Yikes!!!!
Written: Jun 23 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful display
Cons: Waiting around
The Bottom Line: A great free attraction
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| bbbradk's Full Review: Congress Ave. Bridge Bats |
I had read about the bats prior to my trip to Austin (mostly here on Epinions) and was interested, but a little wary!
I mean they are bats, and bats are scary right?
I got over my fear and decided to take in this wonderful natural phenomenon.
The first night I saw them was from the footpath that goes beneath the bridge along the riverside.
I was a little scared walking directly beneath the bridge, because as you approach the bridge you can hear hundreds of chirping sounds, it is a little spooky.
Also directly under the bridge there is a sign warning not to touch or handle fallen bats (believe me, no worries there! That falls under the category of signs I don't need to read to observe.)
From the footpath your viewing options are limited as the riverbank has many trees.
There are a few brave souls who stood directly under the bridge, but I was not about to try that.
I eventually found a good sized view between several trees and sat down to wait, and wait, and wait......
Since they are wild animals there is no true time table, but they eventually did start to fly out from under the bridge about 10 minutes after sunset.
I thought it was a little unsettling, as the bats are mere inches from your head while they are flying above the treetops looking for bugs.
I looked around though and realized that as close as the bats were, they weren't bothering anyone, all of the people around me were having a great time watching the bats leaving their hiding spots.
Another thing I noticed was that there were tour boats directly below the bridge, providing their passengers with what must have been an incredible view of this spectacular show.
Plus they were using spotlights to highlight the bats leaving the bridge.
I decided then that the next night I would be aboard a boat the next time I saw the bats.
The next day I went to the visitor centre downtown and they were happy to set me up with tickets for that evenings bat watching cruise.
The cruise only cost $8.00
I was instructed to be at the dock for 8:00 that evening.
When I got there, I was really happy I'd bought my ticket ahead of time, because they were turning people away.
The boat tour was nice, they take you for a ride up and down town lake, pointing out various points of interest on either side of the bridge.
Nobody was paying much attention though, we were all there for one reason, to see the bats.
As the sun set, the waiting game began.
There were several other boats near the bridge, so the boat had to keep moving, which frustrated me, as I was sure we'd be facing the wrong way when the bats appeared.
No worries though, because when the bats begin their nightly show there are so many of them that you could never possibly not see them.
According to the tour guide they continue streaming out of the cracks under the bridge for usualy about 2 hours.
The show from under the bridge was breathtaking, as the bats actually drop from the cracks of the bridge and fall straight down before spreading their wings and heading to the East.
The spotlight that the tour guide used really helped to see just how many bats were actually streaming out.
In total there are said to be a million and a half bats under the sixth street bridge.
After about 15 minutes of watching the bats, the boat goes back to it's dock.
I really do recommend a boat tour, as I can't imagine a better way to not only see the bats, but to learn something about them as well.
So to conclude, I was really happy I overcame my initial queasiness and went to see the bats, it was certainly memorable, and I would say it belongs in a top ten things to do in Austin list.
Thanks for reading.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
bbbradk
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Location: Toronto
Reviews written: 119
Trusted by: 42 members
About Me:
Hi there, I'm 37 live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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