Bats have always gotten a bad rap. For as long as ghost stories and gory fables have infiltrated the minds of the imaginative and paranoid, bats have held a central role in representing a small, dark part of what goes bump in the night. But these poor guys are actually awesome! They pollinate flowers, rely on sonar to navigate and are the only mammals who can fly. What the hell have you done lately?
The Discovery Science Center attempts to counteract this negative, unjust bat stereotyping by offering the hands-on exhibit “The True Story of Bats,” featuring “lifelike cave piece sets, models and interactives.” Kids 17 and under are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes and hang upside-down in the elaborately designed bat houses. Bats will never acquire the cuddle status of a pointless purse dog, but the information available here just might garner them some well-deserved respect.
Oct. 1-Nov. 1, 10 a.m., 2008
