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Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) has long been a favorite spot for Austinites to enjoy nature right in the heart of downtown. Capital Cruises, founded in 1991, introduced locals and visitors alike to a whole new perspective on Austin. The company’s electric boats allow a spectacular—and blissfully quiet—view of the city.

Through its great partnership with the Hyatt Regency Austin, Capital Cruises started a small rental fleet of pedal boats, canoes, and two Duffy electric boats.

In 1993, Capital Cruises launched its ï¬rst tour to see the bats emerge from under the Congress Avenue bridge—now recognized as their famous Sunset/Bat Watching Excursion. The Mexican free-tailed bats that emerge nightly between March and October are seen by more than a million people annually and have become one of the most popular sights in Austin.

By 2000, the company had added two larger electric paddle wheel style boats and continues to offer excursions for wedding events, corporate outings, and private parties for all occasions!

Capital Cruises remains the original all-electric fleet in the greater Austin area and has been the ultimate Austin experience for more than 25 years!

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Go amphibious with
Austin Duck Adventures

Want to visit Austin by land and sea? Austin Duck Adventures is a fun, amphibious tour of downtown Austin and beautiful Lake Austin inside one of our unsinkable, Hydra Terra vehicles, inspected by the U.S.Coast Guard.

Austin Duck Adventures is the city’s best tour, with 75 minutes of sightseeing that includes Historic Sixth Street, the State Capitol Building, Bob Bullock State History Museum, the Governor’s Mansion and Lake Austin. Our boats have been a staple in Austin since 1999. As a kid friendly tour, Austin Duck Adventures makes a splash with kids, adults, and seniors.

Have a group of co-workers, friends, or clients you want to show around the city? A great option on the Ducks is taking one of our group and private lake tours around Austin. Each tour is 1.5 hours and the route can be fully customized. Food and drink is allowed on private charters, and you can specify the pick up and drop off locations.

This tour is great for tailgate parties, weddings, birthdays, field trips, bar crawls, bachelor and bachelorette parties … or just because! Each Duck holds up to 44 people with life vests and child-friendly features aboard.

Public tours run seven days a week all year long. This is the perfect outing whether you’re a first time guest of the city or a long-time Austinite!