Bradenton, FL – Located less than an hour from Tampa, the De Soto National Memorial offers a glimpse into history. From their website “In May 1539, Conquistador Hernando De Soto’s army of soldiers, hired mercenaries, craftsmen and clergy made landfall in Tampa Bay. They were met with fierce resistance of indigenous people protecting their homelands. De Soto’s quest for glory and gold would be a four year, four thousand mile odyssey of intrigue, warfare, disease, and discovery that would form the history of the United States.” We visited the Memorial as a day trip from Quail Run RV Resort just north of Tampa.
Model of a 1539 period village
The De Soto National Memorial is located in the approximate area that De Soto’s party would have come ashore. There is a model village where on special dates Rangers and volunteers dressed in period clothing will present talks on a variety of historical topics related to the De Soto Expedition and Florida’s Native Americans. There are weapons and Spanish and native craft demonstrations throughout the day. Inside the visitor center are artifacts, a film outlining De Soto’s exploration route of southern United States. His party traveled through what is now Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. De Soto was supposed to be exploring and claiming the land they called La Floridia by setting up ports and towns for the Spanish King Charles V, but finding gold became his obsession. He was ruthless in his mission, with his party directly killing and enslaving thousands of Native Americans. The Europeans also brought new diseases which wiped out untold numbers of other Native Americans.
Look out into the Gulf of Mexico and imagine De Soto’s landing
Shell tools
Crossbow design of the De Soto era
Once a year, the Memorial stages a De Soto Landing reenactment. From the website: “Be here as conquistador Hernando De Soto comes ashore and claims Florida. Stay all day as we provide talks and demonstrations about De Soto’s expedition and its lasting impact on early American history, and the native people of the Southeast.”
A picture of a De Soto reenactment
The Memorial’s Nature Trail winds along the shoreline and through several Florida ecosystems, including a mangrove forest like the one that De Soto’s men would have encountered when they landed. The trail includes interpretive signage and waysides that tell the story of the De Soto Expedition and the natural history of the area. There are two trail options, either 1/2 mile or 1 mile, but they do overlap. A guide to the Interpretive Nature Trail is available at the visitor center. We enjoyed walking the Nature Trail where we spotted brown anole lizards, white ibis, and a pileated woodpecker.
The entrance of the Nature Trail is near the Visitor Center
Brown Anole Lizard
White Ibis along the trail
We spotted this Pileated Woodpecker in the trees
De Soto National Memorial also offers free ranger led kayak tours from May 13th through October 28th. Tours are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Equipment including kayaks (2 person), paddles and personal floatation devices (vests) are provided by the park for participant use. Tours average 1.5 hrs. and are conducted from park grounds. The Memorial has numerous picnic benches. There is no camping and the park gate closes at 5pm. The grounds may be used from dawn to dusk by those who park along the street.
Picnic Table with a view at De Soto National Memorial
