Capital Cruises - Austin, Texas

Jennifer H.

Our bat tour was amazing! We saw sooo many bats. The tour guide Captain Beck, aka Beck on Deck, did a great job of answering everyone's questions and providing a humorous tone to our ride. He was knowledgeable and friendly. The check in process was very easy and after check in we were allowed to leave the boat to buy drinks or snacks nearby before departure. We departed on time and arrived back in a timely matter too. I would recommend Capitol Cruises to anyone! Side note: the guides accept topping at the end of the tour of you feel inclined and they accept cash or Venmo.

Marlin &. A. C.

Beck was funny and full of inspire and history. He seems to know a lot about the birds as well. It was a lot of fun and laughs! We loved it and will tell you that it is well worth it! The bats were amazing and we were lucky enough to get to see thousands of them!

Alexandra K.

Our wonderful server at Verbena recommended this company to is for viewing the urban bats. We were very happy! They got us on the trip after waiting standby. Carson did a great job driving, narrating, telling jokes, and holding the red light so we could see the bats leaving en mass. Those was a fun and unique yet tame adventure. What a wonderful experience!

Katie M.

Great experience and would recommend doing the Bat boat tour to anyone (OG or implant) in Austin who hasn’t done this before. The captain was very informative on the landmarks surrounding as well as the bats themselves and it was fun! We got quite the show from the bats taking flight, to a beautiful young lady posing for pictures, to some crazy dude jumping off the maintenance station, and it was awesome!! Bring a jacket as it does get chilly on the water and bring some cash to tip the captain’s as they do try to give everyone a great experience.

Amber L.

Capital Cruises offers fun and engaging activities along Lady Bird Lake that elevate any trip to Austin. We have gone on bat tours, swan boats, and kayaks all through Capitol Cruises and the service has always been good, well priced, and thorough. The bat cruise was fantastic with a short tour of Lady Bird Lake and history lesson included. The bats are typically very hard to see from land but with the red lights on the boats they were much more visible. The swan boats were fun although very difficult to row as you use foot pedals and it gets tiring. Lastly, the kayaks were clean and the process of getting into them seamless, we also liked that they offered lockers to store belongings in. Summarily, Capitol Cruises offers many fun and unique aquatic activities that are sure to make your time on the lake fun, we highly recommend them!

Kyleha E.

The bat tour was so fun! It was beautiful to see all the bats fly out! Captain Chase was an awesome cruise director! 10/10 would recommend and do again! Must see when you’re visiting Austin!

Dileep B.

It was nice, more than one hour on calm water front. Guide was taking us through history of the places. Stopped to watch bats even after the trip time was over. Value for money

Michael H.

Visiting from NJ and this was a "must do" from several friends and family members.

Without a doubt, the best $15 you can spend in Austin. The cruise ran close to 90 minutes and Captain Gabe provided lots of history and stories of the area. Very informative!

The night time skyline views are amazing and watching the bats leave their nests was certainly a unique experience.

Highly recommend to anyone visiting the area.

Quick tip: if you get here early, we found free street parking right in front of the Hyatt (parking is free on Sundays) and walked over to the Yeti Flagship store on the corner and enjoyed several cocktails at the bar. You can order a drink/beer and wander the store while shopping.