Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MAP
( 512-463-0605; 909 Navasota St; 8am-5pm daily, visitor center 8am-5pm Mon-Fri)
Revitalized in the
1990s, the state's official cemetery, Texas State Cemetery, is the final resting place of key
figures from Texan history. Interred here are luminaries including Stephen F Austin, Miri-
am 'Ma' Ferguson (the state's first female governor), writer James Michener and Lone
Star State flag designer Joanna Troutman, along with thousands of soldiers who died in
the Civil War, plus more than 100 leaders of the Republic of Texas who were exhumed
from other sites and reburied here. Self-guided-tour brochures are usually available from
the visitor center. The cemetery is just north of E 7th St.
THE SWARM
Looking very much like a special effect from a B movie, a funnel cloud of up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed
bats swarms from under the
Congress Avenue Bridge
(Congress Ave; Apr-Nov, around sunset, best viewings
in Aug) nightly from late March to early November. Turns out, Austin isn't just the live-music capital of the
world; it's also home to the largest urban bat population in North America.
Austinites have embraced the winged mammals - figuratively speaking, of course - and gather to watch the
bats' nightly exodus right around dusk as they leave for their evening meal. (Not to worry: they're looking for in-
sects, and they mostly stay out of your hair.)
There's lots of standing room around parking lots and on the bridge itself, but if you want a more leisurely bat-
watching experience, try the TGI Friday's restaurant by the Radisson Hotel on Lady Bird Lake, or the Lone Star
Riverboat or Capital Cruises for
bat-watching tours
.
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Greater Austin
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
( 512-232-0100;
www.wildflower.org
; 4801 La Crosse Ave; adult/child 5-12yr/student & senior $9/3/7, higher dur-
ing peak spring flowering; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun)
Anyone with an interest in Texas' flora
and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird
Johnson Wildflower Center, southwest of downtown Austin. The center, founded in 1982
with the assistance of Texas' beloved former first lady, has a display garden featuring
every type of wildflower and plant that grows in Texas, separated by geographical region,
with an emphasis on Hill Country flora. The best time to come is in the spring (especially
National Wildflower Week in May), but there's something in bloom all year.
GARDENS
