De Soto National Memorial

In May 1539, Hernando de Soto landed near this spot on Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers and began the first extensive European exploration of the American Southeast, a brutal four-year expedition that transformed the Indigenous world it encountered.

Try on conquistador chain mail and helmets at Camp Uzita's living history camp and walk the mangrove nature trail. For a challenge, walk the full trail system along the Manatee River and study both sides of the encounter at the visitor center.