Feeling batty: Austin hosts second BatFest

[Wayne Harrison]

Austin, Texas has lots of attractions that bring throngs of visitors to the city each year: music concerts, great restaurants, high-profile sporting events and ... bats?

It's true. More than 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats roost underneath the Congress Avenue bridge from April to October every year, poised for their daily sunset exodus into the Austin night.

The nocturnal wonders make up the largest urban bat colony in North America and are one of Austin's most popular tourist attractions, drawing 100,000 onlookers throughout the year.

Austin BatFest, an event organized by Austin producer Roadway Events, celebrates the bats on Sept 2-3, along the Congress Avenue Bridge from Barton Springs Road to Cesar Chavez Street.

<a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2006/08/28/daily9.html">Full Story</a>