If you have driven across Austin’s South Congress bridge recently you may wonder why there are hundreds of people gathered along the eastern side of the bridge. A little before sunset, spectators appear on the sidewalk along the bridge to watch North America’s largest urban bat colony.
The Mexican Free-Tailed Bats have a long history in Austin, but it wasn’t until the bridge was modified in 1980, that the bats centralized under the eaves of the South Congress Bridge. When the bridge was widened, expansion joints were added creating the perfect nooks for the bats to call home. The bats emerge from under the South Congress bridge each night annually from March through November. In March, the bats migrate from Mexico to Austin. The colony that lives under the South Congress street bridge is entirely female when they migrate in March. They reside under the bridge and emerge nightly to feed on various insects. These females are all pregnant and they give birth to one pup each in early June. At this time, the bat colony doubles and researchers believe the population to be between 1.5- 2 million. Interestingly, this is approximately the same number of people who reside in Austin and the surrounding suburbs. The bats continue to leave the bridge each night around dusk from June through November. In June and July, the mother is still nursing the pup. It is believed that they nurse the pup before and after they hunt. Interestingly, the bats hunt alone so watching them return from hunting is not nearly as entertaining as watching the max exodus that occurs around dusk. The pups do not stay with their mothers. The pups are centered together and each night the mother will return to find and feed her pup before retreating to the northern side of the bridge where the mothers reside. Between Late July and October, the largest exodus of bats occurs. This is the time that pups are learning to fly and hunt for themselves. Hence, this is one of the best times to see Austin’s bat colony. In early November, the cooler climate signals the Mexican Free-Tailed Bats that it is time to return to Mexico. Not all the bats leave at once, but they do leave in large groups. It is believed that the mothers will return to the South Congress bridge each year to have and raise their new pup. If you are interested in seeing the South Congress bridge colony for yourself, now is a great time of year to do it! You can park at the Austin American Statesman building and watch from the South Congress Bridge. Many people often gather on the hike and bike trail, just east of the bridge along Town Lake. One of the best ways to see the South Congress Bats is from the water of Town Lake also known as Lady Bird Lake. Companies like Capital Cruises host nightly sunset bat watching tours. Alternatively, you can rent a canoe, kayak or paddle board to view the bats in a more intimate environment.
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Krause Springs: Krause Springs is located about 45 minutes west of Austin in Spicewood, Texas. The property features a man-made pool as well as a natural swimming hole created by the springs. The entire property is filled with towering trees creating shade and adding to the scenic ambiance of the recreational site. The natural springs constantly flow at approximately 68 degrees feeding the swimming holes at Krause, so there is always water! Day passes costs $8 for adults and $5 for children. You can also camp at Krause! They have tent sites as well as RV sites. Krause Springs does not allow pets. However, you are welcome to bring picnics, floats and grilling supplies. For more information on Krause Springs, visit their website. Krause During a Busy Summer Day The San Marcos River: If you’ve never been floating in Texas, you’re missing out! Floating the river is a popular pastime for Austinites, and one of the closest places to do so is in San Marcos. San Marcos is approximately 40 minutes south of Austin, and is home to Texas State University. Most people start their float trip at the Lion’s Club Tube Rental. Here you can rent tubes for $12 which also includes shuttle service. You can also bring your own tubes and pay a small fee to have them blown up. Similarly, you can opt to just pay for the shuttle service. It’s important to remember to get a cooler tube too! I also highly recommend bringing string or bungee cords so you can tie off to all of your friends and float the river together. Floating in San Marcos is fairly calm. The river runs constantly, but add a mild pace. The entire float takes about an hour, and at the end dumps you at a large tube chute- a natural water slide of sorts. The shuttle picks you up here and brings you back to the Lion’s Club. Hamilton Pool: Hamilton Pool is also located west of town in the same direction as Krause Springs but a bit closer to town. It is located in Dripping Springs, and has become quite popular in recent years. In fact, reservations are now required for summer trips to Hamilton Pool. The entrance cost for Hamilton Pool is $15 per vehicle. Once you enter the Hamilton Pool Preserve, you can park your car and hike approximately 8 minutes down to the pool. The actual pool is picturesque. A large, fifty-foot waterfall cascades over a cliff edge delivering water to the popular swimming hole. There is almost always water at Hamilton Pool; however, during severe droughts, it may not be swimmable. You are welcome to bring food and drinks, but no glass or public display of alcohol is permitted. To learn more about Hamilton Pool, visit the Travis County Parks and Wildlife Site. Hamilton Pool If you enjoyed reading about these day trips from Austin, you may also enjoy reading about The Barton Creek Greenbelt.
The 4th of July is my personal favorite holiday! What’s better than enjoying a day in the sun filled with good friends, family, and barbecue. Of course let’s not forget the best part of this holiday- fireworks! If you’re looking for a fun way to enjoy the 4th in Austin, there are a variety of festivals and firework shows sure to keep you entertained! H-E-B Austin Symphony 39th Annual July 4th Concert and Fireworks at Auditorium Shores: This is by far the largest fireworks display in the Austin area. It will be packed, but it’s a great place to watch gigantic fireworks with a picturesque downtown backdrop. Bring a blanket and a picnic, the show starts at 9:30 but I highly recommend arriving early! For more info visit the official site. Independence Day Celebration at the Hill Country Galleria: If you haven’t been out to the Galleria in Bee Cave recently, you may want to check it out this 4th. The shopping center recently underwent a $16-million-dollar renovation, and to tell you the truth I can hardly tell the difference. The best place to watch the fireworks display is still where it has always been in the large grassy pavilion in the middle of the shopping center. They will have live music starting at 6:30 and the fireworks show starts at 9:15 pm. For more info visit the Galleria's site. Lakeway’s 4th of July Celebration: The City of Lakeway continues it’s 4th of July tradition with a parade starting at 8:30 am. This year’s theme is "Patriotism On Parade". The parade begins at the Live Oak Golf Course and continues on Lakeway Drive to the Lakeway Activity Center. At 10:30 am, the Pageantry of the Flags program begins at the Lakeway Activity Center. The Lakeway swim center opens its doors at noon, allowing everyone to enjoy a chance to cool off during this hot holiday. For more info, click here. Rollingwood’s 4th of July Parade, Picnic, and Fireworks: I loved participating in the City of Rollingwood’s 4th of July Parade as a kid. We would get an assortment of red, white and blue paraphernalia, cover our bikes in it, and get to be in the parade! Rollingwood continues its tradition again this year. The parade starts at 8:30 am. Decorated wagons and bikes meet at the intersection of Wallis and Rollingwood Drive while cars and floats start on Riley Rd. After the parade, come play at the Rollingwood Park where there will be face painting, games, a raffle and more. If you’ve still got more energy, you can watch the fireworks from the Zilker Clubhouse in the evening. For more info visit the City of Rollingwood's website here. If you or someone you know would benefit from my services, please contact me today!
Unplugged at the Grove: This summer concert series at Shady Grove presents live music every Thursday this summer on Shady Grove’s front lawn. For the full summer schedule, click here.
Deep Eddy Movie Night: Ok, this one isn’t free but it’s incredibly inexpensive and one of my personal favorites! I remember looking forward to these summer showings as a kid and enjoying some Mangia’s pizza while I watched the flick. Texas’ oldest swimming pool screens family-friendly movies on a large screen in front of the pool Saturday nights throughout the summer. Bring a big floatie to enjoy the show from the pool or a blanket to relax on the hillside. The movie usually starts around 8:45 pm.
Stargazing with Texas Parks and Wildlife Dark Skies Program: Tomorrow, June 9th, Mckinney Falls State park will have a demonstration on how craters are made on the moon, then you can view the moon from their telescope and binoculars. Meet at the Lower Falls at 8 pm. For more opportunities to see the stars, click here. Summer at the Springs: Wanderlust Yoga puts on free yoga classes right outside the gates of Barton Springs every Monday. Free Vinyasa starts at 7:30 p.m. followed by snack time from Blenders and Bowls at 8:30 and then free swim at Barton Springs starts at 9 pm. Yard Bar hosts Movie Mondays: Every other Monday starting June 12th running through November this year, Yard Bar will be screening a canine related flick. Popcorn, smores and drink specials are only part of the fun. Grab your lawn chairs and head to the patio! All ages and dogs welcome! Free Admission.
The Austin area boasts literally dozens of options for day camps to keep your little ones entertained during their summer break. Below are just a few of the options that caught my eye for this summer!
Austin Nature & Science Center Summer Camp (Ages 4-17) - Young nature enthusiasts explore the outdoor world. (The caving camp was my favorite as a kid) (512) 974-3888 austintexas.gov YMCA of Austin (Ages 4-14) - Weekly themes, sports and outdoor activities at various locations across the Austin area. (512) 236-9622 austinymca.org Young Peoples Workshops (Ages 4-12) - Various Programs with an emphasis on education and the Spanish language. (512) 329-5611 ypwkids.com Bits, Bytes and Bots (Ages 6-14) - Includes computer coding, game design and robotics. (512) 415-9622 bbbcomputer.com Marmalade Skies Magical Mystery Tour (Grades K-5) - An opportunity to learn about famous artists, musicians, and other people and inventions throughout culture. (512) 695-1694 marmaladeskiesaustin.com Dougherty Art School Camps (Ages 5-12) - Various art classes hosted by Dougherty Arts School. (512) 974-4040 austintexas.gov UT Film and Media Youth Camps (Ages 6-18) - Film Production, screenwriting, animation and more. (512) 470-4505 rtf.utexas.edu Central Market Cooking School (Ages 13 & Up)- Cooking classes about food preparation, kitchen safety and multiple cooking techniques. Great for adults too! (512) 236-9622 centralmarket.com Moolah U Camp (Ages 7-15) - Fun hands-on experience with money by starting a real business. (512) 443-8851 moolahu.com Bee Cave Riding Center (Ages 6-16) - English and Western Riding lessons with a fine arts program. (512) 632-7433 ridinghorses.com Camp on the Move (Ages 8-14) - A variety of summer field trips. (512) 658-9285 camponthemove.com Bricks for Kidz Summer Camps (Ages 3-13) - Themed weeks are centered around LEGO® crafts, LEGO® games and plenty of time for creative building. (512) 270-9003 bricks4kidz.com Dance Xplosion Summer Classes & Camps (Ages 2-18) - Half-day and all-day workshops. (512) 301-9222 dancexplosionaustin.com Concordia University Camps (Ages 5-18) - Multiple sports camps are offered. (512) 301-9222 athletics.concordia.edu This year marks Zilker Park’s 100th anniversary. If you’ve never been to Zilker, Austin’s 351 acre park, you are missing out. Zilker is home to a number of festivals throughout the year, and offers ample space for sports, recreation and enjoying the beautiful Austin weather. As we all know, summer is fast approaching. Thus I wanted to highlight two ongoing opportunities for Austinites to enjoy Zilker Park this summer.
The Zilker Hillside Theatre is located on the south side of the park, just north of Barton Springs. Every summer, Zilker Theatre Productions puts on a free play in the park. I clearly remember attending Guys and Dolls over a decade ago, last year they brought Shrek to Zilker Park, and this year’s musical, The Wizard of Oz, is not to be missed. The play runs July 7th-August 12th. In order to have a great experience, I highly recommend you bring blankets and a picnic. You can bring chairs as well but if they are too tall you will have to sit farther back. They do have concessions and swag available for purchase at the park, and in the past they have also offered chair rentals. For more information on this year’s play in the park, visit Zilker Theatre Productions website. Another great way to experience Zilker Park is by attending Blues on the Green. The summer concert series includes 4 free shows at Zilker Park. What was once a laid back environment filled with blankets and blues has evolved to a full on festival environment. This year's concerts will be held on May 24th, June 14th, July 12th, & Aug 2nd. Again, I highly recommend bringing a blanket and or chairs. For more information visit KGSR’s site. The greenbelt, as Austinites commonly refer to it, is actually the Barton Creek Greenbelt. It contains a little more than 12.5 miles of fantastic trails. Year round, this is a great place to go hiking, running, or biking. Additionally, there are a number of great spots to go rock climbing as limestone cliff faces often line the trails along the greenbelt. However, when there's enough rain, a number of wonderful swimming holes arise, and one can also go tubing or kayaking.
My map below highlights the different access points and swimming holes found in one of Austin's most treasured places, the greenbelt. Since we don't usually get a ton of rain in Austin, some of these swimming holes may be dry at certain points. In my experience, the north western swimming holes, such as the one by the Lost Creek entrance and Sculpture Falls, tend to hold water better than the south eastern Campbell's Hole. Campbell's Hole (pictured above)tends to be shallower and offer intense currents, especially after a large rain fall. The entire trail is great for hiking and biking; however, the Twin Falls entrance offers a bit more variety if you are mountain biking. If you enter through the Spyglass entrance and turn right, there are a few good climbing spots, and the main entrance off 360 near the Brodie Oaks Shopping center is also popular among climbers. It is important to note that a number of these Austin greenbelt access points are located in residential neighborhoods. Please be respectful, and don't forget to take home whatever you brought in with you! A rainy day in Austin in generally quite rare; however, we've been having quite a few lately. Naturally, that spurs the question, what's one to do in Austin when the weather is less than superb? Don't let the clouds put a damper on your day, the city still has plenty to offer when the sun isn't shining.
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