University of Florida

When in a town with a major university, or even smaller schools, it pays to check out the campus.  There are many interesting items on college campuses and many have museums or attractions that are free or low cost.  This is the case with the University of Florida in Gainesville.  If you plan better than I did you can spend the day at UF and end with the bat houses at dusk instead of doing it in two trips like I did.

At the universities Animal Science building, you might wonder what they are. Are they abstract art? Perhaps they are micro-organisms? Maybe some form of spiky grub? In fact, the statues are actually giant representations of animal penises. From left to right, the genitalia represented are: a boar, a cat, a bull, and a ram. The collection has the enigmatic name of “Some Were Quite Blind.” The collection of penis statues is accompanied by a small plaque. However, it doesn’t give any information as to what the artwork actually represents, making it easy for passersby to miss the true identities of the massive mammalian phalluses. The statues were erected on the campus in 1988. They were created by artist Carol K. Brown.
You can drive right up to the building by car, or if you are riding on the Go-RTS (the Gator Bus system) it is stop #1196.
Once you have taken a few minutes to photograph the phallues, as you can see I did! Head to the Florida Museum of Natural History at Powell Hall.  The permanent exhibits are always available for you to explore free of charge, although donations are gladly accepted. There is a cover charge for featured exhibits and the Butterfly Rainforest. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. 

 
Powell Hall's permanent public exhibits focus on the flora, fauna, fossils, and historic peoples of the state of Florida. The museum does not charge for admission to most exhibits; the exceptions are the Butterfly Rainforest and certain traveling exhibits.
The museum's collections were first used for teaching at Florida Agriculture College in Lake City in the 1800s, and were relocated to the campus of the University of Florida in 1906. The museum was chartered as the state's official Natural History Museum by the Florida Legislature in 1917. Formerly known as the Florida State Museum, the name was changed in 1988 to more accurately reflect the museum's mission and help avoid confusion with Florida State University, which is located in Tallahassee.

The Butterfly Rainforest is a can’t-miss living exhibit that features hundreds of free-flying butterflies and birds from around the world along with an assortment of other animals including turtles and fish to experience firsthand. The lush landscape is planted in tropical trees and colorful flowering plants amid waterfalls and a walking path. Skilled interpretive staff is available to help answer questions and provide visitors with a personal and highly engaging experience.  This exhibit is weather permitting  and live butterfly releases are Monday through Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The ther exhibits at the museum are : the Indoor Butterfly Exhibit, the Beverly and Jon Thompson Discovery Zone, The Infant and Toddler Area, Florida Fossils, Northwest Florida: Waterways & Wildlife, South Florida People and Environments, Exploring Our World, and Our Energy Future,

I know it sounds like a lot to see…and it is. Give yourself time to enjoy this museum.