👋 Megan here! Watching the bats emerge at Bracken Cave Preserve is a special summer activity that draws travelers from around the globe to a field just 30 miles outside San Antonio.

Why it matters: The cave is home to the largest bat colony in the world.

By the numbers: About 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats stay at Bracken Cave during the summer, generally May through September.

State of play: The bats are migratory, and those that come to Bracken Cave are pregnant females.

• They give birth in June and the babies often begin flying in July, learning the ropes through the end of the summer so they can survive the trip back to Mexico and South America for the winter.

Stunning stat: The mortality rate for the babies is anywhere from 30 to 50%, a docent told my group during a recent viewing.

My experience: I left the viewing awe-struck and speechless. The sheer number of bats means they continue to emerge for hours in a tornado-like shape that blankets parts of the sky. They've even been known to show up on radar.

• There are multiple ways to take in the emergence. I was at first glued to my seat in front of the cave's mouth, but heading over to the back side of the cave allowed me to stand and watch the bats fly right over my head. I could see the transparency of their wings.
• It's a rare kind of proximity to wildlife. When you cup your ears, their flying sounds like raindrops on pavement.

How it works: The bat viewings are ticketed ($33) and in high demand.

• Times vary depending on sunrise and sunset, but there are both morning and evening bat flights.

Pro tips: I finally got in by setting a spring calendar reminder that ticketing was open, so I remembered to purchase before the summer got busy.

• You'll definitely want to bring bug spray.
• The adult-only nights allow for a quieter experience.

What's next: Tickets are still available for August and September.

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Teens seeking to socialize together in public this summer are discovering that their presence is often treated as a problem.

Why it matters: The decline of malls, cheap hangout spots and welcoming public spaces has left teenagers with few places to gather without money or access to a car, urban designers and youth researchers say.

State of play: With few options, teens have organized large gatherings in cities nationwide, which local officials have dubbed "teen takeovers."

• San Antonio police said last month they were working to address "disturbances" teenagers were causing at a Stone Oak Target, including throwing objects and loitering.

Zoom out: Teens are increasingly asking why they lack third places — locations to hang out that are not work, school or home — that earlier generations took for granted.

• "We've been getting a lot of media inquiries about third places over the past year, and I would say the majority of those inquiries are student newspapers," Nate Storring, co-executive director of the Project for Public Spaces, tells Axios.

Case in point: The Project for Public Spaces worked with young people to design The Pass in San Antonio, a renovated underpass with basketball courts, charging stations and seating.

• The key to making the space vibrant was letting teens evaluate it, recommend changes and implement them, Storring says.

The bottom line: "Stop treating teenagers like it's us and them," Storring says.

🍽️ The first tenants at The Merc, a planned new district near UT San Antonio, will include a Japanese restaurant, Hawaiian barbecue and a brunch and breakfast spot. (SA Report)

👀 A local fuel company is looking to buy the shuttered Freetail Brewing building in Southtown and convert it into a distillery. (SA Business Journal 🔑)

Friday

🍻 Honor German culture at Gartenfest at Beethoven Männerchor, starting at 5pm.

🎙️ Listen to free live music at the Texas Public Radio HQ downtown, 6-9:30pm. Expect food pop-ups and more.

Saturday

🛟 The remainder of the city's free, outdoor pools open. Hours vary.

🐟 Explore specials at the Seafood Street Market at Pullman Market, 11am-4pm. Includes yard games, local vendors, live DJs and more.

🖤 Head to the Juneteenth Block Party in St. Paul Square, 3-9pm. There will be live music, food trucks and more.

🍹 Enjoy food, entertainment and drinks at the San Antonio Margarita Festival at Social Spot, 6-10pm.

• Tickets start around $17.

Sunday

💙 Celebrate dad with Father's Day specials and events at spots like The Maestro Entrepreneur Center, Omni La Mansión del Rio, YogaSix Stone Oak, Refuge Coffee + Beer, 18 Oaks in JW Marriott and more.

At least 33 states and D.C. will give most state government workers a paid day off tomorrow for Juneteenth, per the Pew Research Center.

Why it matters: States differ considerably on how to mark the day when enslaved Black people in Galveston learned they were free.

Catch up quick: Texas made Juneteenth a permanent holiday in 1980, but most other states didn't act until 2020 or later.

• Juneteenth was signed into law as a federal holiday in 2021.