Lone Star Riverboat

An Unforgettable Family Experience on the Lone Star Riverboat! Our family recently enjoyed a truly fantastic time aboard the Lone Star Riverboat, and we can't recommend it enough! From start to finish, it was an engaging and memorable experience that offered so much more than just a boat ride. The tour provided fascinating insights into the buildings lining Lady Bird Lake, giving us a new appreciation for Austin's architecture and history. As the sun began to set, we were treated to a truly breathtaking display – one of the most beautiful sunsets we've ever seen, painting the sky with incredible colors. Of course, a highlight was witnessing the spectacular emergence of the bats from under the Congress Avenue Bridge. It's an iconic Austin experience, and seeing it from the unique vantage point of the river was absolutely magical. What truly elevated the experience were the knowledgeable guides. They shared a wealth of fun facts about the city, and we learned so much about the incredible bats that migrate all the way from Mexico to Austin, including their vital role in the city's ecosystem. Their commentary was engaging and made the entire tour feel both educational and entertaining. If you're looking for a unique and enjoyable way to experience Austin with your family, complete with stunning views, fascinating history, and an unforgettable natural phenomenon, the Lone Star Riverboat is an absolute must-do! We had a great time and made some wonderful family memories.

Highly recommend. Natalie was our tour guide on the Northern Star pontoon and she was terrific. Melissa greeted us, checked us in, and was the tour guide for the Southern Star pontoon; she was great as well. We sat in the front row and could hear all of Natalie's facts, tips, history, and information. That plastic lawn chairs were tolerable. The boat ride was lovely, the information was interesting, our guide was engaging, and the bats . . . The bats were AWESOME! The four of us completely enjoyed ourselves and would do this tour again.

Taking the riverboat cruise to see the bats was one of our favorite experiences while visiting Austin! Captain Robert was kind and seemed very passionate about his job. We appreciated his knowledge about the city and his dad jokes. This was a great way to get a good view of the city as well. I highly recommend taking this tour!

Excellent experience with Hans solo our captain on the Little Star. Awesome view of the Austin skyline, sunset and especially the Mexican free tail 🦇 bats! Totally worth it bring cash tips or they do also accept Venmo. Very affordable price 🤑. Just book it in advance.

Highly recommend the Lone Star Riverboat for bat viewing in Austin! We had Han Solo as our captain on the smallest boat (the Little Star), and it was a great experience. Han Solo was funny and knowledgeable about the bats and being in the smallest boat of the four allowed us to squeeze in with all the kayakers and get a nice spot near the bridge. Very affordable, and you also get a little city tour on the water as the sun sets, which is a neat bonus!

The weather was so perfect the day we decided to take the cruise/tour, that we're so glad we did. Our Captain/Guide was witty and informative. She gave us great tips on where to shop, which watering holes that are worth the visit, and locations of where one can find amazing tacos or Tex-Mex. We took the afternoon tour, but I wouldn't mind coming back in the evening to see how beautiful the city looks during the sunset hours. Definitely worth your time and I highly recommend Lone Star Riverboat Cruises to anyone visiting from out of town.

Inexpensive and totally worth it! Tour guide and captain we’re both great, extremely knowledgeable about this city. My kids (6 & 3)both enjoyed it! Top deck is beautiful and downstairs has air-conditioning if you need a break from the sun. We’ll do this again next spring!

Arrive very early so you can find parking, the free parking lot by the dock is small and fills up quick. The price is cheap so it’s understandable why there are cheap plastic chairs for us to sit in. Our tour guide was amazing. Don’t remember her name but she said she was moving to Africa soon. She was so knowledgeable, funny, even her not funny jokes were funny…. If you know what I mean. She let us enjoy the view of the bats for a good while and she even took us further out rather than just doing circles around the same spot like I saw the other boats do. Our tour guide alone deserves FIVE stars. The experience once out on the water was also a FIVE star. Loved hearing about the city of Austin. It’s only a three star because you get what you pay for. Seats were cheap, waiting to leave was kind of chaotic.

Good city information. If you can get past the bad jokes. Hahaha. Good family or date night activity

I finally did the LoneStar Riverboat tour on Lady Bird Lake, and I can't believe it took me this long as a local! Watching the bats emerge at sunset was an awesome experience, and honestly, the boat ride itself is worth it just for the views of Austin at that time of day. The sunset was spectacular. The whole experience feels relaxed and welcoming, and the staff makes it easy and enjoyable. The price is very reasonable, especially for such a unique perspective on the city. A great bonus is that you can bring your own drinks, which I'd definitely recommend to make the evening even more fun. Whether you're visiting Austin or you live here and just haven't gotten around to it, this is one of those "must-do" experiences.

Amazing tour -- appreciated the architecture insights alongside all the information about Austin and of course the bats! It was like many tours in one and we would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Austin. We saw so many bat and learned a lot on this tour. Also great that the captain took the time to answer our questions. He was a wealth of knowledge -- Thanks Captain Robert! They drive slow enough that this tour should be fine even for those who get motion sickness. If you are weary of bat droppings, be sure to wear a hat and some glasses and/or bring a light towel or long sleeved clothing to cover your arms/legs. Would do this tour again if ever we visited again. Also, their tours are very affordable.

Great crew, very funny and entertaining. Everyone is very friendly. The bats are amazing!! Would recommend to anyone visiting Austin or locals who have never been. Great time for the whole family!!

We had a good time. The "trip" is not long nor does it go far, but you get a great view of the city and we definitely saw the bats well. Our tour guide was a young lady and she did a great job of telling us about the buildings, the lake, and the bats. One thing I was not thrilled with, my friend fell while boarding because the ramp slid off the boat. We thought she would fall into the lake but she didn't. The lady from this business told us that they knew the ramp was "doing that" and they pushed it to the side. Well if you k ew that... Anyway, we enjoyed the evening and she was fine so. Ok.

For $12 per person you really can't beat the price for this tour. You get a little tour of the Austin skyline at sunset which is pretty neat and then continue waiting until the bats decide they want to come out. I must say, it wasn't the experience we thought we were going to have with the bats. From photos we have seen, we thought they would come out as a group and fly away, however, they stay super close to the bridge and you can only see them when the captain shines a red light on them. I looked up the price for the kayaks and they paid about $60 a person, so I would choose this tour any day for the price.

Really fun and educational. Learned so much about bats and Austin. Felt like a tourist in my town. Beautiful sunset. Highly recommend.

We had an absolute blast with this little tour. We got up close and personal to get a good view of the bats. Our captain was humorous and knowledgeable. He really made the trip interesting and fun. This was worth every penny!!

So much value for the price point! I've done several boat tours all over the country, and I was impressed how knowledgeable and upbeat our tour leader Maverick Staub was. For my husband and I, admission was less than $30 for the bat watching sunset boat ride. For me the tour leader's knowledge and enthusiasm with leading the tour was well worth it. No restroom on the boat just seats for views and that's it, but it went a little over an hour.

Our tour guide was awesome. She was joking with us and very nice to the kids. I don't use the Venmo app or carry cash, it would be nice if they took tips with other apps as well. I hate I didn't get to leave them a tip because they deserved it. Both captain and she were great.

My experience was very mediocre. Let's start with the information provided prior to our scheduled tour. I was happy that they gave several parking options, however, as tourists from out of town we did not know the lay of the land. The first and free option was to park at Vic Mathias Shores. I didn't review the map fully, as they suggested, so it was my own fault that we parked at the complete opposite side of the park requiring us to walk 15 minutes to the dock. (Just a warning to others NOT to do this.) We made it to the dock with time to spare and check-in was seamless. All we had to do was give our names. There were 4 boats to choose from: one double-decker with tables and chairs, two medium-sized boats with just chairs and one smaller boat with just chairs. We chose one of the mid-sized boats, but later wished that we'd chosen the double-decker because of the tables. You are allowed to bring drinks onboard, but the seating was very cramped. It would have been nice to have a table. Some of the staff were loud and rowdy prior to departure. I listened as they made snide remarks about the customers not listening and not signing the waiver, as instructed. When we checked in, we were told to choose a boat and find a seat. I first heard mention of the waiver AFTER we had already boarded and gotten ourselves comfortable. We did not make any extra effort to get off and sign the waiver, so if that is important to them, they might want to streamline that process to ensure they get all of the required signatures. The captain of the double-decker boat gave a safety speech, but it sounded like he was speaking to just the passengers of his boat. I listened but expected our captain to give a speech too. He did not. I have no clue where our life vests were, but we were told that the water was fairly shallow, and we could probably stand and walk out of the lake in an emergency situation. The boat ride itself was peaceful, leisurely and informative. AND due to the presence of the bat colony, there were little to no insects bothering us while on the water. The biggest disappointment came when the bats didn't emerge within the allotted timeframe and our captain took a vote asking who wanted to stay out longer or return to the dock. I'm almost certain that those seated in front of me did not even hear what he said. I think HE was ready to go home! We saw very few "scout" bats. They come out to check the scenery before letting the colony know that it is safe to emerge. We did not make it to that point because our captain took us back to the dock. If I were to do this again, I would rent a kayak or duck boat and take it out ourselves so that we're in control of when we go in or give up for the night, but for $14 per person, this wasn't too bad.

We had a great time it was a beautiful night and Reagan was a great tour director. I will ask for her when I do the tour again with my boyfriend in June

I did this boat tour with two friends who live in Austin last May. Unfortunately this night the bats did not fly as anticipated which was disappointing but not at all the fault of the tour company! We can't control nature. Fortunately, the guides did a great job of keeping us informed and entertained while we waited to see the bats. Overall it was a good time and I can't knock any stars off for what the company can't control.

We stayed at Austin and made it a priority to see the bats on our last night here. We decided to book the cruise to view them from the water and I am so glad we did. It was about 15 bucks each and we got to bring our own drinks and snacks. Our captain zipped us up and down the lake to point out some landmarks. Then posted it up underneath the bridge at the best site. She came equipped with red lights to light up the underside of the bridge without disturbing the bat's behavior. She had tons of color commentary and cheesy jokes. I would definitely recommend this short trip for anyone who wants to see the bats up close.

While planning my trip and short stay in Austin, I began searching for activities and experiences. I came across Lone Star Riverboat. This company provides scenic river tours in the daytime and a moonlight cruise (on Fridays only). They also offer a sunset cruise to see the famous Mexican Free-Tailed Bats of Austin. Annually, approximately 750,000 pregnant mothers migrate to Austin and roost under the Congress Ave. Bridge until they give birth then return to Mexico for the winter. Each night, these bats can be seen leaving the bridge for the night to feed. Those interested in watching this activity can do so on or off water. I chose to book a trip with Lone Star Riverboat. We had an entertaining Captain who provided information about the City of Austin and some of it's architectural buildings but also was very informative about the bats. He kept us entertained with occasional quips and jokes during the tour. He placed the boat in an ideal location for us to witness the bats as they left to fly out for the night to feed. This was a super cool experience and witnessing this phenomenon from the water is the best way to do it. Thank you Captain Han Solo and Lone Star Riverboat for the wonderful and memorable experience!

I really enjoyed the tour. Everyone should go if they venture to Austin!! It is very informative, and a sight to witness! You will leave the tour with so much more knowledge than you had prior to stepping on that boat!!! I promise you!!!!

Great folks, punctual, and fabulous tour!!! This was our second time and we will definitely plan a third!!!

Overall: 7/10 Guide: 10/10 Boat: 5/10 Value: 7/10 Fun to be out on the water and seeing the city skyline. We did the Congress Bridge Bat Tour which I highly recommend is the best way to see the bats. From that standpoint it was amazing. We got a "good" bat night which was fun to watch. The guide was playful, knowledgeable and a joy overall. The boats are fine, they're just very used and nothing special. The boat didn't sink so that's really all we can come to expect I suppose. The bat tour is great, highly recommend.

Our Captain, Robert, was very knowledgeable, with a great sense of humour. He really made the trip enjoyable, educational, and fun all at once. If there were five stars in the rating scale, i'd give six!

The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. Reagan was our guide and she was funny and entertaining. The boat ride is nice and slow, making it very relaxing. Seeing the bats fly out was exciting. We were able to be center stage for the bats flying out and for the price (very reasonable & cheap) it's definitely worth it! We'll be doing this again next time we're in Austin!

Highly recommend. Natalie was our tour guide on the Northern Star pontoon and she was terrific. Melissa greeted us, checked us in, and was the tour guide for the Southern Star pontoon; she was great as well. We sat in the front row and could hear all of Natalie's facts, tips, history, and information. That plastic lawn chairs were tolerable. The boat ride was lovely, the information was interesting, our guide was engaging, and the bats . . . The bats were AWESOME! The four of us completely enjoyed ourselves and would do this tour again.

Great experience! Tour started on time the tour guide was very funny as she explained Austin skyscrapers

We had visitors from California and all of us thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Our Captain/Guide Natalie was sensational. Very funny and informative.

Amazing experience!! Would recommend everyone do this at least once! Great value for the experience! Well worth it!

We did the bat tour and it was fantastic. Loved the history about the area. As the sunset the buildings lit up snd it was beautiful. Our Captain was very knowledgeable about the bats. He was friendly and enthusiastic. Seeing the bats this way was so much better than from the bridge. Fantastic experience.

Had a great tour! They took us around Lady Bird Lake for a while and the Capitan talked about different downtown buildings. Once it was dark we got to see the bats coming out of the bridge from a great spot.

We enjoyed our excursion here. We had not seen Austin's famous bat colony before, and this is a nice way to do it. It's BYOB if your want to bring a beer cooler. But it's a family friendly event, not a party boat, so keep that in mind, too. They made bottled water, Sprite and Coke available for $3 each. They start boarding 45 minutes before they depart. Show up early to sit together if you're a larger party. We spent two hours on the boat, in total, as we arrived just as they opened the doors to start boarding (we were in the boat from 7:30 to 9:30 but on the actual tour from 8:20 to 9:20). You sit in a plastic chair on the deck. We weren't pooped on, but that can happen, so be prepared for that. Maybe bring wet wipes just in case? But it didn't seem to be a problem for anyone on our trip. Bats are not 100% predictable. They don't do the exact same thing at the exact same time every evening. They're small and you won't see them up close. But there were 750,000 of them there when we visited and they definitely started swarming. Pretty cool. The video I took came out pretty good but I didn't get a good photograph of the bats. I tried, but the 2.5x optical zoom in my iPhone wasn't quite enough for a photo but somehow did pretty well in the video. The reason is (and you can probably configure this), shutter speed slows when it's darker, and with a longer exposure, you won't capture anything that's moving. The boat captain is entertaining and informative, and you'll learn a few things about Austin, which we enjoyed. The pictures I took that came out well were of the Austin skyline. You may not feel a need to do this again after you've done it once. But it's not a bad way to spend a couple of hours and the price is right :-)

Excellent riverboat experience and we enjoyed very much. The guiding tour is very good and appreciated

Directions on the website were clear and accurate. Reservations were super easy to make. Prices were super reasonable. The tour guide was personable, informative, funny and smart. We saw lots of bats! I've lived in Austin for 7 years and this was my first time on the boat. Much better than going to watch from the bridge.

We had a great time on our bat tour! Our tour guide was funny and insightful! The bats were awesome to witness! My mom was visiting from out of town and this was the highlight of her trip. Thank you guys for an amazing evening.

Lone Star Riverboat Cruises was mostly a good experience. It was a company funded outing in the evening after Day 1 of our sales meeting (Sure was a nice looong walk to there from the Austin Hilton...but as they say "Everything is bigger in Texas!") LOL! The food was pretty good - Chicken and Beef Burritos wraps with rice and the bar was pretty well stocked considering the somewhat small size of the boat. The bartender was cool as well. The bat tour under the bridge was pretty cool....outside of a Batman movie, I've never seen such a large swarm! They kinda circled from the bottom of the bridge over the top where people were walking across! No one on the bridge ran or freaked out...guess they're used to it? LOL!!! The only thing I really didn't care for was narrow and steep steps to go up and down to and from the Lower and Upper Levels. Definitely advise to hold the railings with BOTH hands while ascending or descending the stairs and walk slowly!

We saw so many bats! Speaker gave lots of information on the area. Nice trip overall for a decent price.

Love the commentary about the history of the buildings along the Colorado and the information about the bats.

Was visiting Austin and wanted to have a nice boat cruise. I was super sad that I booked this boat a week after the bats were supposed to leave (apparently Austin tourist spot is watching bats at night). BUT to my surprise I was able to still see the bats, albeit it being November and a lot of them migrating. But now to the experience. The booking was super simple, about $13 per person. I showed up early and got a nice spot. The boat is BYOB so bring a drink or a snack. The tour lasts an hour and we got to see a lot of different buildings, the nearby park, and the bridge with the bats. The captain, Melissa, was super corny and it was so silly and hilarious . Definitely would recommend to anyone coming here

Informative boat captain who kept us laughing and learning the whole way. Seating is hard plastic chairs, so if you can't sit in a hard chair for very long, not ideal, but my family enjoyed the ride.

This is my 4th river boat tour and I swear it gets better every time. We had Natalie as our guide and we had THE BEST time!!!!! She made it so much fun and gave a lot of back stories. We did the bat tour and it is always so so neat to witness. 10/10 would recommend!

Fun little cruise on Ladybird Lake. Our captain was humorous and entertaining, and shared a lot of interesting facts about the area and unique buildings in downtown Austin. The bats did come out and the best view is from down on the water. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience! We are locals that wanted to celebrate my son's HS graduation night in a special way. This was one of the coolest outings we've had around town. Our tour guide was entertaining and thoughtful and even got us to cover from the rain shower that decided to hit just as we got started. We saw some great bats, our beautiful Austin skyline as a backdrop and learned some cool facts about our buildings and the cool bats! We already have plans to book another trip over the summer!

Our tour guide Stephanie was informative and hilarious! Also got a great view of the skyline and the bats at sunset.

Captain Mike did a great job explaining not only the Congress Avenue bridge bat life, but some of the local culture and city history as well

We had such a blast on the sunset/bat tour! Best $13 I have ever spent. We took some family that were in town and learned so much about the city of Austin and the bats! There is free 2 hour parking nearby the boat so easy parking was enjoyable. After checking in, we were just waiting on the boat in the shade while other people arrived. It's BYOB so we brought a small cooler and enjoyed some cold drinks before and during the tour. I've watched the bats during different times of the year but going in June/July was incredible. They fly out while the sun is still out and they were so amazing to see! The view from the water is something I'll remember forever. Our guide, Sharon, was super great! She had great fun facts. stories and jokes that kept us beyond entertained. It was such a great way to get to know the city more and a really beautiful tour. 10/10 highly recommend experiencing this tour!

This tour was awesome! And the staff were so helpful and kind. I brought my 3 year old son who is autistic so I didn't know how he would do. He ended up loving it! Staff allowed us to board early and get familiar with the surroundings which made it go a lot more smoothly for us. The bats were amazing as well as learning a little more about the city. All around a fantastic experience.

Cheesy, yet fun. They cram you all on a pontoon. The only negative is we sat on hard plastic porch chairs for over an hour- that's a lot for us old people, lol. No bathrooms on the boat, so make sure you go beforehand and don't drink anything on the boat. The restrooms are gross, so go to the hotel lobby - turn right, and there are some restrooms there. Just walk in like you're staying there and no one will question you. We were on the boat about 2 hours. The bats didn't come out right away, so we waited a while. It was fun to see them though. Our guide was informative and funny. We learned a lot about Austin. For the price, you can't beat it. Oh and view of the skyline is breathtaking. Especially when the sun is setting.

Very good! Garrett was nice. Stood up for us against those who did not pay for the bat tour. Made experience great.. magical even! 5 out of 5 stars!

Great trip. Very informative. Beautiful skyline. You need to be patient. The bats come out when they are ready.

Captain Sharon did an amazing job finding us some grade A bat sightings. She had some wonderful bat facts that she shared with us. She also gave us the skyline tour while we waited for the bats to emerge.

Our tour guide Garrett was awesome! Very knowledgeable about Austin and the bats. Was so cool to see the bats from the water. I couldn't believe how many bats we saw. I am so glad we saw them from the water. I can see how if you are watching from bridge it would be hard to see them. But from the water it was awesome! Definitely recommend this tour.

Everything was fine with the bat/city tour part, but she makes some obviously "political" statements on the tour about Conservatives/Ted Cruz. (avoid if you're conservative leaning) Kind of silly that a river boat tour needs to do this and can't stay apolitical ::eye roll::

What a delightful experience, on the bat/sunset cruise. I will start by saying we and other customers felt a little deceived, as this tour is promoted often with photos on their double decker boat. That boat is only for private hires, so you're on a small one floor boat. Also they place chairs very close together so it does feel a bit tight. As far as the experience goes, it was great. You need to arrive 45 mins prior to departing because a. there's not much parking in the area and b. The seats fill up so if you want to be seated together get there first. We found 45 mins was just in time for us, as people were already lined up ahead. Pour guide/captain was very knowledgeable and had some fun things to say to keep us entertained. You get to see the sunset, skyline, and bats. The only part I didn't enjoy was when we went into an area with a lot of small flies.