Sunset bat flights can be observed from the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin from March to October. Near Brackettville, Kickapoo Cavern State
Park has a network of caverns with one big enough for guided tours. Visitors also can camp in the 6,400-acre park, hike the trails and view bat fl ights from the Stuart Bat Cave. Feeling brave? Take the Longhorn Cavern
State Park’s 1.25-mile, off -trail “wild” cave tour, or check out one of the most beautiful show caves, the Caverns of Sonora. Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown is one
of the state’s most easily accessible show caves. ★
GONE BATTY In many of the caves, you’ll fi nd yourself in
the presence of sleeping bats. Texas is home to 31 of the 47 bat species found in the United States, and the Hill Country is where you will fi nd a majority of them, including the world’s largest known urban bat colony—an esti- mated 12.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats under the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. T ese bats migrate to Texas in February. From March to October, people from across the globe gather to watch the eve- ning exodus of these nocturnal creatures. Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area has a
vertical cavern that 1 to 4 million Mexican free-tailed bats call home. About a million PHOTOS: MICHAEL AMADOR/TXDOT (TOP); WILL VAN OVERBEEK/TXDOT (ABOVE)
in Austin, legendary venues like the Broken Spoke and Continental Club continue to serve a tasty dose of rockabilly, country, retro roots, swing, progressive country and alter- native rock. Experience a wide range of musical
genres—established and newly trending—as an international music population converges on Austin in March for the South by South- west Conferences and Festivals. For several days, the city yields its top gathering spots for non-stop shows (including free concerts), celebrity-hosted parties and heart-to-hearts about the business of music. In the fall, fans from across the globe, once
Glass-bottom boat tours are offered at The Meadows Center in San Marcos.
more can also be found in Kickapoo Cavern State Park near Bracketville. ★
MUSICAL LANDSCAPE Along with its natural beauty, you can
hear the Hill Country humming with music all year long. From the Live Music Capital
again, make their way to the Live Music Cap- ital to take in performers from gospel to rap and seasoned headliners to up-and-coming performers at the Austin City Limits Festival. T e two-weekend event is a spinoff of PBS’s longest running program, Austin City Lim- its, which was fi rst broadcast from the KLRU studios at the University of Austin in 1976. T e show continues to spotlight music perfor- mances from the Moody T eater on the aptly named Willie Nelson Boulevard. Near Austin in Driſt wood, music lovers
can appreciate Americana and roots music at the Old Settlers Festival, held outdoors each
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HILL COUNTR Y
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