Holy Bats In the Bridge, Batman!
Written: Aug 15 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Natural phenomenon that's free for all, peculiarly Austin
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: If you want to get a taste of something you just can't find anywhere else, head down to the Congress Avenue bridge early one summer evening....
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Congress Ave. Bridge Bats |
"No matter what you do during the day, you just gotta spend your evening down by the bridge so you can watch the bats."
That was the advice I'd gotten from friends in Austin, and it was echoed by the friendly folks in the city's visitor information center downtown. The bridge, of course, is the Congress Street Bridge -- home to the largest bat colony in North America.
These days, local bat afficianados (I'll resist the urge to call them "bat men") estimate that there are about 1-1/2 million bats living up in the bridge's structure. Evenings downtown are something of an event as locals and tourists alike gather for the daily pilgrimage to watch the flying rodents swarm out from under the bridge as they take to the skies for their nightly feeding frenzy.
I'm always a sucker for anything that smacks of true local color, and the thought of just hanging out on a warm summer evening, waiting to see something that's a true natural phenomenon unlike anything I could see anywhere else, well, of course I wanted to be there!
How to See the Bats...
Opinions will probably vary as to what the best way to see the bats really is, but there are at least 4 popular vantage points that I know of. The two biggies are the sidewalks along the bridge itself, the grassy knoll and the riverside trail next to the American Statesman building, boats floating in Town Lake, or the decks or restaurants of hotels or bars near the bridge (particularly the Radisson or the Hyatt). I've seen the bat migration twice now, once from the bridge itself and once from the grassy knoll.
The View From the Bridge...
Last weekend, I wanted a new perspective on the bats, so I decided to watch them from the bridge, instead of from the knoll. The bridge was getting pretty crowded by the time I arrived at 8:15 -- about 20 minutes before the day's estimated flight time. Hundreds of bat watchers already lined the rails, binoculars and umbrellas at the ready. I chatted with a couple of guys from Waco who'd professed to have seen the bats dozens of times. They assured me that the view from the bridge was the "best".
Within a few minutes of the magical 8:35 time, a few bats started flitting their ways skyward. About 10 minutes later, the early adopters became a steady stream of bats, and then a few minutes later, larger clusters would suddenly emerge and take to the sky.
What impresses me with the bats is the way that they fly along the same flight path, almost like the way ants march in line, one behind the other. The first time I'd seen the bat swarm, this really shocked me since I always figured they'd just scatter randomly, but they don't -- they tend to follow the flow of the river.
On the Grassy Knoll...
The bridge was okay, but it's not that comfortable -- personally, I prefer to sit on the grassy knoll in front of the Austin American Statesman building where I can spread out a blanket and relax while I wait for the bats to come out and play.
This vantage point is offically dubbed "the Bat Observation Center". A group called Bat Conservation International (on the web at www.batcon.org) has a booth set up here, and they pass out brochures and will talk about how bats live, breed, migrate, or anything else concerning bats.
Some people prefer to crowd the trail that goes under the bridge, but the view really isn't that much better there.
From the time that the bats begin emerging, it takes about 30-40 minutes for all 1.5 million bats to get airborne, but most of the people start drifting away after about the first 15 minutes -- partly because it's hard to keep get psyched every time a new bunch of bats come out, but mostly because it's just getting darker and harder to see.
Logistics
Finding the bridge is easy. It's where Congress Street crosses Town Lake. Ample free parking is available in the lots next to the Austin American Statesman Building (on the side of the river where the Hyatt is located). The bats are under the bridge from about March through November and the estimated times that they'll emerge each day can be found out by calling the Bat Conservation hotline at 512-416-5700 (category 3636).
Nearby...
You've heard of Austin's infamous 6th Street, with its wealth of bars featuring local musicians every weekend, but it seems to me that the real flap should be about SoCo -- the stretch of Congress Avenue that runs south of the bridge.
After watching the bats, we strolled down SoCo and were very impressed by the range of very trendy little shops, coffee houses, bars, restaurants, and galleries. Next time I go to Austin I want to stay at Austin Motel here, with its mondo cool neon signs and very retro looking architecture. Of course I stopped in at Guero's Taco Bar, which is rumored to be Bill Clinton's choice when he's got a hankering for Tex-Mex.
There's some info about SoCo on the web. I like the shorty reviews on the Austin Chronicle site (www.austinchronicle.com), but they don't come close to doing justice to this slice of trendiness. The neighborhood reminds me of places like Adams Morgan in Washington D.C. -- just a cool place to be. Check it out!
Until next time, see you on the road. As always, I'll be digging for the best bargains in travel, and it is sure as heck hard to beat a bargain like watching the bridge bats. There are some things in life money can't buy, and this is one you don't need no stinkin' MasterCard to enjoy.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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