Just because you’re on vacation in Austin doesn’t mean every day has to be a splurge. Whether you’re on a tight budget or just want to save for a few special activities, you’re in luck, because this destination is packed with fun things to do that are free or very inexpensive.
Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge
Congress Ave. & Barton Springs Rd.
While the Congress Avenue Bridge is always free to drive over or walk across—not a bad idea with its excellent views of Lady Bird Lake and the city skyline—it’s not so much about the bridge as it is when you go that makes this attraction special. A 1980 refurbishing inadvertently made the underside of the bridge a perfect home for migrating Mexican free-tailed bats. Now, each evening at dusk from mid-May to early October, more than a million bats emerge from beneath the bridge and take to the skies in search of insects. Head to the southeast corner of the bridge for the best view and signs with facts about the bats.