7 stops on the route
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Photo: Jouaienttoi, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source) 01
Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge
Lady Bird Lake at Lamar
A curving bridge across the lake with the whole downtown skyline in front of you. Pedicabs are allowed on it.
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Photo: Bryan Rutherford, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source) 02
Lamar bridge and the skyline
Lady Bird Lake
The postcard view of downtown rising over the water.
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03
Stevie Ray Vaughan statue
Auditorium Shores
An 8-foot bronze of the blues legend, guitar in hand, facing the skyline across the lake.
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Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source) 04
Auditorium Shores and the Long Center
Riverside Drive
The best lawn view of the skyline, and the ring-topped home of the symphony and ballet.
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Photo: Capvideo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source) 05
Congress Avenue Bridge bats
Lady Bird Lake at Congress
Up to a million and a half bats pour out from under this bridge at dusk, March through November.
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Photo: Arvindn on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source) 07
Wishbone Bridge at Longhorn Dam
East end of Lady Bird Lake
The new three-legged pedestrian bridge that finally closed the loop around the lake.
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Good to know
- Starts
- Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge. We can pick you up at your hotel instead.
- Finishes
- Wishbone Bridge at Longhorn Dam
- Distance
- about 4 miles, more with the Wishbone Bridge, plus time at each stop.
- Guests
- Up to three per cab. Bigger groups ride together in more cabs.
- Price
- From $170 per cab. See all tour fares, or build a custom tour.
Rider guide
The route, timing and talking points for the rider giving this tour. Guests are welcome to read along. About 90 minutes at stops, plus riding time.
- Finish at the Congress Avenue Bridge about 20 minutes before sunset for the bats (March to November). The Wishbone Bridge adds 20 to 30 minutes.
- Route: Seaholm and the Pfluger Bridge, across to Auditorium Shores and the Long Center, east to the Congress Avenue Bridge, on to Waller Creek, and optionally east to Longhorn Dam.
- Agree the fare before the ride. Austin requires it, and the fare has to be posted in the cab.
- Up to three guests per cab, everyone over six in a seat.
- Don't ride on the Capitol grounds or UT campus roads (state property) or on hike-and-bike trails. Narrate from the street.
- The Pfluger Bridge and the sidewalks beside the Lady Bird Lake bridges are fine to ride.
- Weekend nights, 6th Street is barricaded: don't enter without APD permission. Stage at Brazos or Red River.
- Don't supply alcohol. Guests can drink in the cab, no glass.
- Ride the route yourself before leading it, and check anything marked 'check' in the talking points.
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1
Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge
about 15 minWhere to stop: Ride it at walking pace. Stop at the middle for photos without blocking the path.
- Opened in 2001, named for architect James D. Pfluger.
- The double curve lets it bend around the Lamar road bridge; the northwest ramp came later, in 2011.
- One of the few bridges where pedicabs ride with the walkers: take it slow.
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2
Lamar bridge and the skyline
about 10 minWhere to stop: Ride the bridge sidewalks; pedicabs can use the sidewalks next to the Lady Bird Lake bridges.
- Lady Bird Lake is a stretch of the Colorado River, named for Lady Bird Johnson, who championed the trail around it.
- Paddleboarders, rowers and the hike-and-bike trail below.
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3
Stevie Ray Vaughan statue
about 10 minWhere to stop: Auditorium Shores is on the hike-and-bike trail, which pedicabs can't ride. Park on Riverside Drive and walk guests over.
- Bronze by Ralph Helmick, unveiled in 1994, four years after Vaughan's death in a 1990 helicopter crash.
- Look behind him: a bronze shadow is cast on the ground.
- Fans leave guitar picks and flowers. Ask if anyone wants a photo with him.
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4
Auditorium Shores and the Long Center
about 10 minWhere to stop: Pull up on Riverside Drive. The trail itself is off-limits to pedicabs.
- The Long Center reused the ring from the old Palmer Auditorium.
- The terrace looks straight across the lake at downtown, a favorite sunset spot.
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5
Congress Avenue Bridge bats
about 20 minWhere to stop: Time the tour to arrive about 20 minutes before sunset. Watch from the bridge sidewalk; the lawn by the Statesman bat observation area fills up early.
- The largest urban bat colony in North America: Mexican free-tailed bats, mostly mothers and pups.
- They moved in after a 1980 bridge rebuild left perfect crevices underneath.
- Each night they eat tons of insects. Peak emergence is late summer.
- Officially the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, named for the governor.
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6
Waller Creek and Waterloo Greenway
about 15 minWhere to stop: Check which sections are open and where a pedicab can stop before promising this stop.
- Waterloo Greenway is rebuilding the creek corridor from the lake up through downtown.
- The Confluence section, with lattice bridges and a boardwalk over the creek, opened in 2026 (check what's open).
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7
Wishbone Bridge at Longhorn Dam
about 10 minWhere to stop: It connects to the trail, which pedicabs can't ride. View it from Pleasant Valley Road and walk guests out.
- Opened in early 2026 next to Longhorn Dam, closing the biggest gap in the Butler Trail (check).
- Three legs meet in a small plaza over the water.
Ride the Lady Bird Lake and the bridges tour.
Pick a date and we'll confirm your rider and the price before you ride.
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