Summer in Austin, Texas

Well as you all know it is summer in Austin, Texas and it is really about to start feeling like it too. This week we will start getting into triple digit temperatures. So what does that mean? Well, it means that it is time to seek shade and cool off. Remember that hydration is very important in this kind of weather and shouldn’t be taken lightly. So next time you pick up that cup of coffee, tea or soda remember to have some water too. If you are ever out and start to feel dizzy or realize that you are not sweating, while we think that is a good thing, it is actually a way your body is warning you that you are dehydrated, grab a seat in the shade, take off your shoes, get some water and even a nuun if you have one. I love nuun they are like a pill form of Gatorade without all the sugar, you just pop one in  a bottle of water and it can help you hydrate faster than water alone. 

Summers in Texas also means Summer fun! We all think about hitting our favorite swimming holes and watermarks, but did you think about a Segway tour? Probably not, it doesn’t sound like as much fun in the sun. Well, our guides are experienced and know this city very well and know how to find the shade. We also offer a 2 hour Early Bird Special for those of you who want to go on tour before the heat sets in for the day. You can book any of our Segway Tours online here or by calling 512-495-9250. If you want to go in the late afternoon we offer a Bat City Bridge Tour at 6:30 pm when the weather is cooling down again. Check out all of our Segway Tours here.

Well, now matter how you choose to spend summer in Texas I hope it is a fun one and you do at least one Segway tour, even if you’re a local you will learn something new and have a great time.

 

Affordable housing is a reality!

Have you ever wanted to own a home of your own? Sure we all do, but with the housing market turning again and prices going back up it can be rather costly. We just purchased our first home and it was a long and daunting process. The qualifications and paperwork needed were overwhelming. The home buying process has changed over the last few years and if you don’t have your downpayment in your savings account before you start the process you better have a rich family member who is willing to give, yes I said give not lend, you the money needed for the downpayment and closing cost. Now we live in the real world and although our economy is seeming to get stronger again, it has been a long time since it has been good and money for most of us is tight still. But, what if I told you that you can own a brand-new, custom built 30 year home for under 60k, would you believe me? Ok, stop laughing, I’m not typing this from the mental institution I promise. It is true and I’ll tell you how, no scam, no catch, just reality.

You’re still here, good. So let me tell you all about the small home movement. We live in a time of overindulgence and excess, but where does that get us? The answer to that is simple…. debt! The American dream used to be to get married, have a couple of children, own a home, own a car and have a job that could provide us with the afforementioned things. Our grandparents did it, some of our parents did it, but somewhere along the line our path twisted now we make payments on cars that are overpriced and as soon as they are paid off we are ready to trade them in, we work jobs that we may not be happy with and sometimes we have to work two jobs just to make the payment on a huge house that we hardly spend time in because we have to work that second job to make the mortgage payment, home owners insurance and property tax payments. While I cannot change the auto industry and the fact that they just don’t make cars like they used to, I can give you an option to buy a brand-new home and have it paid off a lot sooner than a traditional loan and even smaller payments each month. Still interested? I would like to invite you to explore the small home movement that is sweeping the nation.

So when most people think “small home” they think RV or mobile home, well thats just not true anymore. Small homes are being built and sold everyday that are classified as 30 year homes, that is the average life of a traditional real estate loan, and being paid off in far less time. These homes can be “mobile” or you can put them on the ground, but I promise once you’re inside they won’t feel like a RV or mobile home. They are roomy, spacious, with full sized appliances, some even have stairs leading to a loft.

These houses make  great houses for first time home buyers, small families, guests houses and can even be converted into offices! The possibilities are endless!

I would like to invite you to check them out, you can go to www.buyasmallhouse.com and find out more or if you want to step inside and understand what it really fells like to be in a small house come over to 60 East Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701 and take a tour with us.

I hope to see you all very soon and explore with you the dream of owning a home without the 30 years of debt!

 

Happy Texas Independence Day!

Hello to all you proud Texans, transplants and those who have spent any time here. I myself am not a native Texas, I was born in Virginia but was brought here by my native Texas mother at a very young age, so I like to say I wasn’t born here but got here as fast as I could. Throughout my life I have had the opportunity to move and only once did I leave and that was for a whole three months and then I ran back home to Texas! My daughter however I am very proud to say is a Native Texan born and raised in the Lone Star State! 

Today marks the 178th anniversary of the adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence, which happened on March 2, 1836. This important document was signed by 59 people, who were settlers in Mexican Texas officially broke from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas.

This is a day that Texans are very proud of it wasn’t until later that Texas became a part of the United States and over the years there has been talk about breaking from the US and becoming our own entity again. If it will ever happen we shall just have to wait to see. Either way I love Texas and don’t want to leave! I have always loved working for a company who give the best historic Segway tours of downtown Austin, Texas, where I can give wonderful information about not only Austin but all of Texas as well! 

What about you? Are you a native Texan, transplant or have you visited or thinking of coming here? Leave us a comment and let us know. 

Happy International World Peace Day!

Happy International World Peace Day!

Today is International Peace Day. This is a day created and sponsored by the United Nations, it is a day for us to seek peace and the end of war. Every year on September 21st hundreds of countries around the world gather with the common goal of ending violence and war. Wouldn’t it be nice if one day we succeeded in the spread of peace throughout the world. A chance for us to keep our loved ones home with us and to know that when we traveled the world it would be a safer place.

Well Mr. Lennon I too am a dreamer and “Imagine” with you. Please remember today to make a little bit of peace around you. Instead of looking down at someone share a smile – Peace begins with a smile -Mother Teresa. Instead of yelling at the car in front of you, take a deep breath and send some positive energies out into the world. If we all do our part we can make a change.

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. – Maya Angelou

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding. = Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mayflower Day

I’m sure we have all heard the saying “April showers bring Mayflowers”, but did you know that September 16th is Mayflower Day? The Mayflower set sail on September 16, 1620, carrying 102 men, women and children from Plymouth, England. They set out for the New World to seek religious freedom in an environment where they could continue using their native language, culture and customs. It took them 66 days to complete their voyage to a settlement in Virginia to which they had an agreement to settle at. They arrived at Plymouth Rock on December 21, 1621. This is why on September 16th every year we have Mayflower Day to commemorate those early and brave settlers, who were the very first immigrants and helped pave the way for the millions more to come, in search of freedom, dreams and promises the “New World” holds. 

For more information on the mayflower visit http://mayflowerhistory.com

 

A few years ago I also watched a series on PBS that was very interesting call Colonial House. This was a historical reenactment reality show depicting the daily life and struggles that people of that era would have encountered coming to the new world.

 

For more information on the series and project visit http://www.pbs.org/wnet/colonialhouse/index.html

Remember your Roots…

Taken September 27th, as the electricity gets installed!

 Seven months ago we set upon a mission, a mission to give an old parking lot in downtown Austin a new identity. Sure, it was one of a hundred empty lots in and around the downtown area, but this little lot had a dream, a dream to become one of the best food parks in town. Who was I to say “be more realistic” or remind the old lot that its for cars not food trucks.  So we pressed on, working day in and day out until the park began to form an identity of its own.

Thai Food and Bubble Smoothies

Like a puzzle piece, one-by-one the food trucks started to envision the dream, helping it to become a reality. Our first official vendor A Touch of Fire  moved in on October 19th 2012.

Fast, Good, Fresh Mexican Food

Things began to pick up some steam once our second official vendor “Crucita’s Kitchen” joined forces with us, largely in part to Maria making us homemade breakfast taco’s daily as we kept plugging away, building the park.

Customers await their “Dumpling Happiness”

The little lot that stood for 30 years with no identity began to transform with yet another truck calling our park home, Dumpling Happiness‘ offerings are inspired by authentic Chinese recipes from childhood and tasty Asian street food with an Austin kick. We began to see the dream start taking shape of its own as the lot started looking like a multicultural food destination with Thai, Chinese, & Mexican.

No Food Park would be complete in Texas without a Shaved Ice Truck to cool you off during those 100+ degree summer days!  As the customers came a knocking, we took the time to listen to what they wanted and even the tables underwent a progressive change from natural wood to construction zone orange, breathing life into the Park in a way we hadn’t previously imagined!

The rest of this post will be completed tommorow!

Austin’s Food Park Landscape….

Whether you are working in the food truck  industry,  know someone who is,  or are simply a beloved follower of a particular truck (or twelve),  you are no  stranger to seismic levels of activity on the home front of the rapidly evolving industry. Some call it musical chairs, others call it the revolving door, I prefer to call it what it is:  “change.”  For better or for worse, it is an argument that could run its course like a broken Willie Nelson record, with the same debate belted out over and over.

Over the years we have seen the East Side Drive close down, Turf & Surf Po Boys grow into brick & Mortar, Snap Kitchen moving onto the Historic Congress Avenue sidewalk,  Odd Duck Farm to Trailer shut its doors to focus on the now famous Barley Swine, and so much more small but instrumental shifts in the market. Upon us now is presumably the largest and most disruptive change, the iconic South Congress Food Park will be serving its last meals on the day of May 25th 2013.

Originally intended to be temporary in nature, the lot turned into a gold mine as no one could have expected the troves of tourists to descend on South Congress from across the country come to sample the smorgasbord of multi-cultural selections the trailers have to offer.  They have been told to move before, so you sit idly by expecting it to blow over like another Texas thunderstorm. Except this time, they’re for real. SOCO ATX Development & Big Red Dog Engineering are partnering to bring Austin yet another 3 story mixed-use boutique hotel, while wiping off the map one of the largest tourist attractions in South Austin. The terrible irony here is that the developers are removing a tourist destination in order to make room for more tourists.

“The food trailers on South Congress Avenue are one of the defining characteristics of Austin’s culture. It is a favorite spot to grab a bite to eat for locals and tourists and reinforces the appeal of the shopping venues on S. Congress. Clearing out this Austin landmark to build another hotel would be seriously detrimental to the tourism industry you are seeking to cultivate. Please work toward a solution with the food trailer owners and perhaps the shops of S. Congress.” Austinite Brian Nelligan

While most of the trucks scramble to find new locations such as the Austin Food Park, others wait out the storm as long as possible, hoping this is just another one of the many obstacles food truck owner’s are presented with. When all the musical chairs finally settle there may be more than just a few left standing with no chair, or place to put their food truck.  The rush is on now to find the next big tourist destination that will spring up and replace SoCo!

Fortunately for food truck followers and owners alike, for every developer out there that is looking to turn Austin into a concrete jungle (ie. Dallas or Houston), there’s a hero out there willing to do whatever it takes to uphold Austin’s age-old culture and create an environment for food truck owners to succeed. I recently caught up with the proprietor of Austin Food Park, Shay Reynolds, whose new park is helping to fill the void left by the development on SoCo. The Austin Food Park is located at 30 North IH-35, Austin, Texas 78701 and is just a few minutes walk from the Hike & Bike Trail and another rapidly changing area, the Rainey Street District.

As an entrepreneur that operates 3 local businesses in downtown Austin including, Explore Austin Texas, Gliding Revolution, & the Austin Food Park, he  has the tourism market lined up in his cross-hairs. With all three of  his businesses  located adjacent to a 322 room Holiday Inn on Lady Bird Lake, they have begun to carve out their own niche. Easy access to the hike and bike trail, as well as ladybird lake, Rainey Street, and all of downtown Austin make this a convenient location to catch up with old or new friends over a delicious meal before hitting the trail or town. Free wi-fi, portable restrooms, games for children, shade, water for the pets (yes this is a dog friendly venue)  and 4 local food vendors including, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, & Shaved Ice have already made this a place to be for insiders who took the time to stop and check it out.

As Mr. Reynolds  mentioned,  “With available space for up to 5 more vendors, and a 5 year lease we have a lot of room to grow as the area around us continues to develop further, forcing many other parks to close their doors.” He reiterated that he opened this park as somewhat of an open forum for local business owners to try their hand, giving them yet another opportunity to succeed. From local jewelry vendors,  photographers, food truck owners  and everything in between, he has created an enjoyable environment downtown to display and showcase your business in front of 400,000 cars passing daily. For business owners interested in learning more about the opportunities available to you at Austin Food Park  you can reach Shay at info@austinfoodpark.com

Next Blog: One by one I’ll do a write up of the food trucks currently located at the Austin Food Park

Explore Austin Texas

What Is Explore Austin Texas?

Explore Austin Texas is a tour business located in Downtown Austin. We offer daily rentals of bikes & kayaks as well as  tours of Austin via bike, kayak, & on foot!  We also offer team building exercises incorporating bikes, kayaks, canoes, and segways for local companies & families  looking to bring their group together. We have operated for over six years, and have fostered relationships with the stores and cafés along our routes to figure out the very best (and local) restaurants & attractions  for you during your stay in Austin.

What do you offer on your bike,  kayak, & walking tours?

Let our friendly and experienced tour guides take you around Austin and discover all that this unique city has to offer. Austin is an eclectic city providing a mixture of charming history, beautiful naturistic scenary, creative arts and music, southern hospitality, and high-tech sophistication. We offer fun, unique, and safe guided tours on our celebrated segways, bicycles, kayaks, & even on foot! Visit our website www.exploreaustintexas.com for detailed information on all our rental & tour offerings! Tours are available 7 days a week!

Explore Austin Texas tours provide:

• A safe and enjoyable experience for groups of all ages
• Friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced tour guides
• Professional training on our equipment
• Free on-site parking at our host site, the Austin Food Park

Call us today! 512.495.9250 or make a reservation online at: http://www.exploreaustintexas.com/

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Austin Bike & Kayak Rentals

We offer quality mountain bikes, kayaks and canoes for rent! Every renter upon arrival will be treated a complimentary bottle of water. Our facilitators will adjust your bicycle rental to fit and or provide a clean kayak for your enjoyment. To view a detailed list of our rental prices please click the link below.

Rentals

http://www.exploreaustintexas.com/bike-kayak-rentals.html

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Austin Walking Tours

Participants are required to wear good shoes, have the ability to climb hills, and walk at a 2-4 mph pace for up to half a mile at a time.  Walking Tours are conducted every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Food Trailer Tour – $36 Per Person

(2-3 miles lasting up to 2 hours)

• Tour starts at 4:30pm, Thursday-Sunday
• Guided tour on the West side I-35 visiting two food trailer parks
• See: The Rainy Street District
• Learn: About Austin’s Growth & History
• Landmarks visited: Mexican American Cultural Center
• Includes 1 meal ticket to spend at the Austin Food Park

Bat Bridge Experience – $36 Per Person

(2-3 miles lasting up to 2 hours)

• Bats are only active March-October
• Tour starts at 6:30pm, Thursday-Sunday
• Information given about the Mexican Free-tailed bats that live in Austin
• See: The Lady Bird Lake area
• Learn: About Austin’s Serene Wonders
• Landmarks visited: Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Memorial Bridge
• Includes 1 meal ticket to spend at the Austin Food Park

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Kayak Tours

Explore Austin Texas offers a great kayak tour to view the Congress Bridge BAts. One of our experienced guides will ensure that everyone gets aquianted with their kayak and then guide them along Lady Bird Lake to see the bats emerge from beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge. Each tour guest will be provided with a complimentary bottle of water and a clean kayak for your enjoyment.

Kayak Bat Tour

Congress Ave. Bridge Bat Kayak Tours:  $40

Available daily from 6:30pm until dusk with a reservation!      

Come on out to see the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats on a kayak tour with Gliding Revolution. You will see and learn about one of the World’s Largest Urban Bat Colonies in North America! We have had experience providing fun in the area of kayak tours since 2008. See some of Austin’s most popular sites, hear some local history and facts, and learn about the famous Congress Avenue Bridge Bats that reside in Austin from March to November.

Our Kayak Sunset Tour is a water-bound bird, turtle and Mexican Free-tailed bat watching tour lead by an experienced guide. We’ll educate you along the way with informative commentary about the sights and sounds. Choose from our selection of single sit-on-top kayaks or sit-inside kayaks, tandem kayaks or 2-3 person canoes.

Minimum Weight: 30lbs, Maximum weight 300

Includes:

• Kayak
• Paddles
• Life jacket
• Dry bag
• Bottled water

Make reservations for an unbelievable experience today!

reservations@exploreaustintexas.com

Phone: 512.495.9250

Local Food Trucks serving unique, delicious and reasonably priced fares

Come out and join us at Austin Food Park for great food, free wifi, movies in the park, live music and much more to follow! Help us reach 1,000 likes by liking us on facebook….

Austin City Limits, Music, and Austin Kiddie Limits

ACL is begun! Today’s shows include performances from Weezer, The Black Keys, Florence and the Machine, and many others. Later this weekend we look forward to music from The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Neil Young! for a full list of the lineup check out the webpage here. If you want to beat the traffic lines, try riding past them on one of our weekend segway tours! We would be happy to customize your Austin experience for both music and downtown fun with a discounted rate for you and your family.

 

In addition to the shows, kids under 10 receive free admission to ACL! Austin Kiddie Limits, a sponsored fun zone for kids, will feature many sponsors who can help your youngster enjoy themselves and reinforce positive values, such as healthy eating from snacks provided from H-E-B, or a costume and alter ego dress up from a booth at Creative Action

 

Creative Action will be hosting a booth with free costumes, stick-on mustaches, and masks for children to explore ways past social pressure to shine their own individuality and creativity. A way to do this is by dressing up in whatever alter ego outfit they like, with help from members of the team who love promoting good values in and outside the classroom.  Below, a girl from last ACL enjoyed a new alter ego as a “fun, celebrity, cat”

 

 

Remember you can always rent a kayak or canoe and enjoy the music out on Lady Bird Lake,
we offer both kayak tours at sunset to see the bats, as well as allow tourists and Ausinites to embark on the lake themselves for good times and relaxation

 

Austin City Limits

The time has come again! Austin City Limits officially starts tomorrow October 12^th. How many shows will you be attending? They have got some awesome bands in the line up like always. This three-day festival has something for everyone including the kids with their great Austin Kiddie Limits area from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm daily. Check out http://lineup.aclfestival.com/ for full lineup and details.

 

Don’t worry we will still have Segway tours daily during this time to fill in the spots between all the rocking bands. Call 512-495-9250 to book your spots. When you come to do your Segway tour come a little early or stay a little late and grab a bit to eat at Austin Food Park! The first trailers will be open during this weekend with many more to come so remember to keep an eye on http://www.austinfoodpark.com/ for updates.

Texas Book Festival

As you may know fall is officially here, hopefully the weather should begin to turn cool soon. With the fall in Austin comes many fun and exciting events too. One great festival going on next month is the Texas Book Festival! What a great family event, you have a chance to come out and meet several Texas authors, get your books signed, pick up copies of their wonderful books, meet chefs and share the love of reading with others.

This wonderful event was started in 1995 by First Lady Laura Bush, who was a former librarian and advocate of literacy. The small festival at the time was established to promote reading and to benefit the state’s public libraries. First held in November of 1996, the Texas Book Festival has quickly grown by leaps and bounds to accommodate more than 40,000 visitors for a great weekend of fun hosting over 200 Texas and nationally known authors!

Check out http://www.texasbookfestival.org for more information on this event happening October 27 – 28, 2012.

Don’t forget to head over and see Gliding Revolution for a fun filled Segway tour before or after your visit to the Texas Book Festival. Check out www.glidingrevolution.com for more information on tours. Also check out www.austinfoodpark.com for upcoming information on Austin’s newest food trailer park located right by Gliding Revolution! 

Blondie in Austin!

What a great place to grab a bite to eat and hear an awesome show! Stubb’s has been around and hosting some of the biggest names in music for since the 1970’s! This week is no different tomorrow September 18, 2012 Blondie and Devo will be there! Tickets are still available to hear the one and only Debbie Harry singing with Blondie as she has done since 1974.

 

The show starts at 6:30pm so you have plenty of time to join us for an awesome Segway tour before you go and watch a great show and refuel after your adventure with Gliding Revolution, Austin Segway Tours! Get $15 off your Capitol Pavement Segway Tour on 09-18-12 when you use the code Blondie.

 

Remember to follow our blog to keep up with everything going on with us and around Austin!

Also check out www.austinfoodpark.com for information about Austin’s newest food park opening soon!

Austin Food Park

Well if you’re like so many people in Austin and all over you have visited a food trailer or food park. You can’t drive through Austin without seeing groves of these gourmet and down home trailers. Food trailers have really come a long way from the original trucks we had. Now you can get so much more than tacos and sandwiches, you can get anything from seafood to desserts now with unique twists.

Well there is a new food park opening up in downtown Austin, Texas and it is right off I35 by the lovely Ladybird Lake check www.austinfoodpark.com for updates on the park and trailers that are moving in! There will be a variety of trailers and trucks to choose from with everything from BBQ to ice cream!

So come out and make a day of it take a fun Segway tour and then grab a bite to eat!

Blue Moon August 2012

We have all heard the saying “Once in a blue moon”. But what does that really mean? Despite what you may think it does not mean that the moon will actually be blue or that the Smurfs will be in New York. What it does mean is that there is a full moon occurring twice in one month which subsequently causes us to have four full moons in one season. This is a rare occurrence and we are having one tomorrow August 31, 2012! We have not had a blue moon since December 31, 2009 and will not see another one until July 31, 2015!

Come out and join us on a Bat City Bridge tour on Friday, August 31^st and see a blue moon from a Segway! Call 512-495-9250 to make your reservations.

Labor Day 2012

Well as you know Labor Day is next Monday, September 3^rd. What will you be doing? We will be here at Gliding Revolution giving the same high quality Segway tours we offer every day!

Although we all celebrate Labor Day with friends and family attending picnics, swimming and hitting the lake, do we really know its history? Let’s take a look and discover a little more about it.

Labor Day is an American Federal Holiday that we observe every year on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. This is a way to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of all American workers.  But we know it more commonly for the symbol that another summer has come to an end as students head back to school. Americans celebrate this in a variety of ways including parties, bar-b-ques, parades and athletic events.

 

How did Labor Day come to be? Well in 1882 a gentleman name Matthew Maguire who was a machinist proposed this holiday. At the time he was serving as secretary of the CLU (Central Labor Union) of New York. Although some people say that it was proposed in May of the same year by Peter J McGuire of the American Federation of Labor after witnessing the annual labor festival that is held in Toronto, Canada. Either way it came to pass with Oregon being the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. It didn’t become a federal holiday until 1894 with 30 states officially celebrating Labor Day.

During the Pullman Strike President Grover Cleveland reconciled with Reyes, the leader of the labor movement and then to avoid further conflict legislation making Labor Day a nation holiday was rushed through Congress and passed unanimously and signed into law in only six days after the strike ended! The CLU of New York chose the September date. Today it is a statutory holiday that all U.S. states, the District of Columbia and all its territories observe.

Labor Day also came to mark the last day of the year it was fashionably acceptable to wear white in high society. As well as marking the beginning of NFL and college football seasons. The NCAA teams usually play their first games the week before Labor Day, but the NFL traditionally play their first games the Thursday following Labor Day.

Fall 2012 Old Pecan Street Festival

Wow it is almost time for the Fall 2012 Old Pecan Street Festival again! As always it will be amazing with all of the live music and vendors and of course you will see Segways around. This local festival has been a staple in Austin for 31 years now, but it is anything but old feeling when you get there. This year it will be held on September 29^th and 30^th.

Do you know why they call it Old Pecan Street Festival? The name comes from the original name for Austin’s world famous 6^th Street! Judge Edwin Waller who was the first mayor of Austin, Texas and mapped out the original downtown grid plans named all of the streets that ran East to West after Texas trees and what we know now as 6^th Street was Pecan Street. He named the streets that ran North to South after Texas Rivers and they remain that way today. 

This festival is one of the great FREE attractions in Austin Texas that selects several local non-profit organizations to benefit from it, including Austin Boxer Rescue that helps these lovable pets find loving homes and many more! So come out and show your support by attending and purchasing and donating to the local vendors. This festival is great fun for the whole family.

Remember that Gliding Revolution still conducts Segway tours during festival hours and who knows you may be able to ride through the festival on a Segway! Remember this event draws lots of people from all over so tours book quickly so make your reservations early 512-495-9250 or www.glidingrevolution.com.

The Congress Bridge Bats

It’s right in the middle of summer in Austin, and the Mexican Free-tailed Bats have been putting on a show for tourists and Austinites alike. Although their departure time varies, the bats leave commonly just after sunset. As of now, just before 9pm is a great time to stand along the bridge, or take a kayak tour along the lake!

The bats follow each other out, forming tunnels which group together and travel along the southern side of Lake Lady Bird treeline. Though each bat roughly the size of your hand or smaller, their colony of 1,500,000 million certainly should be visible and easy to spot.

Below is a picture taken along the lake by Nathan, one of our tour guides on a Kayak Sunset Tour.

The Sunset Bat Tour

We offer a tour perfect for bat viewing, Austin history information, and guided segwaying through the city. The Bat Bridge Tour is a great way to see the city and beat the heat by riding in the evening.

Call to hear more about what we offer, or to ask about a Kayak Sunset Tour or Bat Bridge Tour at (512) 495-9250

Formula 1 is here Austin Texas!

Austin is gearing up to host the Formula 1^TM United States Grand Prix from 2012-2021. The inaugural race date is November 18, 2012. The US Grand Prix will take place at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the nation’s first Grand Prix-purposed track and event complex, located southeast of Austin.

Hotels at all price points and within driving distance of the track are available in Austin and throughout the Texas Hill Country.

Once you’re booked, it’s time to get excited. COTA can accommodate around 120,000 fans; more than 200,000 are expected to visit Austin during Formula 1^TM race weekends. The 3.4-mile COTA track features 20 turns and an elevation change of 130 feet, making it one of the world’s most challenging and exciting for both drivers and spectators. The facility also contains a live music stage (featuring such world-class acts as Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and more), conference center and banquet hall, medical/trauma training section, Karting track, museum and retail center.

MotoGP and V8 SuperCars will also host races at COTA, starting in 2013.

BATFEST – Mexican Freetail Bats

BATFEST 2012 is coming soon August 25th!

What to expect at BatFest 2012:

• 2 million Mexican Free Tail Bats emerging from under the bridge at dusk,
• 2 stages of live music,
• Over 75 arts & Crafts Vendors, Food, Drinks,
• Children’s Activities, costume contest, and Bat activities
• Free Admission!
• Bat Conservation International will have live bats and an education (coloring and videos) room in the Hyatt!

Everyone’s heard about the bats living under the Congress Bridge, right?

Well,  most of us have, but many people don’t know the exacts about Austin’s premier entertainment when the sun goes down.

• 2.0 million bats (give or take a hundred thousand) live under the Congress Bridge
• The bat colony eats between 10,000-30,000 pounds of insects every night
• The bats came to Austin in 1980 when restorations to the Congress Bridge made the bridge an ideal bat spot

The bats arrive mid March and stay through November. Although the bats do not have a set time of depature each night, a few things usually occur before they make their depature.

1st) The 1st Street Bridge will light up. The Congress Bridge does not light up at the same time.

2nd) the Austonian Building will begin changing lights at its top story (Austins tallest at 55 stories).

3rd) The Congress Bridge lights will turn on.

The sun will either be set or setting when the bats depart. Typically flight last 1/2 an hour and ranges from 7pm-8:30pm with flight becoming earlier and earlier the later the year goes on.

If you’re looking for a perfect view of the bats, try coming out for a Kayak Sunset Tour or a Segway Bat Tour offered by Gliding Revolution!

Call Juan at  512.699.6051 to book a tour during the summer months for the best showing.