carolyn

We are headed to Austin the weekend of April 26th. Will we be too early to see the bats? I just heard they aren't back from Mexico, but I remember reading somewhere you can see the starting the end of March.

And, anyone know of a good restaurant for dinner to watch them take their evening flight?

Thanks!

Bat

Well, I can't speak for April, but we just did this last Summer and had a blast watching the bats. There are several hotels within the vicinity of the Congress bridge, and it would be easy to walk down to the lawn area and wait until dusk when the activity starts. Our stay was at the Radisson on the Lakefront-Cesar Chaez Rd, which also has a TGIF restaurant on site and an outdoor patio. It was a great location! The hotel was also convenient and within walking distance to the downtown area, although we opted for a carriage ride to see the sites at night. Have fun!

ALF

The bats usually arrive mid-March, so they should all be there by late April. You really need to be outside, at dusk, underneath, or on the Congress Avenue Bridge to get a good view of the bats when they emerge. You won't get a good view from any restaurant. Here's a photo to give you a better idea:
http://www.batcon.org/discover/cab11.jpg

Connie

Everytime I try to tell people about the bats they look at me like I'M batty!

It really is awesome and amazing.
I agree with being outside. There is plenty of lawn space along the river to sit.

Postal

My kids were 7 and 9 when I brought them to Austin with me on business in 1991. I'd just read the National Geographic Magazine story on the Austin bats and told my kids about it. Naturally, they thought I was telling them a tall tale.

Our first night there was the Fourth of July, and there were to be fireworks over the water. We sat on a grassy hill overlooking the water and the Congress Bridge and just before dusk I said, "Don't forget to watch for the bats." Of course I got the rolling eyes. But just seconds later, out they came! It was fantastic! And never one bug all evening as a result!

Shannon

I was in Austin last year around the middle of May, but unfortunately, the bats didn't come out for us. Several people told us they hadn't come out the previous night, either. It was a typical warm evening, too. Anyone know whatwould keep them from coming out?

lisa

The bats are there, but they don't come out en masse until summer. The females arrive in March, already pregnant. (they leave most of the guys behind...) and usually give birth around June. The babies learn to fly in about 5 weeks. Once the babies are born, the moms start flying out from under the Congress ave. bridge to find food (mosquitos, usually) for them. The moms travel together. Later in the summer, bats from other parts of the city join them under the bridge. So, moms, visitors, and babies can form a spectacular exit around dusk each night in the summer. (over 1,000,000 of them, I believe) It is a sight to see!

(much of my info from batcon.org. Tho I do live in Austin!)

carolyn

Thanks!

Sounds like it is worth a trip outside to see if they will venture out. We are staying on S. Congress, I think I read the hotel is in walking distance, so if they decide to stay in, we won't be to far out of our way.

lisa

Just re-read your first post. The restaurant with the BEST sitings are TGIF's. However, since Austin has soooo many great restaurants, and that is barely so-so, you could eat elsewhere and then go there for a drink out on the patio and see what happens.

Need info on Austin? Go to www.austin360.com
or

http://austin.citysearch.com/

Have fun!

steve

Yes, the bats are here. Best watching areas are from TGIF's, or the lawn along the lake at the Four Season's. Between TGI Friday's and the Four Seasons is the Shoreline Grill. Nice balcony (a little pricey) but a few nice bat decorations inside.

loangalsal

We were just in Austin 2 weeks ago and actually walked down to the base of the bridge to watch the bats. I would say it is worth it to go down there to see them from below. It is certainly not "peak season" for the bats, but there were sure plenty of them (thousands) coming out! They started coming out about 6:45 pm. We stayed at the Hotel San Jose and really loved it. We had great Mexican food at Guerros but the best food we had was at a little "hole in the wall" called Taco Express, open only for breakfast and lunch. If you are in the area of the Continental Club or Hotel San Jose (on South Congress), stop at Joe's coffee hut for the best banana nut bread ever made in the world. The tour of the capital building is not to be missed, very beautiful building, and they even do the tour on Sunday mornings. Have fun!

carolyn

loangalsal,

Were you able to walk from your hotel? We're staying at the Austin Motel, I believe it's very close to the San Jose. Is Taco Express in the neighborhood? We are always on the look-out for great mexican food.

loangalsal

The Austin Motel is right next door to the Hotel San Jose! You can walk from the Motel to a few good restaurants (Guerras and there is another right beween the hotels, has the word "Sol" in the name) and some really fun antique shops and funky stores. You will also be right accross the street from the Contintental Club for great live music in the evening. If you stepped into the street in front of your hotel, you can see the state capital but it is too far to walk, and I think the bat bridge would be quite a hike. Sixth street in downtown has great live music at night. We took a boat tour of the river which we enjoyed and we walked around by the "swimming hole" at Barton Creek. Also went up to Mount Bonnell and that was very pretty. I can't remember where Taco Express is, but I am sure it is in the yellow pages or an internet search. We heard about it on this board actually, it was a very fun little place with the best food ever, but like I said, a little "hole in the wall". We went to eat at a restaurant on Lake Travis, and that was pretty. Most of what we did we found on Fodors searching past threads (THANKS EVERYONE!). The Hotel San Jose has a very nice outdoor patio that they serve wine and beer from 5:30pm - midnight and it is a very nice place to relax so you can pop over there in the evening if you want to. PLEASE post your opinion of the Austin Motel when you get back, it was a hard decision between the 2 places for us, but we loved the San Jose. Would love to read a trip report when you get back!

youre_up

Connie: "Everytime I try to tell people about the bats they look at me like I'M batty!"

Do they not have rabies in Texas? Rabies can kill you, and bat bites are frequently small and undetectable.

How close do the bats get, exactly?

J62

I think connie flew the coop 8 yrs ago.

To answer your question.

Right after sunset the bats emerge from their dens in the grooves under the bridge, congregate there shortly, then immediately head straight East/downriver without lingering. I have no concerns about rabies when I go to see the bats.

Yes, if you stand right under the bridge when the bats are emerging you may have a few that circle nearby before the head out.

If you sit on the lawn by the newspaper office or stand on the bridge you won't have any bats come near you.

PaulRabe

Rabies from bats?
Only if you attempt to pick up a bat that is on the ground.
Once bats carry the rabies virus, they become so weak that they can barely move. Yes, you CAN get this virus from handling bat.
www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/education/index.html
But you can NOT get rabies from flying bats. Plain and simple, if they can fly, they are not a threat.

Should you be as careful around bats as you are with ANY animal, like a house cat, a squirrel, or a small dog? Definitely. Should you fear a group of flying bats. Definitely not.

youre_up

J62: Thanks for the info.

PaulRabe: I feel like I need to correct you since this is a bit of a public safety issue. You CAN get rabies from flying bats. Even your CDC link said that a few people who got rabies got it from bats landing on them, and another guy got it from one outdoors - he wasn't handling it.

Also, see this article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...072702214.html

The article says:

"There was the mysterious 1995 case of a child asleep in a room in which a bat was flying around. The child's aunt captured the bat without waking her niece, who bore no signs of a bite. But a month later, the 4-year-old fell ill, was found to have rabies and died. The bat's body was retrieved; it tested positive for the disease."

"On one of my visits to the hospital, a nurse told me about having to vaccinate an entire boys' soccer team after a single bat flew worrisomely low among the players."

TDudette

Could they have inhaled anything from the bat???

What is the latest month to see them? Are they still there at THanksgiving??

PaulRabe

I stand corrected.

I should have said, "The odds of getting rabies from flying bats near the Congress Bridge are not zero, just less than a car wreck while driving there. If you don't fear the latter, then you shouldn't fear the former."

Bottom line: DON'T HANDLE BATS. Or any other wild creature. Just let the bats alone to eat mosquitoes -- a FAR more dangerous vector of fatal diseases.

sarge56

TDudette- The bats are around from mid-March to some time in November, but I think Thanksgiving is pushing it.

Peak time is right now... hot, dry August. It is a site worth seeing, for sure!

Paula