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Nat'l Recreation Area
Nat'l Recreation Area

De Soto National Memorial

Florida · FL

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We display cached information from agency feeds. Hours, fees, permits, closures, fire restrictions, and conditions change without notice. Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current conditions for this park using the links above before you go — you are responsible for compliance. Last verified by us: May 20, 2026. Our copy is more than a month old — please reconfirm with the agency before relying on it.Spot an error in our data?

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Park entrance fees, hours, and ranger-issued closures change without notice and may be out of date here. Always confirm current conditions, fees, and access restrictions with the managing agency before you travel. Outdoors is not responsible for closures, fines, or denied entry resulting from outdated information.

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.

Source: recreation.gov

From Wikipedia

De Soto National Memorial is a national memorial located in Manatee County, approximately five miles west of Bradenton, Florida. The national memorial commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto and the first extensive organized exploration by Europeans of what is now the southern United States. The memorial site comprises 26.84 acres (10.86 ha), where the Manatee River joins Tampa Bay. It has 3,000 feet (910 m) of coastline; eighty percent of the area is mangrove swamp.

Source: Wikipedia — text licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Verify alerts and operational details with the managing agency below.

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Hunting in this park

Hunting is generally prohibited in this National Park Service unit

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