1743. Go to De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton

 When I saw that De Soto National Memorial was in Bradenton and the Pirates play in Bradenton, I knew we were swing by De Soto National Monument before the baseball game. 

De Soto National Memorial honors the landing of Conquistador Hernando de Soto and his army of soldiers, craftsmen, and clergy in 1539. The Monument is open 8-5 every day except holidays with the visitor center being open 9-5. It is on the bay and all the way on the edge of Bradenton. 

The Visitor Center has a small museum to learn about De Soto and the Spanish Conquistadors. There is an opportunity to dress up as a Spanish Conquistador. The hubby wouldn't let me put on anything more than a hat. 

Majority of the park is outside. There is a Nature Trail that winds along the shoreline and is about a mile long. There is a shorter trail as well. The first part of the trail is all boardwalk and then it is sand. The hubby vetoed the sand trail so we did not explore much of the short trail. Along the trail are interpretive signs that tell you about what De Soto would have encountered. 

There is the Living History Camp which is open January-April Thursday-Sunday. We were there on Wednesday so it was not open. There were also concerned about Red Tide so they were not sure if they were going to be any interpreters while Red Tide was present.

Red Tide is a harmful algal bloom that affects people with breathing problems. It is supposed to have a horrible smell but we thought it didn't smell any worse than Lake Winnebago in summer. 

You can also do a ranger lead Kayak tour from June-October. That would be cool to do but the hubby wouldn't do it. You can also launch your own kayak and canoes from the beaches.

De Soto Monument is also pet friendly so you will see dogs on trails. 

There is also a small display on the housing that De Soto would have lived in across from the visitor center. 

There is a lot to do at De Soto Memorial and you can chose to do as little or as much as you want. We only saw a portion of the park but I would love to hike the whole trail or even do a kayak tour.