The bats that fly out from under the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin are a popular visitor attraction, but San Antonio now has its own bat population large enough to show off along the San Antonio Riverwalk.
The Paseo del Rio Association, the San Antonio River Authority, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Bat Conservation International are hosting Bat Loco, an informative series of bat walks, now through mid-August to raise awareness of the importance of bats in our ecosystem.
The series started with an event two weeks ago consisting of an educational guided tour at the river level near the intersection of Camden and Newell Streets.
These interactive bat walks will start at the Travis Street Riverwalk entrance and run approximately 30-35 minutes along the banks of the San Antonio River. There will be three stops: The Lexington Bridge, the Lock & Dam and the Jones Street Bridge, and displays with bat information will be available at each location.
The walk culminates under the IH-35 bridge, where a colony of bats now lives and bats fly out each evening in search of insects for food.
The bat walks are scheduled for the Downtown Tuesdays on July 23, August 6 and August 13. On August 13, the last day of the family-friendly walks, the "Bat Loco" Festival will offer free educational tours, booths, live music and children’s activities focused on bat colonies.
