Perfect way to start our trip! The boats fill up quickly so arrive early to get seats - especially if you have a group. We LOVED our boat captain! She was so funny and loved the history she shared about the city skyline along the River. We didn't know you could BYOB so bring a cocktail for the ride! Parking was a little tricky as the street fills up quickly and we parked at the hotel parking lot. It made it so much easier. Sunset and weather was perfect and beautiful. The bats did not disappoint! It was something worth doing and at a great price!! read more

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What a wonderful way to see the city! I brought my parents here for the sunset/bat cruise while they were visiting town. This is a great option for families or older guests who may like to see the city without walking a lot. Affordable, easy to access, and exceptional crew. We didn't see many bats when we went.. but that's not their fault. read more

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

We had a great experience! Easy to reserve, especially since we were a large group, and very inexpensive! Our guide was funny and gave us good insight to the buildings in the downtown area! The best part was watching the bats take flight!! read more

Great experience. Super easy to book online. Great sunset view and Captain Mike was super entertaining and knowledgeable about Austin History and present day trivia. Great family fun and a memory we'll have forever. read more

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We had a great experience on the lone star riverboat! The tour guide and captain were awesome and full of jokes. We learned all sorts of history about Austin and even saw some of the bats! Definitely would recommend to anyone visiting Austin. read more

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

Got to see bats. Having to be there early to sit in a pontoon boat for 45 minutes before starting is not do great.

I was traveling solo through Austin and I purchased a last-minute ticket on the Lone Star bat-watching cruise. It exceeded all of my expectations! Even though it was late October and only about 30% of the 1.5 million bat colony were active, there was still a ton of bat activity and I got a front row seat to watch! Would highly recommend! read more

The tour guide was Awesome. The bats were such a cool experience. I highly recommend this boat ride. read more

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

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Packed people in like sardines, filled the boats to the point that families couldn't sit together. The people in front of us were drunk and talking so loud that we decided to abandon ship before the boat left the dock. The snotty gal in front of us refused to move back one row to allow a large family to all sit together, yet another reason to quit this ride early, give our seats to the family who had been sold tickets late and put on a boat with no easy way to sit together. Best $30 I ever walked away from. They can sit together, and I don't have to throw myself overboard when I'd had enough of the drunk man who was practically in my lap. read more

My Hubs and I booked the 3pm boat ride and we LOVED it! The tour was 1 hour indeed and the captain with the boot on his foot lol ( can't recall his name) entertained us all with jokes and interesting and fun facts about Austin. Very nice price ($28 and some change) for 2 people online. read more

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The tour guide was not audible for the front of the boat. We told her and it was still not loud enough. Waste of money.

Tour guide Laura was just the Bomb.com. If not for this young lady the whole tour would have been a downer, I mean watching bats go to dinner and explanation of the Nouveau riche Austin skyline. Much props to the Chase building though, go Owls! I mean do it, but do it on Laura's boat. read more

Awesome fun tour of the Austin Waterfront and Bat tour! Funny Dad jokes and interesting facts! Best $15 I have spent on my trip - so great to mix in some fun on my work trip! I highly recommend this tour as its outside, easy going and just really fantastic to see the bats! Captain Chris was great! read more

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

Entertaining and educational- definitely do it if you're in town and it's in season! Our captain was funny, local and didn't "oversell" it- great experience- BYOB! read more

I purchased a Groupon for the Lone Star Riverboat, to take an hour-long sightseeing cruise. It was a nice experience and learned more about the city of Austin. Once you purchase a Groupon, you're instructed to make reservations to reserve a time slot. I was able to do this online over an e-mail form, and the staff responded within a few days. We reserved a time slot for a 2PM tour on a Sunday. It was a little difficult to find, as it's next to a hotel on the water. We passed by a loading zone, which I initially thought was it, but it turned out to be another boat company. They must be mistaken for this all the time because as we were walking towards the entrance, they asked if we were for the Lone Star Riverboat and after confirming, they told us to go down the pathway more. The entrance is hidden, so make sure to set some time for finding it and getting a good seat on the boat. Since it was a sightseeing tour, everyone sat on the outdoor deck of the boat where one of the employees provided the tour while the other employee drove. Staff was friendly and our guide was funny. The tour consisted of going up and down Lady Bird Lake, mostly seeing the skyline of Austin. We also were able to go under the bat bridge, as Lone Star Riverboat offers a night cruise to see the bats fly. It was a nice tour, and I was glad to learn more of Austin and how it has rapidly changed due to recent growth. read more

Nice cruise to watch the sunset and the bats emergence. The captain was fun and informative. Very relaxing ride, highly suggested!

Boring as hell, the captain did say say a work the whole ride and there were no bats.

The sunset bat tour was incredible!! Awesome staff!! Definitely would recommend going here!

The cruise was so much fun and the best part of our trip to Austin. Our tour guide was amazing. He was interesting, knowledgeable, and funny. read more

A nice peaceful evening on the river/lake. Our captain was amusing and knowledgeable. We were fortunate to see many many bats!

This was a great adventure....Our skipper and tour guide was very nice, funny and knowledgeable. We just sat back enjoyed the evening and the warm spring evening. The cost of seeing the bats was extremely affordable, I strongly recommend this service if you wish to have a great experience read more

Let me start this review off by saying that if you are in Austin, TX and want to take a great tour to seeing the nightly Bat Tour, please visit Lone Star and ask for Captain Shelby's boat. Captain Shelby provided us a great tour and probably the best best views of the bats from start to finish. We were also provided with a good history of Austin and recommended some great places to visit. The Sunset Bat Tour is a really interesting tour to see over 700,000 bats flying from a bridge that happens every night. A must see thing at least once in your lifetime. read more

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AWESOME evening cruise! We wanted to see the bats flying out from underneath the Congress Bridge and this cruise did not disappoint -Everything was great the captain/tour guide was hilarious and so friendly! The bats are amazing it's a truly great experience:) read more

Everything about Lone Star Riverboat was fabulous! Abiding by covid rules, very clean, byob, great friendly crew and the guide is awesome! We went on an evening bat bout tour and we did see the bats, lots of them! Not to mention the beautiful view of Austin. The reservations where very easy to make online. I highly recommend! read more

You can watch the bats from on top of the bridge, or on either side of the lake. But the riverboat is an excellent vantage point, with a lot of info about the skyline. Wear a hat! You will feel small drops falling on you. read more

Overall great experience. Beautiful sunset and so many bats. I wish we had Captain DJ. Our captain talked a lot, but that might just be me being irritated. We were the last boat ( and there are a bunch) to get into position to see the bats exit the north side of Congress Bridge. I was worried we would miss it. We did miss the bats starting to fly out but there are so many flying, that part was okay. It's a must do if you've never seen the bats. We'll do the kayak bat tour next time. read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Bats flying from north side of bridge. - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The crew were fantastic! Super friendly and knowledgeable about the different buildings and history in Austin. The boat ride itself was laid-back and relaxing. You could BYOB which was nice. There's two levels to the boat and wasn't crowded at all when we went. I'd recommend! read more

Lone Star Riverboat - View from the boat (top deck) - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

I went on the Sunset Bat cruise this past Saturday and it was amazing! Captain Mike made the experience so fun, would highly recommend!

I saw lone star riverboat on a search things to do in Austin. It was cheap and easy to book it's a small boat but very easy to get in and out. The river isn't the best but the knowledge of the host is more important. Now to the fun part and maybe long waiting bat viewing, the host knew so much info on that and for a Florida couple we never see bats the way we did during the tour. Thank you for the great experience. read more

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

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!! what normally would have been fine was infuriating during COVID due to their inability to enforce the state mask policy as well as THEIR OWN policy. When I booked, I was emailed saying masks were required. Additionally, RIGHT BY the entrance there are 2 signs saying masks are required (see picture). Well, masks were NOT enforced. My party seemed to be the only one who kept our masks on, which is concerning because seats were not 6 feet apart (although the website said social distance would be followed?!). We pushed our seats up as far as we could and kept our masks on to adhere to state guidelines. To make it worse, our captain came on the boat and said "Hey guys, when we get to the bridge where there are a lot of cameras just pop your masks back on so we don't get in trouble" They only cared that they did not look bad as a company. Absolutely ridiculous, irresponsible and inconsiderate if you ask me. We would not have booked with them had we known they were not requiring masks- but they said they were! If you would like to book a tour, use Capitol Cruises instead. Not only were their seats VERY socially distanced (easily more than 6 ft), but their passengers were wearing masks. This tour may have been fine otherwise but their lack of concern for their patrons was inexcusable and as a result I would never use them again. read more

Lone Star Riverboat - says masks are required.... HA yea right. - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

This was a smooth experience booking and boarding. The staff was professional, and the guide was very knowledgeable and fun. A great way to see the bats and also the city from the lake. I'll be back! read more

Lone Star Riverboat - On the riverboat - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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All aboard!!! We took the approximate one hour journey at the end of July so it was pretty toasty on the open upper deck of the Lone Star Riverboat - as is to be expected during summer in Central Texas. If you aren't willing to catch a few rays and get better views during the "tour," the enclosed lower deck is air conditioned and they have a bar area where they sell cold water, soft drinks, and other snacks (e.g., chips; there are also two restrooms in the lower deck). Or, if you prefer you can bring your own adult libations onboard (just no glass please) - a cold brew was very pleasing! Tourist or local, if you've never done it before, taking a short cruise on the Lone Star is a must in my opinion. The Captain's "monolog" was very interesting and informative (learned things about the ATX I didn't know) and there are splendid views of the city from all angles allowing for some great photo opps. All for the mere price of 10 bucks p/p! Plus, I have to say...it's just downright neato. Since there are no engine-powered vessels allowed on Lady Bird, the LSR is a real paddle-wheeler. The Lone Star is actually the largest electric powered Riverboat in the entire United States! Yup, bigger in Texas! March through October they also do daily Bat Watching Sunset tours (same $10 p/p; the end of August is typically the best time but of course varies - they're bats!) that takes your directly under the bridge where ~1.5 Mexican Free-Tailed Bats call home during the season and emerge from every evening to feed. Truly a sight to see and MUCH better than trying to view from atop the bridge. The Lonestar River Boat runs year round, so is great any time, no matter what the weather or occasion! The even have "special" cruises including ones to help celebrate Valentine's Day and the 4th of July! HIGHLY RECOMMEND. TIP: Garage parking is available at the very nearby Hyatt Hotel for $6 (up to 4 hrs). There is free parking around if you can find it, but frankly it's not worth the hassle. Plus, the Hyatt has a nice bar and cool deck to sit and enjoy a drink and maybe a snack afterwards. Cheers! read more

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We had a great time on the river boat. Chris was our guide and he was funny and engaging. We wouldn't change a thing! Wonderful, amazing adventure. read more

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Enjoyed the Lone Star Riverboat tour. Our tour guide, Fred, was very informative and attentive. Suggest to arrive early to get seating, but be prepared to sit and wait. There's cold water bottles for $2 cash. Great to have since it's still hot in the evening. We took a tour and got to hear about the history of the Austin nearby buildings, and when it was time, saw bats under the bridge. Overall, enjoyed the tour, and would recommend. Don't forget to bring cash for cold water bottles and tip for your tour guide. read more

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The boat was very nice for what it was and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The tour guide was very clever and witty with her words and the tour information was quite fun and interesting. In between the guided tour, they would give us free time with no narration for a little break time and at the end they wrapped it up with a nice outro. Parking can be found at the Hyatt Hotel for only $6 for the first 0-4 hours. When you walk up to the docks, they are the docks on the left. The staff works mostly off of gratuity so don't forget to bring some cash! Don't get them mixed up with the Capital Cities tour because those guys are extremely rude and will push you aside when they are busy and feel you are most likely a pushover. read more

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Excellent choice for viewing Austin bats emerging from the Congress Street bridge. Captain Mike was very entertaining and provide commentary on the city of Austin as well as the bats. read more

Christy was great, loved her sense of humor. Great way to explore Austin (and learn some history).

Took a little tour on the Lone Star Riverboat last week to have a look at the bats close up. It was a fun experience, and our captain - Joel - was a hoot. You get some interesting facts about Austin as well as the Mexican Free Tail bats. They position the boat in a good spot for you to observe the bats coming out. Watch out for guano. I didn't get any on me, but my little cousin did! I thought maybe it was a little long at the end. Cut of the last 10 minutes and bring us back to shore after the bats are mostly out - that'd be perfect. It might be a little boring for young children. I had to entertain my nephew with my iphone, but other than that, a fun experience! read more

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

I was quite happy with my experience! After reading the reviews here, I was prepared for the non-riverboat experience, saying Bon voyage to the riverboaters leaving before us on our trek to the sunset and bat breeding grounds. Seating is a bit cramped on your basic garden variety plastic chairs. BYOB is fantastic! Captain Beard was hilarious and full of cool tips and insight. And the price ($10 per person) is just right. TIPS: 1) if you board early and want a little extra legroom, choose the seats on the starboard/right side of the boat nearest the gate. 2) The guide gave us this great $10 date idea: moonlit 10:30pm riverboat cruise on Friday nights. Also BYOB! 3) speaking of BYOB, get ya some cans of Lone Star (a/k/a National Beer of Texas)! 4) if you have babies, be aware that it might not be a wise choice to bring them along. Room is TIGHT on board. You will not be able to just get up and walk them around. Also, NO bathrooms for changing diapers! read more

Lone Star Riverboat - Skyline at night - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great time out on ladybird lake. The tour was interesting and bats were awesome. Big thanks to Captain DJ for an entertaining ride. read more

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