Let's get batty

Everything to know about where to watch Austin's famous bats fly

Rowing Dock downtown Austin Congress Avenue Bridge bats kayaking

Catch the bats from a paddleboard.

Every year, from late March or early April until about the end of November, the space beneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge (known just as the Congress Bridge) becomes home to thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats. The colony feeds every night during spring and summer, normally flying out from under the bridge around sunset, and watching them emerge has become a quintessential Austin experience.

But bats do more than just entertain us, though. Most of the bats under the Congress Bridge are pregnant females who have migrated from central Mexico to give birth to a single pup in early June. Each mother bat in the colony consumes close to her body weight in insects every night, including mosquitoes and crop pests such as corn-borer moths.

This natural pest control service is worth billions of dollars to the agriculture industry. (It could be part of the reason Texas named the Mexican free-tailed bat its official state flying mammal.) Other species of bats also eat insects, and some are important plant pollinators.

Yet, these mammals are often under appreciated and misunderstood — no, they don’t get caught in your hair or drink your blood (just one species, in Latin America, feeds on the blood of mammals, usually deer and other large animals). They aren’t blind, either.

Viewing etiquette
Do not shine lights on emerging bats or make loud noises within 100 feet of the bridge, as this can disturb or disorient the animals (and fellow bat-watchers). Don’t fly drones within 20 feet of the stream of bats, as collisions can kill bats and damage drones. Never attempt to capture or handle bats; one that lets you get close is probably sick.

Viewing areas
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail has a short 14-foot wide boardwalk along the north shore with an overlook on the east side of the bridge providing a close-up view of the stream of bats. It is also ADA accessible.

The free Statesman bat observation center at 305 S. Congress Ave. just south of the bridge, has paid parking, an informational display, and a grassy hillside almost right underneath the bridge.

Claim a comfy spot on the deck of Live Oak bar and restaurant at the Four Seasons Austin and watch the bats while sipping an El Murciélago cocktail. The bar created the seasonal mescal-based drink in celebration of its furry neighbors.

Bat tours by boat and paddleboard
For the best views of the bats, hit the water. Book an hour-long bat tour with Capital Cruises, located next to the Hyatt Hotel. The Lone Star Riverboat provides one-hour bat-watching cruises on its smaller boats The Southern Star, The Northern Star, or The Little Star.

Live Love Paddle leads tours that last about two hours to see the bats by kayak. Renting or bringing a kayak and soaking up the bat sights on your own is also an option. Rowing Dock, which is located on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake near Barton Springs, also offers special bat paddles. Details and dates can be found on the company's calendar.

Bat-inspired sights and more
Nightwing, a kinetic bat sculpture from Dale Whistler, graces a traffic island at Barton Springs Road and South Congress Avenue. It provides a less-crowded photo op for those on bat-inspired outings.

The Texas Memorial Museum on the University of Texas campus has the skull and teeth of a Tadarida brasiliensis Mexicana, aka the Brazilian or Mexican free-tailed bat, on display behind a magnifying glass. Look for it in the preserved specimen display case in the Hall of Biodiversity on the fourth floor. You can also learn more about the adaptation of nocturnal animals such as bats here.

Pick up a bat-shaped bottle opener, an Austin snow globe full of flying bats, or a children’s book about bats at the Gift Shop in the Austin Visitor Center at 602 E. Fourth St.

National Bat Appreciation Day on April 17 is a chance to celebrate bats and all their good qualities, including as a famous Austin tourist attraction. The Four Season’s Live Oak will offer its bat cocktail for 25-percent off that day if the bats fly and 50-percent off if they don’t.

Start planning now for the 14th annual Austin Bat Fest, which takes over the Congress Avenue bridge on August 24.

cocktails downtown families festivals nature museums pets

Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

san antonio tejano music museums hall of fame music openings