Meet your guide at the shop where you receive a kayak lesson and your paddling equipment. Once you are geared up, head to the shores of Lady Bird Lake to follow your guide out on the water. As you glide along, take in great views of Austin, including the Frost Bank Tower and a statue of the popular musician Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Paddle across Lady Bird Lake, a reservoir which was formed by a dam on the Colorado River in 1960. As you enjoy this amazing recreation area, hear informative and entertaining commentary from your guide share about Austin’s history and its famous bats.

The bat colony under the Congress Ave Bridge is the largest urban bat colony in North America. The Mexican free-tailed bats migrate every spring from central Mexico to the southwestern USA, settling into their home under the Congress Avenue Bridge. At dusk in the spring and summer, as many as 1.5 million bats take to the sky on their nightly hunt for food. The Austin colony alone is estimated to eat up to 20,000 pounds of insects every night; a contribution to the community that is celebrated by locals and visitors.

On the 2-hour kayak tour, arrive at the Congress Ave Bridge before dusk so that you have a great vantage point to see the bats take flight. Marvel at the clouds of tiny winged mammals above you as they soar out to hunt in the twilight. Your guide takes photos of your small group before you return to your starting point to end the tour.