Excellent service on our charters. We've been out in the hot Summer evenings to see the bats, as well on a couple private parties. The crew went out of their way to make sure our trip and setup went well. I was curious and read the complaints. It seems complaints come from the half-price crowd who don't read the fine print. Maybe if the company didn't do half-off coupons they would have less self-entitled half-price customers. Anyway, remember BYOB for the bat cruises, and parking can be a hassle. We grab drinks at the Hyatt bar beforehand - it is next door. read more

Great view........BUT..... Guy talking kept hacking with his very annoying smokers voice. Very hard to enjoy the tour completely read more

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

boat was fun. captain was super funny and knowledgeable, well worth it. bats are super tiny, but she prepped us well. kids enjoyed it as well! read more

Had a wonderful experience with this company on a bat watching cruise! We made reservations which are highly recommended. So glad we did too as they were sold out and this was on a weekday! Our captain (male/student-I can't remember his name) did a super job incorporating bat facts, facts about the sights & buildings you were seeing along with jokes & a sense of humor. He maneuvered the boat so that we could take great photos of the bridge & sunset in the background, best view position to see bats exiting the bridge, etc. Don't forget to bring tip money as the Captain tries really hard to give you a memorable experience! I highly recommend this cruise company! read more

For someone that knew nothing about bats and Austin general this was fun and entertaining worth going to

Tonight was my second trip on the bat cruise. My first trip was with captain Shelby and it was her first tour. Tonight we had her again and she was still just as funny and we had an awesome time. Her jokes made us laugh and she was super knowledgeable. It's not everyday you meet an austin "unicorn." She's the bat queen! read more

Had a great time on the Lone Star Riverboat. Didn't make a reservation but was lucky enough to board. Wouldn't recommend not making a reservation as the boat did fill up and people were turned away. Shelby was a great tour guide with solid dad jokes!! Really enjoyed her humor and stories along the trip. Would recommend this trip to anyone visiting Austin. read more

My friend and I decided to try and go on this boat ride. We live in Austin, but felt like playing tourist for a day and do something we hadn't tried. We got to the boat location and stood in line.. The website said they would start boarding at 2:15 for the 3pm ride. We were there at 2:15 and past 2:15 with out boarding. It was really hot, but we were excited about trying this for the first time. The women comes out and opens the doors, we start boarding and we get to her to pay and asked if she takes credit cards she said no, cash only. My friend was trying to joke and said "what? Cash only?" While smiling cuz she was just joking with her. The woman was very quiet so my friend said "it's a joke". And then the woman taking our money says "it's too hot for me to think sarcasm is a good idea". I thought that was very rude. Yes it's hot and we are the ones that stood in line in the heat and are now giving you our money and that's how you welcome us... Not cool. The tour was from one bridge to another.. Very slow and not very interesting especially the way we were "welcomed". read more

absolutely amazing, affordable and fun. So many bat (and Austin) facts. the bats? beautiful. the boat ride? didn't get me sick. we had captain Bella, she was absolutely incredible... so funny, entertaining and sweet. (Bella if you're reading this, we love you.) read more

Ann Marie and Captain Dave made this bat excursion super fun and relaxing. Ann Marie, our guide was witty and very informed. I would highly recommend requesting these two captains. They made this bat boat ride badass. read more

Bats Better by Boat? We figured that it would be more comfortable to watch Austin's famous bats launch themselves from the Congress Street Bridge for their night of feasting on mosquitoes and other nasties. It was comfortable and the boat captain was engaging and fun. But the bats were a letdown. I know that you can't blame the boat for nature. But most people wouldn't go on the sunset boat if it wasn't for the bats and Lone Star is selling the spectacle of the bats. Our evening was spectacleless. If you are happy with a pleasant sunset cruise on Lady Bird Lake with some good background info on Austin, and you consider the bats to be a little bonus, then great! Go! If the bats are the thing that float your boat, then find another watercraft. read more

Fun! Nice tour of Austin lake enjoyed that we could bring own food and drinks added to the experience great price! Could have used some AC inside during the summer but overall nice tour would go again. read more

Wish I could have heard our wonderful captain of the boat! PA system went out and I could not hear her even tho she was really trying to talk loud!! read more

We took this tour last night and had to return to the dock before the bats came out because his battery went dead and he didn't have lights on the boat. When we got back to the dock, there were two people and another boat there. Couldn't they have brought another battery out? No refunds were offered. read more

Very informative boat tour and the best view for bats watching. You don't have to wait and conscious when bats are coming out on the bridge. You can count on the boat captain. Austin skyline and sunset was beautiful, too. Only $10! read more

Way more fun than I expected. I mean, I expected to have fun, but I didn't realize there was a whole tour / history lesson before we got to the bats. Which was awesome! When we signed up, I figured they'd just pull the boat under the bridge, point at the bats, and then take us back, so the tour was a nice, unexpected bonus. My dad and the future in-laws were in town, and everyone had a good time. You're allowed to bring booze on the boat, so we brought a 6-pack of beer. Tour guide was funny as hell. Very much worth the paltry price of admission. read more

Beautiful sunset and Austin skyline. Educational and fun! The captain talked about the buildings in the Austin skyline and another person educated about the biology of the bats. read more

A great way to see and learn about Austin's skyline and see the bats at sunset! It's BYOB so you can bring some wine/beer and snacks which is an added bonus. read more

Yeah, I got pooped on ... don't look up. Capt'n DJ is a really nice guy... went out of his way to make sure everyone was having a family-friendly good time. Check it off your bucket list and do the ride. read more

This was SO much fun and our guide was terrific. It was a bit cramped but worth the money and byob is always a good idea.

Update: After the disappointment of the booking system snapfu.. I received a voicemail and a private message apologizing for the inconvenience. They got us back on the boat! Thank you for the customer service! read more

My family and I took the sunset bat cruise and it was awesome! Our Captain (Katie) provided excellent information about Austin and the ongoing building development. I learned a lot about the area and have lived here for 5 years. The boat sailed at a nice smooth pace and it was great that we got to see the bats start flying. Our boat crew was not in a rush and provided some very educational information about the bats. The weather was gorgeous and it was nice that it was BYOB. We paid $15 to park at the Hyatt as there was no free street parking available. The cruise was definitely worth the price though. read more

We arrived at the dock more than 20 minutes prior to stated departure time (it actually ended up leaving 30 minutes after we got there), a group of four including my parents visiting from out of town to be told we would have to board separate vessels. We ended up not going vs being split up to ride different boats. I was under the assumption that a reservation would at least allow us to be on the same boat but they apparently do not hold any seats and allow walk ups to purchase regardless of pre-existing reservations. Either show up 45-60 minutes early and sit there waiting or find another cruise line. Obviously there is no point in booking ahead of time as well. read more

We had a blast! I live in Austin, but had a friend visiting from out of town. We went on the 2-hour Live Music/Bat Cruise. It gave us time to see parts of the city, listen to some tunes, and check out the bats. Plus, BYOB, no need to say more. The staff and Captain were amazing, and the boat was nice enough. The only reason they don't get 5 stars is that there were a lot of kids on the cruise, and I think 2 hours on the boat was a little much for the little ones (they got restless and cranky). Definitely make reservations and get there early. It's tight quarters on the top deck, so you have to get up there quickly. read more

Great value($10) and loved the tour. Monday nite I was by myself and the guide waited till I finally got a cab to come. Actually waited for 30 minutes and then cab company told me to go to near by Hyatt to get a cab because no one was close by. I was a little scared to walk there alone and the guide escorted me and waited till I got one. Next day my roommate checked in and I suggested we take the tour again. Different tour guide but equally informative read more

Did the bat watching in the evening and it was great. Captain Kate was very informative about history of Austin and especially the bats. Unfortunately we didn't see them all swarm out from the bridge at once but that's the chance i took. It was fascinating read more

I took my elderly parents, who were visiting from out of State. We had a great time. Very informative and funny All questions were answered and we saw the bats. Will do this again. The driver was very friendly. Overall was well worth the money and will definitely go back. read more

No fun here! After booking on line and reading the dos and don'ts, I was disappointed at boarding time when I was rudely told I could not bring on board my 7 pound yorkie.. I was told that dogs were not allowed. I explained that was not expressed on their website. So obviously I gave my ticket to a lucky stranger. When I called the office a few days later, the lady wanted to give me another ticket. She did not understand the inconvenience and embarrassment I experienced from my large group. The lady never said sorry nor that they would revise their website rules. She then hung up on me. read more

Reasonably priced and nice folks running the place. Be sure and not be late because they WILL fill the boat up. BYOB and anything else you need for an hr trip. No drinks or snacks otherwise. Also, no bathrooms so hit up the Hyatt on tour way down. You can park in Hyatt's lot for a smaller fee than on the street in some cases too. read more

This review is in regards to the Midnight Cruise on Town Lake. I think this would have been a nicer experience if they had not oversold tickets beyond what was a comfortable capacity. People were crammed up on the top deck - forced to sit in weirdly arranged seating positions. Standing was not an option, though it would have been preferred, because chairs and a few 4-tops were sprawled across the deck. I went with a group of 4, all of the 4-top tables on the deck were occupied by couples, 2 people, uno, dos, leaving us to sit very awkwardly in the middle of the deck surrounded by other confused & disappointed customers. You legit could not have a conversation without people on all sides hearing. I definitely lean towards introversion, so sitting so uncomfortably close to others prompted me to ask for a refund before sailing off, which they did not grant, so we moved down to the lower level. It wasn't much better. The inside of the boat was dark, danky, and smelt terrible. As a result, we were forced to sit & stand outside on the very tip of the lower deck with 7 other disgruntled people. While the city views were... nice...the experience was not one that I would purchase again - I think everyone on that boat couldn't wait for their hour to be up. I think people go on this cruise for a romantic, intimate setting, but overselling it for profit? I'd rather pay more for less people. Sorry, Lone Star Riverboat. read more

Get there early to get a seat. Great way to view the bats coming out from under the bridge! The boat captain provided facts on bats and was very humorous. He kept the riders entertained. read more

Made reservations and got personal response very quickly. Went on the bat tour... Captain was friendly and very knowledgable of the bats and the Austin skyline. Had a great time. read more

I went there twice because I LOVE AUSTIN THAT MUCH. I had an awesome guide the first time, he was very knowledge about Austin, and he explained everything with a sense of humor. But the second time, we had a lady guide who seemed to move here not too long ago. She was a little shy, not a whole lot of talking was going on. I guess it was just your luck. It could be a very awesome experience with a nice guide, or ...not so much read more

Loved this! Our captain tour guide Danielle was great! Very funny and informative. She knew just about everything about bats and really kept us entertained. Byob!! Great value. Adorable staff. Really fun date night! read more

Great experience overall, I would definitely recommend doing it! We knew things might be slow this weekend due to ACL, but based on the warnings on the website and on other reviews we arrived really early to make sure we secured our spots. Unfortunately it was just us and four hipster twenty-somethings. The tour guide said we needed ten to really make the trip worth his time. So we tried to tempt passersby to join us and finally got a couple with a baby to board. The ride was very pleasant, smooth and peaceful. Our tour guide, Chris, was great, he was cool and funny and really informative. He kept things interesting without being annoying and knew a lot about Austin. We saw tons of bats and really got a great view under the bridge. I'm so glad we got to go and I wish we had brought more cash because Chris deserved a huge tip. Don't miss this, way better method of viewing the bats than standing on the bridge. $10 is a serious bargain. read more

On July 1st I was extremely excited to go on our 1st boat ride to show my family from FL the sunset, and bats. The ride started out great and our tour guide was awesome and taught us some new things. Then, the other boat we went out with broke down we sat there for almost 25 mins as the crew with help from my dad and some other guest helped get the broken boat connected so we could tug it back. We paid $40 plus dollars and missed everything...so no bats, no apologies, plus we missed our reservations that we had for a week or more with a nice restaurant. I have to say I was not pleased with the staff or company not reaching out and offering another boat ride or money back. read more

Our family loved the bat tour! The guide actually kept us out longer than scheduled, just so we could see the bats leave. It's the best seat in the house to be on the water looking up (just keep your mouth closed!:) It is a little cramped but only costs $10. And it really is BYOB! Load up a cooler, get there early and sit back and enjoy a great ride. The commentary from the guides is so entertaining. And our kids, ages 5 and 9, had a great time, too! read more

I highly recommend Lone Star! We were on the smaller boat (a pontoon) and it was perfect (minus not having restrooms). Captain Chris was entertaining and knowledgeable and we really enjoyed it. The bats are unreal! read more

See all

Boat trip in general was okay. However, it is a big let down from the build up. Took almost two hours and saw a few bats. It was well after dark and could only see what was in the one red light being shown at bridge. If going I would suggest August when they are more likely to be a larger departure. BTW - People standing on the bridge couldn't see anything. read more

I recommend this tour. The boat captains are funny and highly knowledgeable. Great tour. read more

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