The Bat Tunnel & State Park

Not far from Fredericksburg, in the Texas Hill Country (off the old San Antonio Road) there is an old tunnel. It used to be part of the Fredericksburg and Northern Railway Co. (1913 to 1941). These days it is famous for about three million Mexican free-tailed bats and three thousand myotis bats, which live there and which emerge from the tunnel every evening.

When you come to the place, the first thing which you can see there is the view of the picturesque and beautiful landscape. If you arrive early in the morning or are simply lucky enough, and there are not too many people, you can also enjoy the quietness of the spot and the beautiful voices of the birds as well.

Tourists sitting on those benches can watch the bat emergence.

During a tour, you can also see (from a distance of course) the tunnel where the bats live.

The tunnel - where the bats sleep

I was amazed at the beauty and peacefulness of the Old Tunnel State Park. I loved its wilderness, the trees and other plants, simply nature.

If you are curious enough, you can find out more about the place and the bats - just stop and read...

Being city persons, we very much appreciated the prettiness and the calmness of the place.

Bearberry is very rare in Poland that is why..

... some plants were quite exotic to me.....

We enjoyed the visit to the park a lot!

There are also a few spots where you can sit and enjoy the view. We brought the binoculars with us, to be able to see what the human eye cannot spot, and fully admire the landscape and its elements.

 

The place is also a small bird sanctuary. We could see quite a lot of them there, especially around the feeder area. There were my favorite Cardinals and some other kinds of birds as well. Watching them was so pleasant!

Male Cardinals and their red suits are so lovely!

Although we did not see the bats (it was too early - they emerge in the evening), we loved our visit in the Old Tunnel State Park. When you happen to be in the Hill Country, I strongly recommend visiting the place too.

Learn more about the Old Tunnel State Park here.