We took the Lady Bird Lake ride. This ride provides the best vantage point to see Austin downtown. The captain was entertaining and the scenery was fantastic. We enjoyed the one hour ride tremendously. read more

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. read more

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! read more

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

Lone Star Riverboat - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The Lone Star Riverboat was a fun event to do while visiting Austin. Captain Maverick gave us a great tour and told us all about the downtown Architecture. We were on the night tour so we saw the sunset and the bats. Only negative was that we were close and the bats did poop on us. It was clear liquid but a little disgusting. Take a clear umbrella or something with you on the night tour. read more

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 read more

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. read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Downtown Austin - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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! read more

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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. read more

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Stephanie was absolutely awesome!!! Even though the bats weren't feeling it the night we went, we still had the most amazing time (:

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. read more

Lone Star Riverboat - View from boat. - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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:: read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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. read more

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

I was a little worried about the reviews, but I was very impressed by this tour group! We did the Evening Bat Tour which is roughly an hour around sunset. Our tour guide was awesome, knowledgeable, and funny! We also got to see bats, but they were a little smaller than I expected (not really Lone Star's fault). He had a red light so that we were able to see them a little better which was extremely helpful! For the price, this tour of Austin and the bats was a real steal! My friend who is a local will keep them in mind when he has people in visiting. I will certainly recommend them to others as well! read more

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!!!! read more

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

Thank you Captain Melissa for the entertainment and education in fun exciting adventures. Sunset beauty, downtown skyline and education. The bat show Would definitely recommend and very reasonable priced compared to the others read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Captain Melissa was great! Thank you so much for the experience and education on downtown skyline. - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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

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! read more

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Such a fun experience! We booked the evening bat tour and the boat caption, Han Solo, did an incredible job at entertaining us. He did the tour with a perfect mix of comedy and informative facts about the surrounding architecture. The bats flying out of the cave was a magical sight to witness. Highly recommend as a must do activity when visiting Austin read more

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. read more

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. read more

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I really enjoyed this riverboat tour! I went to Austin with friends for the first time and it was great to learn about the history from the water. The tour guide was great and knowledgable about the area. We were able to sit on the top deck for a great view of everything. The boat is byob so we got to sip our wine and beer as we toured. Tickets are relatively inexpensive. The boat was comfortable. You sit on patio chairs, and most have a small table. I would definitely suggest a hat and sunscreen as there is not a lot of shade along Ladybird Lake, and the best view is from the top. I wish the tour had been a bit longer, as I was enjoying the tour and the stories when the tour came to an end. read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Views - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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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! read more

This was a very well run tour and definitely worth the $13. I reserved my tickets online a few days before. Walked over to the meeting point over the nearby bridge about 6:15ish to get there before the boarding time. There is a houseless population (at least one with a protective dog) and scooters that might run you down so keep this in mind if you walk that way. You might be better off taking a rideshare to the Hyatt and walking down to the dock instead of taking the 1st street bridge. The web site noted they are pontoon boats and no restrooms would be available. Before boarding, the staff and crew are cleaning/spraying down the boats and chairs. Each boat entry has a little table beside it with a safety waiver to sign and a tip jar/venmo information. When ready to board, if you've reserved your spot, your name is on the ipad/tablet and you're marked as being present. You can choose any boat you like as long as there is a seat. One surprise is the riverboat itself. It does have a restroom and can be used prior to the pontoon boat departures. Families with strollers tended to pick this boat. Another surprise is the crew has a cooler with drinks to purchase in case you left your water or soda at home. I didn't notice the price but it's best to have cash on hand. During the boat tour, we went past the 1st St bridge and doubled back beyond the Congress Ave bridge with our captain sharing stories about Lady Bird Lake, the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue, the building, and the Mexican free-tailed bat colony during the trip. As it was a Monday night during a long holiday weekend, the kayakers and bridge watchers were out in force. The colony has a smell no one warns you about and you don't want to be directly underneath the bridge when the bats leave. It might have been "easier" to stand on the bridge and watch the bats but I really don't think so. From the water, it looked like wall to wall people were on the bridge and they could see us pointing at the bats but it didn't seem like they could see them very well. I'm glad I chose this option. While the bats didn't make a dramatic exit, I did see several dozen flitting about going to and from the bridge. The tour usually takes about an hour but ours went a little bit longer in the hopes that more bats would leave the colony. I'm hopeful I'll get to see a dramatic bat exit next time I visit. read more

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. read more

Definitely five stars! I wanted to find a fun, Austin-y experience to share with family visiting from out of town, and the evening bat cruise/sightseeing tour turned out to be a huge hit! My husband and I had previously seen the bats from other vantage points (on the hill, standing on the Congress bridge), but seeing them fly out from under the bridge while we were on the water proved to be a new and exciting experience. Just remember, as our tour guide warned us, when the bats come out, "don't look up in open-mouthed awe!" Lol When booking the tickets, I wasn't sure if an hour-long river cruise would be enough time to really enjoy ourselves, but it turned out to be just right to learn a little about the skyline and architecture around Lady Bird Lake and, of course, to see the bats in all their glory. (Pro-tips: if you're BYOBing like we did or if you have a small bladder, I'd recommend finding a restroom immediately before the boat ride. Also, maybe take a hat or wear a hoodie unless you want "seven years of good luck"!) read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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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! read more

Lone Star Riverboat - bridge with the bats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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

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! read more

Great price great experience The guy really made it great with the history information and the bats omg the bats Over all 5 stars thank you again Keep Austin Weird read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Epic experience - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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

Perfect tour to see the bats and get some Austin facts. Tour guides keep you entertained while you wait for the bats with their facts about Austin and the surrounding city skyline. There's not a bad seat on the boat but if you want to make sure you're seated in a group then arrive early. BYOB but no vapes. Overall a great tour for a great price. read more

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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

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. read more

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

Great time and wonderful views of the city. It's fun to bring a beverage!! I'd highly recommend the 10:30 cruise. read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Great view and lots of fun - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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. read more

It was a lot more than just a boat ride to see the bats. It was also a tour of the Austin skyline by Captain Mike. He was awesome.