Reenactor Bill Boston on his horse Dixie in front of the De Soto Monument.
Reenactor Bill Boston on his horse Dixie in front of the De Soto Monument. Tim Ohr

De Soto National Memorial

National Historic Site · Florida · National Park Service

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.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Phone
9417920458
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: Explorers and Expeditions · Hispanic American Heritage · Maritime · Maritime - Military · Ships and Shipwrecks · Military · Indigenous and Native Warrior · Native American Heritage · Tragic Events · Massacres · Wars and Conflicts · Colonial/European Contact Conflicts · Animals · Birds · Tortoises and Turtles · Estuaries and Mangroves · Wetlands · Marshes · Swamps

Activities & features: Fishing · Saltwater Fishing · Living History · Reenactments · Historic Weapons Demonstration · Paddling · Kayaking · Shopping · Bookstore and Park Store

Photos

  • De Soto Tim Burke greets on of the parks Junior Rangers
    Tim Ohr
  • Sunset at the Park
    park photo

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Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12