"Crowds gather nightly on the Congress Avenue Bridge, at sunset, to watch Austin’s urban bat colony fly out from their home on the underside of the bridge over Lady Bird Lake. The 45-minute spectacle is one of those only-in-Austin happenings. The colony of Mexican free-tailed bats is the largest in an urban environment in North America—about 1.5 million bats take flight each night to feed (on pesky insects like mosquitoes, making the animal a local hero). Note that the spectacle is seasonal, typically from May through October; during the winter, the bats migrate elsewhere. And even though the whole thing lasts 45 minutes, you get the idea in under five. If you can pair your viewing with another activity downtown—not difficult, as this part of town is extremely lively—it's worth making time to watch." - Jonathan Thompson, Mandy Ellis
