De Soto National Memorial, Bradenton FL

Great place Riverview Ponte Preserve connects to Desoto National Memorial Park, the trail connects in the back of the park. The park I very calm and organized, peaceful and worth the time with many different exhibits to inspect. Human population is low. Again please be considerate of others with you pets, kids and infants.

This place is so cool, its like a highway for manatee! Beautiful white sand beaches and amazing snorkeling. So many good pics!

This was a very nice and relaxing park to visit. It wasn't crowded at all and the visitor center was really neat. They were playing an educational documentary on DeSoto and there was a gift shop too. I loved seeing the replicas of the Bohios. I didn't get to walk the trails but I enjoyed gazing out into the water under the shade of some mangroves.

The information desk "requires" gayrags on your face, and they'll try to virtue signal and guilt you into wearing one, but as always they can't enforce it. On top of that, it's a public accommodation.

Cool little state monument with a short hiking trail. The visitor center gives you some information about DeSoto and his expedition. There are a few replicas of the buildings that the native would have had when DeSoto landed here.

A free to visit small NPS site accessed via a pretty entrance road lined with Spanish moss covered trees. The parking lot is quite small, but there is some street parking available. There is not much to see outside, just a few recreated thatched shelters, hardly surprising as there wouldn’t have been much here in the first place, it was after all just a landing site with a rudimentary base for De Soto’s expedition of nearly 500 years ago! The visitor centre is well done, explaining the history with a 20 minute film, story boards and replica weapons & armour. There is also a short trail through the mangroves, and there are views of the water. An interesting little history visit that won’t take much more than an hour, especially if you don’t do the trail…oh and don’t forget to get your parks passport stamped!

Beautiful smallish National public land with trails, bathrooms open during covid, and lovely shaded parking.

The views are beautiful. Expect mosquitos. Not good for spending a whole lot of time, but worth the short trail hike / walk. Very accessible.

There’s good interpretation of Spanish colonialism that doesn’t shy away from the absolute brutality of the Europeans in their encounters with “Indians. ”

This is a really beautiful park and we enjoyed walking around the trails and looking out at the ocean. I would definitely recommend stopping by if you are in the area.

Beautiful area for a walk. We used to take the dogs to swim but it was extremely busy with boaters and people set up for the day.

Local staple since I was a kid. They have kept it up well and it's such a peaceful spot for a quick walk or to catch a beautiful sunset. Dont forget to bring your dogs along!

Beautiful walking trails. (no bikes)
Shaded. Small Beaches. Restrooms.
Great place to walk your dogs, take children for a stroll.

I love visiting all the NPS sites and was happy to find this National Memorial in our home state. There's a few informational signs, a replica Spanish camp, a few small monuments and a pleasant memorial trail along the Manatee River. The Castortowne Pirate Invasion was going on when we visited, with pirate events throughout the day. The huts were taken over by the events for the pirate weekend. The visitor center was still closed due to Covid, but I was able to get a Passport stamp outside.

Beautiful natural plants line the shore of this landing. Entry by boat is definitely worth the go! Kinda makes you feel like DeSoto so many years ago! Go take a hike thru the trails. There is information signs along the paths! Definitely check out the little museum! A little home away from home schooling!

Plenty of room for you and your family to spend a beach day with access to pavilions, showers, and snack bars reasonably close. Even saw a pod of Dolphins! About a 1/4 mile walk from my truck to the beach but that may be because of where I parked. Overall, great day at the beach with family and friends with bonus Florida history!

Such an awesome park that many don’t even know exists! Tons of history of the local settlers and original Indians of the area. Great views and places to just hang out and take in the beauty of the area. When we went on this day, there was even a pirate festival!

It's a remarkable place to experience what Florida landscape was before the invasion of the Europeans. Very pleasant, nice breeze from the coffee colored Manatee River. Enjoy.

Visitor Center was closed when we went. But still a nice place to walk with trails, and they have outdoor signs to teach you the history.

Great place to bring the family and kids. Place has a lot of history to learn about and teach the kids. Place was very clean and nice. Plenty of parking when I was there. Alot of stuff to see there. I'll be going back.

An enjoyable short trip. We did the short walk and looked around the little village. My son’s both enjoyed it. I’m sure there is normally more to do when covid isn’t around but it’s still fun to get out of the house!

There aren't very many national parks or monuments or memorials in Florida so we wanted to try to visit the one closest to us and were pleasantly surprised! It's small and located almost within a neighborhood so it was a bit unique compared to ones you may have visited in the past. Even without Covid, facilities are pretty limited but there are restrooms open even now. The walking trail was the highlight with some great water views and some peace and quiet. This would not be fun if it was hot - choose your days wisely! It does seem to be very pet friendly as well.