Bats in Round Rock

If you have ever driven IH-35 in Round Rock around dusk, you may have encountered this big cloud of flying objects – kinda reminiscent of the Smoke Monster from Lost (yes, I LOVED that show).  These are the bats of Round Rock.  They are mesmerizing and beautiful and I always get caught watching them and not the road.  I’m actually amazed that our cloud of bats doesn’t cause accidents, they are that distracting.

We have our own unique colony of bats that is just as fun to watch (maybe even better) than the famous bats of the Congress Ave. Bridge a few miles south of us.  In recent years, I always suggest watching our bats take flight over the hassles of going down to Austin.  In fact, the Round Rock Bats are quickly becoming a popular attraction for our city.

These Mexican Free-tailed bats can be seen from March – November, emerging at dusk from under the McNeil Overpass Bridge, to eat tons and tons of insects.  The bats stay out for a long time, making the trip to see them well worth it.  

Tips to see the Bats in Round Rock

• Best seen at dusk, March thru November
• Park in the Napa Auto Parts Store parking lot (I called to verify and the store would prefer that you come after business hours to park in their lot, which is 7 PM.)
• Bring blankets or chairs to sit on the lawn of the Napa Auto Parts (They are fine with that)
• Watch your little ones – it is still a busy intersection
• Don’t go under the underpass to see them – respect their “home” plus you’d be in traffic

New Spot to see the Bats in Round Rock

Recently, The Rooftop at URBAN opened in the building behind their popular restaurant, URBAN eat.drink and they are open for sunsets and bat watching! They are open Thursday – Sunday from 5PM-11PM and it is 21 and up, so this would be a fun night with friends or a date night.  The bat watching is a bonus.

We saw the bats emerge from under the McNeil Bridge when we visited The Rooftop at URBAN and this is our view: