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    University of Florida Bat House

    382 Reviews
    #8 of 53 things to do in Gainesville
    Features Animals
    Nature & Parks, Nature & Wildlife Areas
    Open Now: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Museum Road, Near Lake Alice, Gainesville, FL 32611
    Open today: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Save
    Review Highlights
    “Go at sundown”

    Thousand of bats leave at sundown. Wave upon wave of bats flying away every evening to eat. Quite a... read more

    Reviewed 1 week ago
    409charless
    ,
    Gainesville, Florida
    “World’s Largest Occupied Bat Houses”

    It’s great to see the mass departure of 500 million bats from the three bat barns/house, which are... read more

    Reviewed 1 week ago
    Robogator0
    ,
    Windermere, Florida
    via mobile
    Read all 382 reviews
    103
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    Certificate of Excellence
    Traveler Overview
    4.5382 reviews
    • Excellent66%
    • Very good27%
    • Average6%
    • Poor1%
    • Terrible0%
    Travelers talk about
    “lake alice”(67 reviews)
    “across the street”(42 reviews)
    “every evening”(8 reviews)
    About
    The University of Florida Bat Houses are the world's largest occupied bat houses with an estimated population of 500,000. The structures are located on the north side of Museum Road between Village Drive and Radio Road across from Lake Alice on the...more
    Open Now
    Hours Today: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    See all hours
    Suggested duration: < 1 hour
    Contact
    Museum Road, Near Lake Alice, Gainesville, FL 32611
    Website
    +1 352-273-2054
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    Reviews (382)
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    All reviews lake alice across the street every evening unique experience black cloud cool experience an umbrella wear a hat bring bug spray all ages dusk thousands swarm nightly hawks fence twilight
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    1 - 10 of 365 reviews
    Reviewed 1 week ago
    Go at sundown

    Thousand of bats leave at sundown. Wave upon wave of bats flying away every evening to eat. Quite a sight.

    Date of experience: January 2019
    Thank 409charless
    Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile
    World’s Largest Occupied Bat Houses

    It’s great to see the mass departure of 500 million bats from the three bat barns/house, which are located near Lake Alice on the UF campus. The bats start flying out around sunset on certain evenings, especially when the winds are calm and the temperature...More

    Date of experience: January 2019
    2  Thank Robogator0
    Reviewed 1 week ago
    Love this place!

    Interesting stop while in Gainesville. So many bats right at sunset! It's almost mythical. We loved it.

    Date of experience: January 2019
    Thank Vina_Mora
    Paul R, Public Relations Manager at University of Florida Bat House, responded to this reviewResponded 1 week ago

    Hi Vina_Mora, Thanks for your review of the UF Bat Houses. We're glad you enjoyed the emergence and hope you'll visit again when you have the opportunity. Kind regards, Paul Ramey

    Reviewed 3 weeks ago
    Cool to see

    Plenty of bats reside, you can hear them during the day and see them going in and out at night. Very interestingMore

    Date of experience: December 2018
    Thank PierreS308
    Paul R, Public Relations Manager at University of Florida Bat House, responded to this reviewResponded 1 week ago

    Hi PierreS308, Thanks for taking the time to review the University of Florida Bat House. We're glad to hear you enjoyed the evening emergence. I'm not allowed to post the link here, but the Florida Museum of Natural History has two streaming web cams to...More

    Reviewed 3 weeks ago via mobile
    Stand on east sidewalk by garden, or else bring an umbrella

    What a wonderful experience! There were people there of all ages. Bats started coming out about 20 minutes after sunset. So did the mosquitoes. We stood on the east side on the sidewalk between the bat houses and the garden. The people standing on the...More

    Date of experience: December 2018
    Thank melaniejaneb
    Paul R, Public Relations Manager at University of Florida Bat House, responded to this reviewResponded 1 week ago

    Hi melaniejaneb, Thanks for your review of the UF Bat Houses. We're glad you enjoyed the evening emergence. I'm not allowed to post the link here, but the Florida Museum of Natural History does have two streaming web cams to view the bats: on is...More

    Reviewed December 12, 2018
    Bats

    We actually visit the bat houses at dusk often. It is a fascination I don't think we will ever outgrow. Something in the anticipation of the wait, then that first small dot flying out of one of the houses, then a few, then clouds of...More

    Date of experience: September 2018
    Thank Discover815799
    Paul R, Public Relations Manager at University of Florida Bat House, responded to this reviewResponded December 13, 2018

    Hi Discover815799, Thanks so much for your review and comments. Bats are indeed amazing little creatures we're glad to hear you enjoy experiencing the evening emergence. In case you aren't aware, the bats may also be viewed during daytime hours on the Florida Museum of...More

    Reviewed November 25, 2018
    Interesting experience

    One of a kind experience. Very interesting! The bats come out at sunset, and fly around in sort of flocks in beautiful patterns. I'd recommend to get there a little earlier, since finding a parking spot might be a bit tricky.More

    Date of experience: October 2018
    Thank irinkaflorida
    Paul R, Public Relations Manager at University of Florida Bat House, responded to this reviewResponded December 13, 2018

    Hi irinkaflorida, Thanks for taking the time to review and share your thoughts on the UF Bat Houses. If you or others aren't aware, the Florida Museum of Natural History has a live streaming webcam that allows the bats to be viewed during daytime hours,...More

    Reviewed November 24, 2018 via mobile
    Bats

    Bats bats and more bats. Great Garden with Banana trees. Watch out for Gators at night. Go see the Gators during the day and the Bats at night.More

    Date of experience: November 2018
    Thank twinboytravels
    Paul R, Public Relations Manager at University of Florida Bat House, responded to this reviewResponded December 13, 2018

    Hi twinboytravels, Thanks for your review and comments. In case you aren't aware, the bats may also be viewed during daytime hours on the Florida Museum of Natural History website. The Museum has a live streaming web cam inside the first bat barn, as well...More

    Reviewed November 21, 2018 via mobile
    Super cool

    This was a cool experience. There are so many bats. It’s incredible. The bats are high in the sky. But, there are hundreds of thousands of them. They fly is a pack.

    Date of experience: November 2018
    Thank stephaniepuentew2018
    Paul R, Public Relations Manager at University of Florida Bat House, responded to this reviewResponded December 13, 2018

    Hi stephaniepuentew2018, Thanks for your review and comments. Bats are indeed amazing and incredible little creatures and we're glad to hear you enjoy experiencing the evening emergence. Kind regards, Paul Ramey

    Reviewed August 27, 2018 via mobile
    Go just before dusk

    Across the road from Lake Alice, thousands of bats stream it off three bat houses, every evening. It is a truly impressive sight (and smell). Get there a bit early to park, and then wait at the fence--they come out a few at a time,...More

    Date of experience: May 2018
    1  Thank Pamela G
    Paul R, Public Relations Manager at University of Florida Bat House, responded to this reviewResponded December 13, 2018

    Hi Pamela G, Thanks so much for your review and comments. Bats are indeed amazing little creatures and we're glad to hear you enjoy experiencing the evening emergence. Also to let others know, I believe the "Chapel" you're describing is the UF Baughman Center, and...More

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    Questions & Answers
    Ask a question
    See all 5 questions
    Tom F
    June 15, 2018|
    Answer
    Response from Paul R | Property representative |
    Hi Tom, While there could be many possible explanations, it’s likely it was a maternity colony that left after the pups were ready to fly. It will be interesting to see if others move in before next spring or if they come... More
    0
    Votes
    Patrick W
    September 28, 2017|
    AnswerShow all 9 answers
    Response from Paul R | Property representative |
    Hello, Yes, the bats emerge year-round as long as there isn't a really bad storm and the temperature is at least around 65 degrees. There are typically fewer bats during the winter months. Keep in mind they feed on... More
    1
    Vote
    TravelingfromPace
    June 11, 2017|
    AnswerShow all 15 answers
    Response from Paul R | Property representative |
    The bat houses are outside on the UF campus, and pets on leashes are permitted. The viewing area is right on Museum Road, so having pets on a leash is definitely a good idea.
    0
    Votes
    12