You must visit: the UF Bat Houses in Gainesville, Florida

The world‘s largest occupied bat houses are located in Gainesville, across from Lake Alice - where you will guaranteed see some gators - and the University of Florida campus - where you'll see Gators. 

Anyone who thinks it might be cool to see approximately 500,000 bats fly out at dusk needs to pay a visit to the UF Bat Houses. It’s hands down one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. 

Here are a few tips for catching the bats at dusk: 

• Look up what time the sun is setting and arrive at least thirty minutes beforehand. 

• There’s free parking, but the closer it is to dusk, the more the lot will fill up. (It costs nothing to visit the Houses.)

• It’s a bit of a walk (about five minutes) to the Bat Houses from your car if you want to get up close, so plan accordingly. 

• Bring a blanket and throw it on the grass to relax while you wait. 

• Have your camera ready. This time of day captures the most beautiful pictures - not just of bats and gators - but of each other.

• Just know that if you’re lucky enough to have the bats fly right over you - you will get peed and pooped on. Together, it’s kind of like a stinky mist. Be advised - and perhaps bring an umbrella or stand outside of the fence line underneath a tree.

Any time of year is a good time to visit, but October offers an opportunity to celebrate bats and debunk their scary reputation. Not only does one bat eat its weight in insects (like mosquitoes) each night, but bats play an important role in plant pollination, particularly fruit trees. Their guano (poop) helps spread seeds and is essential for plant growth as it provides the soil with nutrients.

Put simply, bats play a critical role within ecosystems, and we need them. 

They are not the human-feasting vampire creatures they are often thought of as in popular culture. 

Things to know about bat safety: 

• Bats do not attack or harm people unless they are provoked.
• Only .5 percent (or 1 in 200) bats has rabies; for comparison, 35 percent of raccoons have rabies. 
• The number one safety thing to know about bats and rabies is to never approach or touch a bat, especially one that is on the ground. 
• A bat in flight will rarely have rabies. 
• A bat that has rabies is likely to be found on the ground sluggish and easy for someone to pick up, which is why children need to be advised not to. 

Each year, the Lubee Bat Conservancy hosts the Florida Bat Festival in Gainesville. This year, it’s on Saturday October 25th from 10am-5pm. This is a family, friendly event designed to raise awareness and donations for conservation efforts. 

As a mom and former teacher, I’ve always thought learning about the “spooky” animals around Halloween is just the most fun and impactful way to teach kids about true animal behaviors and their impacts on the environment.

The easiest way to support bats at home is to: 

• Bats like nesting in old trees, so leaving dead trees where they are provides them with a natural habitat.
• In Florida, bats like nesting in Spanish moss and dead palm fronds, so leaving these on trees helps too.
• You may also build your own backyard bat house. 
• Most importantly, talk to others about bats and share what you know about them.