Old Tunnel State Park Bat Cave

Get Batty with Your Bae

What makes it fun

Around three million bats make their home in this abandoned railroad tunnel during the summer months. Participate in our bat program to gain additional knowledge about these flying mammals and to observe them as they begin their nocturnal hunt for food. In addition to watching the bats, you can also have a picnic, go hiking, see birds, gaze at the stars, and look for other types of animals. Explore our short nature walk, which is less than half a mile long, and keep an eye out for wild animals, a glimpse of the tunnel, and markers with information about bat legend and railroad history.

Google Reviews

Old Tunnel State Park

4.6

Based on 1011 reviews

Lori K

01:01 14 Oct 24

HORRIBLE! DON'T BOTHER!
No sign where to check in so I walked in, got attitude from the person checking tickets. Well, you cannot expect people to know without signage on where/how to check in. Then, not allowed to walk the short trail even though there was an hour before the bats were to come out.
THEN........ There is a visible sign about being quiet, but are people quite? NO!
And the person checking tickets doesn't do anything about it.
TAKE THE SIGN DOWN IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO ENFORCE IT!!!

There was also no commentary about the bats. That would have been nice.

14:36 11 Oct 24

16:46 09 Oct 24

22:13 05 Oct 24

14:18 02 Oct 24

Beautiful view of the bats

Mrs. McCurdy

03:47 04 Mar 24

The smallest state park that we've ever been to but definitely worth the stop. Unfortunately, the bats are not there this time of year, but it is still a beautiful park, and we plan on going back when the bats are there in the spring.

Tess Yurik

22:07 18 Feb 24

Cool place to visit. I was out of season, so no bats and not many people.

Sam Hawkins

14:16 18 Feb 24

Small state park out in the middle of no where but interesting bit of history of the area. Nice trails for those that would like to take a hike. Look's to have a Bat Colney in the tunnel during the spring and summer and there are viewing area's to watch them take off in the evening. There is a Great place to eat right near here that makes awesome burgers. It's worth the drive out if you are in the Fredericksburg area.

Jorge Castillo

18:55 12 Feb 24

Excellent place to live an adventure experience...especially going down the tunnel...and getting out of the bats!! Highly recommended.👍

Kirk Zawrazky

05:32 08 Feb 24

This is a very short trail. I would say it is moderately difficult. The park is extremely clean and very well maintained.

Unfortunately we've never been there when the bats were there.

Jana Smith

00:43 16 Nov 23

We missed the bats. They migrated the first part of October. Still a nice park to visit. Beautiful views. Smallest state park in Texas.

Eric Villarreal

02:08 08 Oct 23

Unfortunately the bats came out late so we didn't get the best view. I enjoyed the park rangers informative talk before the bats started exiting. There is a nice short walking trail to enjoy too. Note: you have to buy bat viewing tickets online,

francisco galvez

02:24 25 Sep 23

Really simple and easy trail. The sounds of all the birds chirping is really soothing. I would recommend watching all the bats come out of the tunnel at night, make sure you make your reservation online though.

Missy Fraser

19:59 15 Jun 23

What an awesome experience! We went Saturday evenings. We arrived at 8:30pm & had lower viewing area tickets. Yes, you need to purchase your tickets beforehand. They don't sell them at the site. Buy them early, they tend to sell out. His presentation was very informative. I recommend getting there earlier, like 45 min before they may take off. He was already speaking when we arrived & most of the seats were gone.

Unfortunately, due to recent rains, the bats didn't come out until after sundown, but the ranger had a red light he used to illuminate the bats every now and then. It blew my mind how long it took for them to emerge & the tornado pattern they used to do it. They started coming out at 9:06pm. No flashlights or camera flashes. The rangers will explain why in their presentation.

If you can, go during a dry spell. They'll come out earlier because they have to fly further to find food. That way you'll maybe get to see the bats with the sun still up. That would have been nice, but we still really enjoyed & recommend this experience.

Oh, there isn't a restroom here. Also, go eat at the Alamo Springs Cafe beforehand (and use their restroom). Its right next door. Their burgers are spectacular!