 © Chris Schlosser
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
Facilities and Activities:
| Day-Use | Fishing | yes | | | Hiking Trail, miles | yes |
National Park Location Maps:
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View TOPO Maps!
National Park Photo Gallery:
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National Park Event Calendar:
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 © Chris Schlosser
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
Nearby Parks:
Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge
Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge
Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Manatee State Park
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| National Park Overview: |
 | On a sweltering day in May of 1539, Hernando de Soto and an army of over 600 soldiers splashed ashore in the Tampa Bay area. They arrived in nine ships laden with supplies: two hundred and twenty horses, a herd of pigs, a pack of vicious war dogs, cannon, matchlock muskets, armor, tools and rations. It was everything they would need to execute the order of King Charles V: sail to La Florida and "conquer, populate and pacify" the land.
But this expedition would never yield the gold and treasure these men so desperately sought. Instead, they marched from one village to the next, taking food and enslaving the native peoples to use as guides and porters. Hopes were dashed, fortunes squandered, and hundreds of lives lost on this calamitous journey. The de Soto expedition would change the face of the American Southeast forever, and cause Spain to drastically reevaluate her role in the New World. Ultimately, it was the first hand accounts of survivors, describing the native cultures and the richness of the land, which became the journey's enduring legacy.
The mission of De Soto National Memorial is to preserve the controversial story of this four year, four thousand mile odyssey and interpret it's significance in American history. Visitors can attend living history demonstrations, try on a piece of armor, or walk the nature trail through a Florida coastal landscape similar to the one encountered by conquistadors almost five hundred years ago. |
| Reviews By Park Visitors: |
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| | Note to Park related businesses:
List your vacation cabin, weekend getaway, log cabin rental, romantic cottage, vacation home, resort, hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, country inn, campground, RV park, horseback riding stable, canoe livery, river rafting, outfitting, sporting goods store, guide service, RV rental or any other park related activity, park related attraction or park related service on Google or StateParks.com. (more).... |
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| Related Links: |
| De Soto National Memorial - Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month - Beach area at De Soto National Memorial Photograph from NPS Destinations Magazine De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton, Florida, commemorates the landing and legacy of the 1539 expedition of ... | | Florida Public Lands: De Soto National Memorial - Florida Public Lands: De Soto National Memorial ... 792-0458 Email: DESO_Superintendent@nps.gov INFORMATIONAL LINKS De Soto National Memorial De Soto National Memorial On-line Maps Growing ... | | DogFriendly.com's Travel Guide: De Soto National Memorial - ... States and Canada Travel Guides for Dogs of ALL Sizes! De Soto National Memorial and other Places to take your Pet in Tampa Bay ... Bay City Guide Page De Soto National Memorial De Soto National ... |
| Directions: |
| Plane - Sarasota-Bradenton Airport (20 miles) Tampa International Airport (50 miles)
Car - De Soto National Memorial is located at the northern terminus of 75th Street North West, Bradenton, Florida. Visitors can reach the park from I-75 or I-275. From I-75 follow State Road 64 west (also Manatee Avenue), for approximately twelve miles to 75th Street West. Turn right (north) onto 75th Street West, and proceed two and five-tenths miles to the park entrance and the terminus of 75th Street.
From I-275 exit 1, follow US-19 into Bradenton. Turn west onto State Road 64, for approximately five miles to 75th Street West. Turn right (north) onto 75th Street West, and proceed two and five-tenths miles to the park entrance and the terminus of 75th Street.
Public Transportation - Several commercial bus lines serve the area, however, none stop at the memorial.
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