Lubee Bat Conservancy — Attraction in Alachua

If you like animals and/or being educated about them in general or bats in particular YOU MUST VISIT! My wife and I did a private 2 hour tour as a Valentine's present to each other and had an amazing time. Alex was our guide and she was fantastic! The two hours flew by. We learned so much. We were able to get up close and personal with a variety of bat species. The enclosures are kept very clean; no visible droppings and no smell at all. Every bat was very chill. Some are curious and crawl in your direction, but not with an intimidating demeanor and slowly enough for you to back away. Others will crawl away if you get to close. (I say crawl but they're all hanging upside-down and traverse across the ceiling in a crawling manner.) We didn't see any fly. The environment is very calm and the bats just hand around unless there's food. They are all super adorable and are basically fuzzy puppies with wings. It's easy to tell this facility is managed by and staffed with knowledgeable people who are passionate about proper care of the bats and educating people about them. The entire facility is in good shape; you can tell it is meticulously maintained. I intend to become an annual donor, I had no idea how important bats are for the environment or how important it is to have places like Lubee to insure that bats can continue to be prolific. I hope to go...

Prior to this place opening there was virtually nothing known about fruit bats or fox bats (old world - equator) now we know a lot!!! Visiting here is like taking a trip to Indonesia & Madagascar! We got to visit during a summer event day. Learned so much and got to see the bats up close enjoying fruit kabobs! We don’t have any native fruit bats in Florida - our bats are all small and insectivores! The bats here don’t hibernate, they don’t have a time schedule that depends on dusk/dawn like our bats in FL because they eat fruits not insects that come out at dusk - the only thing bats do upright is pee & poop. Most of the bats here live in trees in their home country (some caves). They keep the males and females separate (unless breeding them). Seeing these bats up close is something you won’t forget! The staff is very knowledgeable! Also, Take advantage and visit the university bat houses nearby in Gainesville 10min before sunset! Our native bats come out...

I'm Gary Williamson, Pam's Husband. We toured Lubee last Thursday, March, 28. We are still amazed by the experience! Your staff and facilities are incredible. The employees are very dedicated, and the girl who was our tour guide is highly educated about all of the bats as well as the two tortoises and other animals at the conservancy. Unfortunately, I can't recall her name, but she was exceptional. Feeding the bats was an experience that I wasn't expecting, but it was a high point of the tour. To see them in action amazed us. They are so much more than what is seen in Dracula movies and Halloween. Their importance to the environment is unknown to many, but your organization and staff are the perfect advocate for our little nocturnal friends. We are so glad that we made the trip from PA to Florida to take the tour. It was an honor to have the experience. Now maybe we can become advocates for our little bat friends,...