazing bat colony in your city center is a very special gift. Its wonderful that your city appreciates and protects that gift!

P. Muldowney

Very cool. 1.5 million bats is a site to see.

Isaac

Loved it it was a great experience

Geeg Wiles

If you love bats or people watching this is your place!

Roxana Segui

A big croud of people waited till dome to see the bats . But it was a wast of time

Diego Carlos

It was very cool! I totally forgot that the bats came out here. When I was on vacation I was out late one night, on my way back to the appartment i saw the bats! i had no idea what was going on then i realised what it was. Such a cool experince! I probablly spent around 15 to 10 minutes watching the bats. It is worth the time to go see one night in Austin! I without a doubt reccomend!

Calen

It's great to see the bats flying out at sunset and for the most part everyone there is very kind

Susan Yu

This is absolutely a quintessential Austin activity! I would recommend heading here about 20-30 min after sunset because that's when the bats start coming out. Alternatively, you could bring a blanket and picnic here until it's time. Best place to see the bats in the city. My only complaint is that no matter what, the bats are kind of difficult to see because they blend into the night sky.

Nicole Guerin

Best and cheapest parking I've found for the bats. There's a big area of hill near tgis parking lot. Enter to the left when you come into the area, or else you will end up in a newspaper or news station employee parking lot

Guerri!!a Walk

This is a nice place to relax and watch bats. It gets pretty crowded sometimes so you gotta come early to see everything right! I would recommend this place to any person whether u live in Austin or just visiting

CORY Mills

Cool when you see the bats come out. Area vey cool and laid back.

Carlos Ross

Golly gee there ARE bats here! As long as you are in no great hurry and remember that these are wild animals and do not work on any sort of human schedule, this is super fun.

Noam Fliegelman

It was an incredible experience for our family. Our 3 year old was blown away and so were we!

Junshan Liu

It is quite an interesting scene. Seeing 1.5 million bats flying out of their nests all at once in a big city's downtown area is pretty cool.

Kevin G

We waited 3+ hours for the bats to migrate, but hardly any bats appeared. Tourists, beware! There is no guarantee there will be a bat show, so set expectations that you may be waisting your time. The area became very busy, with people at the park: both ends of the river, the highway, and the water (kayak, boat). No seats or food; bring a picnic blanket, chair, snacks, and/or drinks.

Jan Lauderdale

Fun and brief experience for our group after a few hours shopping and hanging out on South Congress. We read that the parking in the Austin American lot was free, but several signs clearly said no free parking any time. The lowest amount is $6! I would advise coming earlier and finding a different place to park. We were there 3/21, and the bats came out around 7:30.

Jorge Acosta

Wonderful activity right in downtown Austin, do not miss this must see bat

Ryan Cole

2¢... Superb

Zach Oppe

Fun to bring family to see the bats!

Tonya Henry

Even though we missed seeing half of the bats take off, it was still a great experience. Had family out of town visiting so to do this with them was fun. There was even an ice cream truck there and electric cabs taking people for rides. Everyone should go at least once.

Hilla Singh

It was unique. However parking is difficult

Jake Kalifornia

A lot of fun to come out at dusk to check out the swarm of bats that come out from the bottom of the bridge. Don't get too close, as the area under the bridge has a strong smell. The City has been kind enough to install parking meters in the adjacent lot, so expect to pay a fee to park. We did notice people mentioning the meters not working the day we were there. The observation area also has a small kiosk that provides information about the bats. Get there early as large crowds do form on the bridge and below.

Mark Asbich

Austin staple. Great place. Everyone from here or putof town should go!

GB Building Maintenance

Visited Austin and saw tons of people on and around the bridge 2 nights in a row. Finally asked someone what was going on and they told us about the bats. We went down probably 30-45 minutes prior to dusk and waited along with loads of other observers. We could hear the bats squeaking under the bridge for a while...and then slowly they started coming out and all of a sudden there were thousands pouring out from under the bridge. It was crazy. Cool sight to see, although I don’t think I would make a special trip down to see it, we just happened to be staying nearby due to the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show (which was awesome).

Sudip Sinha

Nice place to sit and watch them bats.

Shaun Johnson

It's really neat. There were tons of bats in March, as advertised.

April Beck

I love the excitement of waiting to see the bats, there can be lots of mosquitos out, so bring spray. Also parking costs $6.00 and you can only pay with a card at machine or quarters so be prepared for that. Next time I may get on the duck tour to see this or..paddle board :)

Anne Acord

Cool.

Andreas Fritz

Pretty cool! Nice little park, a lot of people during dawny affordable parking right around the corner (during the evening/night). The bats are really spectacular especially if you're from somewhere where there are no bats at all.

Yusin Lee

A very interesting place. The annual bat festival blocks the entire region, however. If you are interested in bat watching only, remember to check the date in advance.

lamont vige

Literally thousands and tens of thousands of bats cam out under from under the bridge. Pretty cool to watch.

Sudhir S

Loved it..do give it a visit.

Jessica Oliver

Top priority #1 awesome

Diego Garza

We didn’t see the bats, but they are natives so no worries. This was just to adventure around. They love it. Next time we have to rent those scooters everyone scoots around on. This trail is suck a wonderful walk.

Ed Nicholson

Drove 200 miles got there early stayed late bats didn't show. They didn't get the memo.

Jennie Bowers

Such a cool experience! Definitely planning on going back

Auris Edwards

It was great to see the millions of bats come out from the bridge. They almost look like mosquitoes from afar. If you are into nature and wildlife, you’ll want to observe these bats.

Kelley Price

Really cool natural event! Hundreds of people lined the bridge and river's edge to witness the bats' flight. They were not dissappointed. There must have been millions of little bats that darted out from under the bridge, then disappeared into the night.

Matt Barrett

I, am not Batman. If I was I'd probably hang out here all the time.

Maria Duhovich

This is once in a life time experience. Amazing! We arrived about an hour before to find parking which was a bit challenging, but the experience was well worth it. It's a definite must see for Austin's residents and guests.

Sally Rodriguez.

Not what I expected. Very hard to see the bats and they didn't ever come out all at once.

Melody Sue Horvatich

Went to the Margarita Festival 2019 with my Best Friend, Jessica for My Birthday and They really had a Great show with Great Bands.

Stephen Gwinner

Pretty cool watching them

Katelyn Chalker

Definitely something you have to do in texas but unfortuntly we didnt see bats if a storm is coming in they dont come out.

Yoli Reynolds

No bats sightings for us, but a beautiful night view of downtown Austin

Morgan Wallhagen

Seeing the bats emerge in droves from the bridge is just amazing...

Rajesh Shah

It's overrated. If you take boat ride and if guide explains you things than it is little bit OK but otherwise don't waste your time standing above or under bridge just to see Bats fly around. In dark mostly you don't see much. We learned this hard way spending more than 2 hours.

Amy Deatherage

Fun times!! We were amazed about how many bats there actually were. They just kept coming out of the bridge! It took awhile for it to get to the exact level of darkness but sure enough, out came the bats! Millions. Of. Bats.

mike nowlin

Mother nature at her finest. So thankful for the conservation work being done here. Amazing seeing so many bats.