Crowd gathers for bat procession.

World's Largest Urban Bat Colony

Austin, Texas

Crowds gather nightly to watch 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats shoot out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Standing atop the bridge, or down below (wear a hat), visitors provide condemned mosquitoes a last meal while waiting for the bats to make their entrance.

Across Congress Street stands a sculpture, "Nightwing," that celebrates the bat.

Bracken Cave in Texas is home to the world's largest colony of bats, but on land that for the most part is not publicly accessible. Another large, convenient-for-tourists bat colony is 15 miles north of Austin, underneath the I-35 underpass at McNeil Road, Round Rock. Over half a million there; wear a hat.

Nightwing.

World's Largest Urban Bat Colony

Address:: 305 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX
Directions:: Congress Avenue Bridge on Town Lake, Austin American-Statesman parking lot on the southeast side, free parking to the public after 6 pm.
Hours:: Bats take wing just before dark, usually -- March through November. Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Admission:: Pay for parking.
RA Rates:: Worth a Detour

More on World's Largest Urban Bat Colony

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