Definitely a must see place whilst in Houston. Even many locals haven't 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. You'll 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!

Good to visit on sunset time to view during sunset. We didn't happen to watch bats during visit but was able to hear them. Have a nice walk

Absolutely unreal experience. There was a small crowd, so definitely get there early if you want good seating. Standing on the overpass also provides a good view once they begin takeoff if the small lawn is too crowded. Trying to find parking did almost give me an aneurysm, but once we found a spot walking through Buffalo Bayou was very nice and added to the overall experience.

I've seen the bats emerging twice, and it's an incredible site to see. There is nearby parking both east and west of the bridge, but be prepared to walk about half a mile down the sidewalks. There is a sidewalk up by the street and another down lower. You can view the bats from either sidewalk, but the upper sidewalk has a viewing platform and places to sit on the grassy slope. (note: you cannot easily move from the upper sidewalk to the lower one because of the slope and railings). The first time I was there, the bats emerged right before sunset, so it was very easy to see the cloud of bats that just kept emerging from beneath the bridge for about 10 minutes straight.it was incredible! The second time, we all waited and waited. The sun set, it grew dark. We were about to give up when the bats finally began to fly out. It was pretty dark by this point, so it was a lot harder to see the cloud of bats and not quite as thrilling as it was the first time. I have no idea why they emerged at different times. But, it was still very nice and relaxing to sit near the Bayou, watch the sunset under the bridge, and listed to the sounds of nature (and the sounds of traffic).

Exciting unique experience! Guaranteed to see bats! From 8pm to 10pm these bats are flying around close enough to see up close. The natural smell is strong under the highway bridge but not overpowering or gagging. This experience takes about 15-30min to observe with kids. There is a delicious pizzeria nearby down the street to enjoy dinner before/afterwards.

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 you're 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 haven't been once, you MUST see it! Below, I've included some pictures of my walk around the park nearby. That was a magical experience by itself.

Went here twice! There are signs that give a few facts about bats. You can walk around the Bayou a bit and explore if you arrive a bit earlier, which is also fun. There is a nice, grassy hill to sit down and talk while you wait. The first time was an amazing experience! There were lots of bats and they were very clear to see. The second time was also great, but the bats weren't as easy to see and they came out in smaller quantities. It can be hit or miss, but overall still a great experience worth trying! It is also free!

Tonight was my first time seeing the bat colony and it was also my niece's first time ever seeing wild bats. It was awesome and an amazing spectacular view. We came at twilight and it was stunning to see all the bats flying around and about freely. The bat poop smell is strong so I don't suggest going under the bridge. On the bright side, NO BUGS!

The wind picked up this evening when we went out, so the grand exit of the bats was not so stunning. It is an experience, though. Several people stopped to ask what was happening. The bat colony is known, but not ubiquitously. The places to watch the bats exit the bridge are along the bayou path, which is used by cyclists and runners, so when one goes to see this amazing sight, please do not block the path.

Parking was a little tricky. Watching them from the bridge was better than the platform. Definitely smell them before you get there. Very interesting to observe. There were several herons there trying to catch a bat for a meal but we never saw them have any success.

Beautiful Park, Wonderful dog park and just natures beauty, and of course the bat 🦇 colonies. Must visit - lots going on - runners, bike 🚴 riders and just nice place to go for a walk.

Great experience to be able to see the natural phenomena of hundreds of thousands of bats leaving their nesting area under the bridge and fly out into the night in search of insects to eat. Well worth checking out if you're interested in nature and bats.

It was amazing to see the bats emerge from the bridge. The started coming out around 7.40pm (about 30 min after sunset). It was hard to get good pictures but an amazing thing to witness.

Can't control the bats (your visit may vary) ... but we saw them on a great evening. We went on a warm weekday evening in Feb, no problem finding a spot on the grass just next to the bridge. Hundreds upon hundreds flew out just after dusk, everyone got good photos and videos. Could even walk under the bridge and see them flying into and out of their homes. Definitely a sight to see.

This place was on our bucket list of to do's and We DID!! REALLY AMAZING it was around 8ish when all the bats came out. It was like a wave for at least 10 minutes straight of thousands of bats. Really cool we dont have to come back .. lol .. But glad WE DID IT!! 😊

finally saw the bats 🦇 yesterday. it was pretty cool, to read about bats and see them flying away as a large group. the bats came out right about 8pm ish and lasted for about 5-10min. i think if you are coming here for bats, you might as well checkout the bayou. i didn't have to worry about parking but parking can be crazy during both weekends or weekdays. below photo isn't the best, i recommend you taking a video. i took a video as well but it wont let me post here?..

Lots of bats to see. It's well taken care of and has low lights for the night time viewing of the bats emerging. Take a long walk at the beautiful Buffalo Bayou Park.

It's a beautiful walk along the river and I did see bats but it's almost impossible to find parking . Also no bathrooms. There is a center a ways past the bridge but it was not open

This place was so great! Nice thing to do that's outside the norm. Parking was easy. There were not a ton of people there. They had a couple of people telling us about the bats and scared all of our questions. The street lights made it a little tough to see them since they came out late, but you could still see them. I want to go there again next time I'm visiting Houston!

Always a fun spot to enjoy the sunset and watch the bats! We park down at Lost Lake visitor center and then a short stroll along the sidewalk on the bayou takes you to the bridge where the bats hang out. You can walk under the bridge and smell the very pungent smell from them or walk along the upper sidewalk across the street and walk down the hillside where you can sit. We brought a blanket but others just enjoyed sitting on the grass. Others had their dogs with them or were very prepared with folding chairs and picnics. Just at sunset you'll see the bats start whirling around under the bridge and then they go pouring out along the bayou in clouds of bats. It's so cool!

Really cool experience. Some reviews say the bats fly out 30 minutes before sunset. That’s not what I experienced. They can out as it was getting quite dark. I certainly recommend a visit.

Not many bats out when we went, but I'm sure it had to do with the recent temperature change. It was still a fun evening with the family.

They do their job and keep the park clean of critters but they stink! The whole place stinks! Don’t look up when walking under their home! These little rascals defecate hanging upside down! It is quite a skill as my buddies and and I attempted this feat and were unsuccessful.

Bats are cool better to stand on the bridge

Definitely something to check out if you're visiting Houston (or if you live in Houston). Since the bats live here permanently, you can come pretty much any day in around dusk and wait for them to fly out from under the bridge. If you're lucky, you will see them when it's still pretty bright out. You can still see them when it's getting dark, but obviously it's not going to be as cool. There's plenty of parking along the park on Allen Parkway. Just come early if you're worried about parking and you can walk around the park while you wait for dusk, or you can just hang out by the bridge.

I specifically planned an evening with my Fiancée with the Colony as the focus since she loves animals. Unfortunately, the bat leader overslept and must have left his alarm on silent because they took forever to come out after sunset. When they finally came out they continued doing so for over half an hour. It was an awesome sight to see.

Went to see the bats, free parking, the park is very long and you’ll see a lot of people on their bikes or running ,has some spots to sit down and have a picnic and recommend bringing something to sit on, the bats came out about 8:30-9pm and the best place to see them is where the signs are , sometimes they come out in different sides of the bridge so keep that in mind, but overall an awesome experience at night seeing the bats

Even though my experience didn’t live up to my expectations, I’m not gonna rate it anything lower than 4 starts, it’s nature, can’t complain. Got there 30 min before the sunset, but bats didn’t come out until maybe an hour after I got there (it was already dark, around 8pm). Never saw them flying all together, it was more like in small groups. You could definitely see them and hear them under the bridge (smell them too lol). So I guess that day just didn’t work out for bats, and most of the people waiting for them left early or disappointed. If you go there, just be prepared to wait and don’t get your hopes up. If you see them - great, if you don’t, well, enjoy the sunset.

Get ready in advance for the smell. We left early to make sure we were in place at sunset. I watched from the sidewalk under the bridge while my wife and friends watched from the dedicated spot. They were afraid they may get pooped on, lol. Also, I watched an Otter and a neat looking bird i haven't identified in the bayou. Good thing to do for free.