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University of Florida Bat House

Museum Road, Lake Alice, Gainesville, FL 32607
(352) 846-0643
Website
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Ranked #5 of 15 attractions in Gainesville
Type: Nature/ Wildlife Areas
Most recent review
- 18 May 2013
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47 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    27
    15
    5
    0
    0
Date Rating
GAINESVILLE
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
9 attraction reviews
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 May 2013 NEW

If you are not irrationally terrified of bats this will provide you a fascinating experience. As the Sun sets the bats emerge from this specially constructed bat habitat on the University of Florida campus. Though bats are often reviled, these bats are harmless to human, but not to insects. Their nightly flights are for feeding on the many insects that... More

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Gainesville, Florida
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
6 attraction reviews
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2013

Park west of the houses on Museum rd. Get there about 20 minutes before sundown and enjoy. Really cool experience, great to bring out-of-town folks.

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Gainesville, Florida, United States
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
3 attraction reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2013

I see it all the time, but it never ceases to impress me. Watch out for bat pee!! Don't stand under the stream of flying bats.

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central florida
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
4 attraction reviews
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 March 2013

Reading about this did not really prepare me for the number of bats that come pouring out of those relatively small looking bat houses - 350,000 bats. That's a lot of bats. Benches to wait on, one predatory bird waiting too to snatch dinner right out of the air, Lake Alice across the street, a very informative kiosk with everything... More

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Tampa, Florida
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
6 attraction reviews
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 March 2013

This was an amazing experience!! About 20 mins before sunset, you will see a few bats fly out of the house and barn. Then the number of bats begins to multiply quickly as hundreds of bats are flying out and around. We even saw a Red Shoulder Hawk swoop down 3 times and catch his dinner (baby bat) as the... More

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Gainesville, Florida, United States
Senior Contributor
40 reviews 40 reviews
19 attraction reviews
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 February 2013

Ha--you probably thought this review was about bar-hopping! No, it's about the nightly flight of the bats, definitely worth seeing if you are near campus at dusk. These little guys help combat the mosquitoes and other pests nearby.

Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Orlando, Florida
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 January 2013

Must see. It is so fascinating to see the bats in the evening. When they come out for feeding, you might feel they were trained to do this. In the sense its awesome to see the discipline there. The location is pretty next to the lake and the vegetable gardens.

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North Florida
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
3 attraction reviews
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 January 2013

Kind of hot in the summer but I don't think bats are very active in winter time. The bats are usually pretty reliable and show up when expected (sundown). Fun free community activity for families.

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Gainesville, Florida, United States
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
5 attraction reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 January 2013

I can't remember the last time I came here, but the first time I heard about the bat house, It excited me very much to see bats flying back and forth from the bat house. The swarm didn't start till noon. It was pretty much exciting to see the whole sky swarming with bats. Every day, I pass by this... More

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gainesville, fl
Senior Contributor
39 reviews 39 reviews
17 attraction reviews
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 January 2013

The two houses don't look all that big but the amount of bats that come out is incredible. There is an amazing amount of these wonderful creatures that fly over your head! The timing is just at dusk so make sure that you get there earlier because of parking and due to all the people. Its amazing. If you have... More

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