Although more famous for its musical connections, the Texas state capital Austin has a surprising amount of green spaces – and blue.

Lady Bird Lake is actually a reservoir whose skinny shape makes it look more like a river. It was created in 1960 as a cooling pond for a power plant and was later renamed after former president Lyndon B Johnson’s wife, Claudia 'Lady Bird' Johnson. At nightfall, 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats flutter from beneath Congress Avenue Bridge (pictured) like ash in the breeze.

Love this? Follow us on Facebook for travel inspiration and more

America's most beautiful lakes, ranked