Lone Star Riverboat Cruises

208 Barton Springs Road
Austin, TX, 78704

(512) 327-1388

Lone Star Riverboat Cruises & Austin are two shining stars of Texas! Join us aboard one of our all environmentally-friendly vessels. Experience the exhilaration of the outdoors, the abundant waterfowl, our ever changing city skyline and the natural beauty that is Austin. We’re located on Lake Lady Bird in Austin, TX and feature boat charters, daily bat watching tours, weekend afternoon sightseeing tours, and a moonlight cruises on Friday nights. Free parking is available at Vic Mathias Shores subject to special event availability and on a first come first serve basis.

About Charters
Imagine your social occasion on a delightful cruise right through the heart of downtown Austin, Texas aboard The Lone Star. Private charters are available year-round for groups of 30 to 100 people. Visit our charters page on our full website for more details.

Daily Bat Watching Sunset Cruises
Climb aboard the Little Star, Northern Star and Southern Star Daily (March – October) for a spectacular sight to see the bats emerge from the bridge at sunset! An estimated 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Tours last 1 hour and start 30 minutes before sunset! Prices are $13 for adults, $11 for seniors, $8 for children aged 2-12, and free for children under 2.

Weekend Afternoon Sightseeing Cruises
Enjoy a quiet, scenic and relaxing cruise on Lady Bird Lake, aboard one of our all environmentally-friendly electric cruisers-normally on the Lone Star – our big double-decker boat. Come join us and take in the picturesque sights of Lady Bird Lake. Tour times are Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 and 3pm, boarding begins 45 minutes prior to departure. Prices are $13 for adults, $11 for seniors, $8 for children aged 2-12, and free for children under 2.

Friday Night Moonlight Cruise
Enjoy a romantic, scenic and relaxing cruise on Lady Bird Lake, aboard The Lone Star. Come join us and take in the beautiful Austin skyline under the stars with your special someone. Tours are Friday night at 10:30 and boarding begins at 9:45. All tickets are $13.

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Lone Star Riverboat Cruises Reviews

Ryann Harrison

November 2, 2024

Honestly so fun! It was inexpensive - and the boat wasn’t the nicest but I did not care. $14 for an hour tour of the city by water? Sign me up! We saw so many bats and learned all about Austin’s architecture. It’s BYOB and super chill. Dj was awesome and answered all of our questions. 10/10

saurabh bahl

September 27, 2024

Good place to enjoy fall evening , 14$ a ticket to be on boat in austin lake . Good experience see lot of bats and wnjoyed the evening , views of austin skyline is amazing

William J. Wyner (Jesse)

August 16, 2024

I would give a higher rating if I could. I can't remember our tour guides name, but she did a fantastic job. This was our first Austin activity as a group (bachelor party) and I can't think of a better way to start our visit. If someone tells you that going to see the bats isn't worth it, don't believe a word they say. It was incredible and I will absolutely be doing it again. Thank you, Lone Star!

Nicole Jawad

July 18, 2024

This was a great experience for the price. We not only got to see the bats, we got to experience a nice river cruise for a great price. Playing music during boarding would have been a nice touch. I highly recommend bringing something to drink on board.

Jennifer Taylor

July 13, 2024

We had an awesome time with Captain Matt and Captain Toby , witty humor mixed with fun facts about Austin made our Bat tour experience memorable. We were right under the bridge with the best view to see last nights emergence , what an experience!

Shari Sawyers

June 27, 2024

We loved the boat tour! Even though the bats didn’t really swarm, we saw quite a few. Our tour guides Natalie & Maverick were great, and the night was beautiful. Even the screaming toddler couldn’t ruin the night for us! Thanks!

Lori Moore

June 16, 2024

We prebooked the 8PM Bat Tour, and it was fantastic! Our captain, Jais, was funny and informative. The sunset was beautiful, and we got to see a moderate emergence of bats around 9:05. One of the best parts of our weekend visit to Austin!

Roodnel Charles

May 22, 2024

My wife and I did a 8Pm tour! Beautiful Sunset.. Very good and really fair pricing! And Captain Onsolo (don't know the right spelling, my bad..loll) was really fun.. Captain Natalie was on board too.. we've seen few bats... Highly recommend it..

Margaret Wurdeman

May 11, 2024

Great way to see the bats in Austin! Tour Guide was entertaining and knowledgeable. This was on my husband's bucket list and he enjoyed every minute of it!!

Marianne D

May 3, 2024

Even though we didn’t see the horde of bats as seen in so many of the pictures, the tour guide, Captain Toby was worth the price of admission. So much fun information about the Austin skyline in addition to the bats themselves. We had to give up as it looked like they weren’t coming out in the rain, but on our walk back to the car we stopped on the path under the bridge and witnessed groups of bats flying around the bridge pillars and into the nearby trees. It was very cool. Would definitely recommend the boat tour over standing in the bridge or a nearby patch of grass. Rainy conditions aside, our group of 3 really enjoyed it.

Lone Star Riverboat Cruises Gallery