Definitely a must see place whilst in Houston. Even many locals havent been here. There are approx 250k Mexican free-tail live here. Arrive about 30 minutes before sunset to watch the action. Stay for awhile because sometimes the largest flights happen after many leave. Park on the Allen Parkway feeder heading towards town. Youll see others. Be careful crossing. To be safe cross at the Waugh intersection. If you arrive early take a walk towards the ball-shaped fountain just east of the bridge on Allen Parkway. Great site for skyline pics. See videos I posted on this date. Enjoy!
Super fun activity to do right at dusk. Its free and the bats are adorable.
So much pre-Halloween fun for the kids. We stood up closer to the bridge, next time well observe from down below to get a better view.
It was so cool to see the bats come out for their nightly feeding! I highly recommend that you stand on the same side of the bridge as the actual bat observation side (the side of the road closer to the dandelion water feature), as apparently not many bats come out the other way from what I heard others saying!
If you havent done this you ought to go at least once. Come just before sunset and watch the 2 million or so Mexican bats living under the Waugh Bridge leave for their evening feeding. They live under the bridge year round making them the largest colony of bats in the US that dont migrate south. The experience lasts about 3 mins and for best views stand on the sidewalk of Waugh Bridge facing east towards the river.
We were there for 2 hours. Apparently, bats dont come out in the rain. Who knew? We were in town from Dallas for a few days. That was the only night we could try to see them. Perhaps another time.
Ive been coming here over the years with various friends and family. A very cool and educational place. Now they have a cool little area that enable people to hang out on the grass and enjoy the surroundings awaiting the bats. Looks like the colony is coming back after being devastated by Harvey.
By far one of the coolest things I have done in Houston and I am a lifelong resident!
Its okay. I feel its more hyped than it should be. Id say one time watch if you live nearby but this is definitely not something that I will come to see from miles away.
Sharp sunset activity.Learn unknown facts about Bats
Easy place to sit. Got there at estimated sunset and waited an hour. It got dark and maybe some bats came out but we couldnt make out if it was a single bat or a bird. Nothing like batman release of bats.
It was amazing seeing the 2 or 300000 bats come out in groups, circle around and then go after their prey. Quite amazing!
It is like a show when, around 8 p.m., thousands of bats fly like a miniature tornado in a colorful sunset sky. And many people come to the shows, and many birds of prey come here on time. And the characteristic smell of a mouse under this bridge.
Amazing experience but the smell is awful, I wore my mask and still almost threw up, paking is a nightmare, the bats are organic bring your camera and arrive 30 minutes before sunset
Bats were a sight to see. Harder to see this night cause they came out pretty late after sunset but still an experience.
The colonys numbers are down considerably from what I remember , and it was well into dusk before they took flight.Will continue to come see them, have heard they are down from hurricane Ike .
Youre not always guaranteed to see bats... but when you do its cool! Parking is sometimes tough.
Wonderful experience to see in the middle of an active city like Houston! In the evening time, close to the same time every day, all the bats under this bridge fly out in a herd. It is absolutely gorgeous to see!While youre waiting for this event, you can explore the bat-free park right next to the bridge. Very peaceful nature walk, a nice time for family, couples, and friends.I ate at Subway right across the road with my Husband waiting for the bats to come out. If you havent been once, you MUST see it! Below, Ive included some pictures of my walk around the park nearby. That was a magical experience by itself.
Amazing number of bats appear at sundown.
Worth visiting at least once.
Awesome place to view bats, a lot of bats! You can par at nearby Whole foods, 3 min walk and you are at the observation deck. Make sure to arrive 30 min prior sunset as we almost missed the first chord of young bats flying to hunt. There were biologists who told us a lot of interesting stories. There is some smell but not too much. You can stay a little bit longer to see other bats flying out.
Great Place, but its not wide than i thought
The bat numbers are down because of hurricanes but a fun thing to see none the less.
Pretty cool thing to go check out but it was to crowd.
Smell wasnt too bad
It was fascinating watching the bats. If Im ever in the area I would go again. They are a popular attraction and the park is beautiful!!!
Pretty cool thing to go check out. Ive lived in Houston for coming up on 10yrs and had never gone down there to check it out and Im glad that I did.Note: Be sure to keep a eye out for what I believe were a couple Red Tailed Hawks that might be flying down from one of the larger buildings right behind where youll be standing to grab a bat or 2 for their dinner. The circle of life continues......
Neat event to see. Thousands of bats coming out for the night.
Came here 30 minutes before sunset and stayed 30-45 minutes after sunset. The bats didnt take flight across the sky but there was a lot of bat activity under the bridge after sunset, which was sorta cool to see. There are lots of people there to watch them on Waugh and Allen, so its hard to miss the spot. Most people (including us) gave up after the 30 minute mark-- not sure if they actually did take flight en masse are we left the area or they had enough to feed on under the bridge that evening? (Im no batologist)
We have never seen so many bats. Parking was a little tricky. We found a lot about 4 blocks to the south of the bridge. It was just to the north of a grocery store. You have to pay for parking but if you leave after 8pm there was no one to pay so we got to park for free. If you have the time I would suggest seeing the bats fly.
Unique experience to go see at least once if you are in Houston.
Got some great clicks from this unusual place...
Great place. There are thousands of bats living under the bridge! (According to their site there are more than 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats) Arrive about 30 minutes before sunset to watch the action. There is a viewing platform at the corner of Waugh Drive and Allen Parkway.No Parking nearby but you can park on Allen Parkway or (Metered - closest) or Lost Lake Visitor Center (Metered)
Waugh dr bat colony yall come see our millions of Bats come out at dusk and back at 4am sunset
This was a very cool experience. I had no idea these little critters were here, let alone in such a number! Parking was a bit of a challenge but it was worth the hassle. There were also two ladies on site who were experts from the city informing people and making sure they stayed safe. Totally recommend.
Five stars since you cant go wrong with bat watching. It was great! Worth the wait!Only just a couple problems.1. Parking is difficult since many business have towing signs so get creative.2. !!! You have to cross a busy road to get to the area so stay alert !!! In the short amount of time we were actually paying attention to the road I witnessed four cars run red lights. God knows how many more happened since my back was turned watching the bats.3. If you dont know if the bats have flown yet, you can walk by the bridge and hear their chittering.4. As others have recommended , we got here thirty minutes before sunset. We got there at 6:15, sunset at 6:45. However the bats flew much later, like 7:20 or 7:30 (cant remember which). I dont know if it was later due to the seasons changing.4. The bats are adorable and small. We were sitting on the sidewalk, but by the time they flew it was quite dark and hard to track the bats. I had to walk down to the path and look up to see their tiny silhouettes against the barely lit sky. However, the observation deck is set back quite a bit, so I might have been too close?
Amazing, always known never ben
Just be patient. Let nature do its thing. It will be worth the wait once they start flying!! Great for kids and I (mom) enjoyed it just as much.
BAT VIEWING ETIQUETTEViewing the bat emergence can be one of the most amazing experiences in nature. Please be bat friendly & enjoy watching the bats without causing harm to the bats or yourself.Please sit or stand several feet away from the bridge during the emergence to give the bats plenty of room to fly. Please do not stand under the bridge during the emergence.Bats prefer the dark, especially when first emerging from their bridge crevices. Do not use flashlights or camera flashes during the emergence.Loud voices can alter the bats’ emergence behavior. Please be considerate by keeping noise levels down. Please supervise your children & pets.Please do not throw objects at flying or roosting bats.Do not touch or pick up a grounded bat for any reason. If the bat is on the ground, it may be a young bat still learning to fly, or it may be ill. Grounded bats will bite in self-defense.
Awesome end to our 25 day road trip across America. These bats are so important to our ecosystem and to have them in the city is a bonus. Im not sure how many there were, probably 2500, well worth your time, price is right...free.
The most amazing thing I ever see in my life
No bats today :( date is:01-25-2020but the set up and everything is perfect. I think these winter months are a bit of a gamble, looking forward to seeing the bats in warmer months
Its almost like a spiritual experience.
Really cool to watch the bat flight!
Cool family fun with some educational value provided by the bat conservancy people always hanging out there during dusk
Cool little spot. Great for a date night. Bug spray is a plus after all the bats are coming out to eat bugs right. Yes it smells funky theres thousands of bats and they poop.
Awesome experience! One of the best since moving to Houston.(The better view is actually opposite of the viewing bridge)
Bat colony is a must visit for anyone who loves dwelling alongside nature. Its an amazing picnic spot as well. It’s such a pleasant sight to see how these bats ( there are approx 3,00,000 cute little bats) that come out to hunt every evening exactly by the sunset. And they fly out in beautiful patterns. The sunset and the bat patterns is an amazing sight one should never miss. Could visit the place over and over ️
Fun place to go at dusk when 250K bats leave the bridge and fly into the sky!
You have to be patient. You will start to think they arent coming out, but wait until it gets a little darker. Worth the wait... I heard once it gets really cold outside they stop coming out though.
Really amazing experience
Neat little treasure next to the Buffalo Bayou.Parking is a little hike away, but you get to walk through the park and enjoy the scenery.right by the bridge is an observation deck.The bats are supposed to start flying out at sunset, but they dont necessarily go by our clock youll have to be a bit patient.Once they start flying out, its quite something to see. over 250K bats going on the hunt!Be prepared for them being a bit smelly! Dont touch grounded ones, theyll bite! and dont get too close to their fly zone, as they tend to relief themselves, haha.
Great experience
I love to go watch the bats leave the bridge after sunset. The buffalo bayou put up some nice signs and information regarding the bats so that while you wait for them you can learn.Just remember that they do not always come out, and It stinks under the bridge. And in the summer is the best time to watch them. Enjoy!
Fun and interesting experience. Nothing like it to compare. You get the realness of it by smelling their odor, seeing thousands of them flying...and if you arent careful could get some of their feces on you haha! But thats nature, enjoy it we did! Also cant beat it is free! Very beautiful at sunset too.
Awesome experience to witness something like this basically in the middle of a city and not in a remote cave.An estimated 200.000 bats leave their colony and fly out within a couple of minutes every evening/night just around sunset.
Awesome. Amazing watching hundreds and thousands if bats emerge.
Worth coming out to see (and smell...). i recommend being on the grass between the bridge and the underpass. oh and getting there before sunset time!
Its fine. Just be prepared for the horrible smell if youre riding your bike over the bridge on a hot Houston day. So basically everyday. 4 stars, smells like cat piss.
Fantastic natural spectacle right in the middle of Houston
It was amazing!! What a wonderful display of natures beauty. Thousands of bats sprayed into the sky, and I, along with family to witness it. Well worth the experience
The bats are crazy brah...
That was an awesome experience!!
This was a nice Discovery as we were walking the trails. It smelled bad but of course thats to be expected with wild life. We didnt see any bats but we could hear them and see their homes. Mind you it was 1 in the afternoon so that was to be expected as well. Just be mindful if you have a small dog like mine that likes to roll around in poop to disguise her smell. I caught her before she got a chance to roll around in bat poo
Man this was so cool! If its your first time going make sure to Google when dusk is and get there early ! I think now (spring and summer) is the best time to see them and during the summer they have babies . Really love Buffalo Bayou
Unfortunately, it was too cold for the bats to fly the evening we went (of course it was!). But, I had fun reading the informational bat boards and listening to them chirp beneath the overpass. We hope to see them take flight on our next trip through Houston!
A cant miss Houston site. Take the time to spend a sunset here.
It was a good experience with the family. Definitely recommend that you visit at least once. There are a lot of young children there, so be prepared to have quite a bit of kids yelling and crying.
This is one of the coolest little gathering spots in Houston - and it happens every day at sunset. The Waugh bridge has the largest colony of Mexican Fruit Bats in North America living under it. Every evening at sunset, millions of bats fly out to feed in one of greatest shows in nature. Grab a snack or a beer and join the hundred or so onlookers that gather here every evening.
What a great experience to be able to watch this cloud of bats fly away from the underpass. Check out the fountain while youre there!
Amazing view really cool to watch
Imo not worth the hassles, parking is difficult and having to wait to really not see anything. All we got was the bad smell.
Have to fun fash though here because it gets a little smelly, but its fun in the evening.
This was such an impressive sight to see! It was so much better than the bat bridge in Austin. The bats pour out from under the bridge in droves! Predatory birds circle in the sky and grab a to-go dinner. Youll know you are in the right place because the smell is strong. Finding a place to park was difficult. We ended up parking near an adjacent park and walking back to the bridge.
Good place for kids
It was alright, hard to see, but we did see quite a few. It was interesting. We also had 3 crabby kids, so take this experience with a grain of salt.
I go visit these little babies every few months and they never stop to amaze me! There is always a crowd waiting for them to emerge. Nice hanging spot that will awaken the wonder.
Crazy thing to see, but very cool. Experienced this with a big full moon out
Very easy to find corner of Waugh and Allen Pkwy. Had to park across the street on shopping center. Bats started coming out close to 7 pm. It was a little difficult to see due to cloudy evening but it was still a nice experience for the family. Really liked and appreciated zoo employee giving talk about bats at platform. She is very nice and knowledgeable.
Awesome spot.You can go under the bridge and see the bat housing, a place specific for watching the bats leave at sunset. Informational signs on the bats.
Absolute waste of time.... we went on 10th October 2019, by 19:45pm there were NO Bats to be seen and it was pitch dark.... we could only smell the terrible stench of the bats. Please don’t waste your time doing this, like we did. Much more to see and do in Houston instead.
The bats come out around 8:15.. i advise you not to get on the bridge the dark water makes it hard to see them.
Bats didnt show up. Lol
Spectacular view! Fun to see all those other people ready for the same experience.....
Absolutely amazing