Free Texas State Park Now Has Double The Austin Bats

Fredericksburg, Texas once upon a time in 1913 wanted to have a railway line to connect to the neighboring, and at that time the most populace city in Texas of San Antonio after it overtook Galveston following the 1900 hurricane that left around 25% of the city and island homeless.

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How did a railroad between Fredericksburg and San Antonio spawn a large bat colony?

There was already a rail service connecting San Antonio to Kerrville, but due to a large, imagine this in of all places Hill Country, hill between San Antonio and Fredericksburg was deemed to large to climb with the current railway technology of the time nobody would lay rail between the city and the Hill Country escape.

How did 3 million bats make their home in Fredericksburg?

Not to be denied access to the largest city in Texas, the people of Fredericksburg decided to dig their own tunnel through the hill, and started their own railroad to connect to San Antonio. The train rain for about 30 years before going belly up in the 1940s.

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Is it really free to visit this state park and view the large bat colony?

Old Tunnel State Park is open 7 days per week, and admission is always free with bats making their home there for breeding and feeding through the months of May until late October. It is ADA accessible, and unless you want to view the bats taking off each evening in a reserved area for $5, you can enjoy not just the bat cyclone, but also the trails and scenery of the beautiful area completely free.

The best time to see the approximately 3 million bats, which is double the 1.5 million under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, is August and September.