Austin is considered the "Gateway to the Hill Country," and with its beautiful rolling landscape, visitors and locals alike thrive on the outdoors. Three lakes surround the city, with Town Lake dividing downtown. About 10 miles of hike-and-bike trails border the lake and there’s plenty of sailing, fishing and swimming to go around. The Wild Basin Preserve, a 227-acre enclave, is just minutes from downtown, and Barton Springs, the famous 1,000 foot-long spring-fed pool — with a year-round water temperature of 68 degrees — is located within the 360-acre Zilker Park.
Each night from mid-March to November, America’s largest colony of bats emerge from under the Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food. This event has become one of the most spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in Texas. The most impressive bat flights are during hot, dry August nights, when multiple columns of bats emerge. There are several points from which to view the event, and an information kiosk is located on the north bank of the river, just east of the bridge. Although bats are generally not dangerous, a bat that has been captured may be sick and should not be handled.
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