I came to see a few bats at the University of Florida, but apparently Gainesville has an entire bat…read moresoap opera happening behind the scenes. And yes, before you even ask, IT SMELLS. Like bats live here. Because they do.
It started with a fire. In 1987, Johnson Hall burned down, taking the home of roughly 5,000 Brazilian free tailed bats with it. The homeless bats moved into the university's athletic facilities, where bat urine and guano became an increasingly unpleasant problem. So in 1991, UF built them their very own bat house across from Lake Alice. Then came the ultimate rejection: the bats refused to move in. Imagine building a house specifically for 5,000 bats and having them collectively decide the neighborhood isn't for them.
UF kept trying. They added guano to make the place smell like home and even played recordings of bat colony sounds to lure them inside. After more than three years, the bats finally moved in during 1995, and apparently decided they liked the place because the colony exploded. In 2009, the original bat house collapsed, and UF eventually built additional structures, including the bat barn. Today, the colony can reach roughly 450,000 to 500,000 bats. At that point, we're no longer talking about a bat house. We're talking about a bat metropolis.
Come around sunset and the whole thing gets surreal. Thousands upon thousands of bats begin pouring out into the Florida sky to hunt insects, and it is genuinely incredible to watch. Just don't arrive expecting fresh air and roses. It smells like bats because it is, quite literally, a city full of bats. Once you accept that, the whole experience becomes even more fascinating. This started as the University of Florida trying to solve a very smelly problem and somehow became one of Gainesville's strangest attractions.
Quick Tip: bring a clothes pin for your nose