Would have loved to have stayed longer and traveled down the scenic trail, but unfortunately there was a family with an off leash dog who was under no verbal control. Dog would not leave my dogs alone. I initially thought it was a stray as there was no owner in sight when I first approached it. Woman was flippant and her boyfriend aggressive when I asked if they needed a leash and asked them to please leash their dog. Approached park ranger to please enforce the “dogs must be leashes rule” to which she replied, I’ll see what I can do. Described the people, the dog, and the boardwalk they walked down. Waited for 15 minutes to see if the dog would be leashed or vacate the park so I could continue my visit. Never saw the dog get leashes or leave and I’m unsure if the park ranger even left her office. Decided my time would be better spent at the dog friendly and free botanical garden 5 minutes down the road. Do not visit unless you don’t mind being harassed by unruly and unleashed dogs.

I was not expecting much of this place but I was blown away! Its so beautiful! Bring your bathing suit and take advantage of the shoreline.

This is one of my favorite spots from my trip to Bradenton/Sarasota! This site offers beautiful viewpoints, interesting nature, and accessible trails. After making a short stop at the visitors center and watching the film about DeSoto’s expeditions, we walked through the shorter trails. I have to admit, the film made me wonder about why exactly the guy gets a memorial! As a photographer, I ultimately very much enjoyed the views and enjoyed the unique flora of the area.

Love this Park! Well maintained and my Jack Russell Arrow always meets new friends there. Also, great little beach area away from the madding crowd.

Nice park by the bay, some trails for hiking and a few mock Native American elements.Restrooms were closed because of COVID-19, and masks should be worn when social distancing is not possible.Plaques at different stations provide some historical context.

Nice little park with nature trails and boardwalk. Visitor center was closed due to COVID regulations, but talked to a park ranger who was super nice and informative. The park is pet-friendly so we brought our dog, 70lb female boxer. We saw several other people with dogs, large and small and all were leashed and well behaved. We talked to several guys fishing and if you enjoy, everyone we saw caught a fish. Several spots to get into the water to cool off. Its peaceful and we sat on benches and watched all the boats come and go in the bay.We went in June so it was very hot, be prepared for it with water, sunscreen, and head covers.

Ive visited this national monument on the Manatee River several times - with my dog on a leash. Its a peaceful place to learn, enjoy the scenery, take in the info on the trails, picnic, or even fish. It has a small interpretive center that depicts Hernando DeSotos time in the area. A small shaded beach is a great place to read and enjoy the river scenery. Folks even set up chairs on the hill overlooking the river to just enjoy the view. Inside the huts that were created to show those used by the long ago explorers are large historical scenes. Reenactments do take place but none were held while we were visiting. Admission is free.

It had a strange feeling landing our dingy on the shore for the same reasons as DeSoto. It was a good landing! Anchored next to the cross, it is a unique park and a great place to explore from the water!Glad we found it on our sail of Dragons Lair from Florida to Wisconsin.

Great nature Trails. Lots of historical information about DeSoto and the American Indians. I love this place. It is right on the water, very quiet and serene especially early in the morning.

Very nice park. Inside the visitor center, you can ask to play video. Its about 30 minutes. Theres about a mile or less paved path. I visited during the week and not many people were there. I saw a few dolphins swimming away from the boardwalk.

Great history lesson. You can swim, fish picnic and walk a trail learning about history and spending time with your family. If you have never went you have to go at least once.

The trail is filled with interesting facts it is a great place to take children for a local history lession while enjoying a fun walk together. This is also a popular fishing area.

Beautiful trails, my kid loves it, always a breeze from the water.

What a beautiful place - has it all!! There are beach areas, if you just want to enjoy water & sand, there are trails if want to enjoy the scenery (& get your exercise in), theres an instructor lead kayaking and other water activities and if you love history, theres something there for you too! You can stop by the ranger station & learn the history of the place & even purchase souvenirs and such...!!! The park is clean & well-kept, there are also picnic tables along the trails.....& clean bathrooms inside the ranger station!!

This place is an AMAZING JOURNEY! I wish it hadnt have down poured so we could have enjoyed the ENTIRE EXPERIENCE! 10 out of 10 would recommend

A great place to see true native historical information. Great trails through the Mangroves. Bike or walk.

I enjoyed this trail so much! Very easy walking with lots of shade and areas of benches and picnic tables around. Boards and plaques up with historical info that’s interesting and informative. Make sure to stop in building to check out the history and the souvenirs. Great way to spend a couple hours!

If you like quiet nature hiking. This is it! Beautiful elevated walkways through mangroves and skirting the Palma Sola waterways. A beautiful area tucked away in Bradenton. Worth a couple hrs of beautiful scenery!

This place is amazing, the view, the fresh air. Dogs are welcome, kayaks.. the staff is excellent

Its a great place to visit.

Enjoyed a leisurely walk with my son on these mostly shade tree covered, remote trails along the bay. Fun to explore the little indian village, even in the sprinkling rain

This was an accidental find on my bike ride today and I plan to revisit soon to immerse myself in the self-guided history walk and to enjoy the video, book, and other media resources available in the visitors section. Easy parking. Picnic tables and benches spread throughout. Shaded walking available.

Beautiful park. Lots to read and see. They offer kayak tours and there is a video they play at the visitor center. Lots of people bring their dogs for a relaxing walk. Currently the boardwalk is closed for construction but you can still walk the trails.

Absolutely love this place! History, nature and its beautiful year round...

Although it was VERY hot, there was lots of trails mostly in the shade with several different accesses to the beach.

I am an State Park enthusiast. I loved this park. I loved the Indian village reproduction and learning about Florida history in the pavillion. The traiils through the mangroves wrap along the causeway. The park is pristine. A+

Spring 2020 a modest exhibit focuses on the colonial viewpoint. However, exhibits in the theater are being renovated so hopefully they will become more representative of both sides of De Soto‘s landing.Note that this is a very small park and is not the actual location of De Soto’s landing but only symbolic of his arrival.

Clean, nice trails with a lot of history. Trails are rather small and short but it’s a beautiful walking along the water.

Nice hike with clearly marked trails and history postings throughout.

Awesome little outdoor area, as of 07/2020 they were renovating the trails and adding a new stockade area as an exhibit or concession area, was not clear.

What an outstanding place to revisit history while strolling along with your family and/or dogs!!There are no words for the solace found here & to see shell piles from the Native American Indians 400 years ago, the sand and shell paths that lead all over the place & the fossil embedded rocks along the shore!This place is amazing! Come check it out!!

Beautiful place. Rangers are very helpful!

Absolutely beautiful. Definitely worth visiting

Not much to do here, but nice facilities and story boards. They admit to this being a long shot that it was the actual spot where DeSoto camped at, there was really no structures or documentation proving it. It’s more of a tribute to his southeast US expedition.There’s basically a small indoor building with gift shop, then a mile long trail through woods and along some coastline. There is a nice open grassy area in front overlooking the water, but not a beach or access to the water.

Great little park, a short walk by the beach and through mangroves as well. No admission and on a leash are welcome. Be sure to pick up after them when the inevitable happens

Very nice and clean the beach is a bit small but thats ok

Pet friendly, good place to exercise even with your four legged friends, I prefer taking my dogs to the beach here rather then the dog beach, water is much cleaner.

Ran across this memorial while passing through town and couldnt help but stop by. Its a very well maintained park with a short nature trail through the mangroves to discover. I leaned quite a bit and remembered a lot from grade school history while exploring the jungle. Stop by the visitor center as there are some nice exhibits

First time coming here since moving here about a year ago. Is a pretty nicely maintained park. Nice shaded trails along the shores, great place to bring dogs for a short stroll. Decent information center to learn a little bit about the explorer DeSoto and his quest for gold and is free to the public.

Beautiful little park. Nice little hiking trail with shady areas, so its not bad on hot days. The ranger was very friendly. Lots of informative signs posted throughout to help you learn Floridas history! Highly recommend

Lovely park definitely a locals favorite. Beautiful views of the ocean and quite private versus other parks.

Great place to walk a few trails and it a hidden Jem if you like a little quiet clean beach you can hide at in Bradenton that doesnt have a lot of people.

Great spot to check out. Nice easy trails to walk and has a short movie of DeSoto and a display of the history of DeSoto. Has a lot of parking available and nice clean bathrooms.

See the excellent historical video on DeSotos expedition. Enjoyed the nature walk around the peninsula through the mangroves. A great stop.

Beautiful place to walk the dogs near the gulf waters. Loved it.

Interesting....learned a lot. The dogs enjoyed it too

Beautiful scenery....on the water.

Note re: Government shutdown: visitors center & bathrooms are closed. But you can still easily park on the side of the road approaching the (closed) gate and walk in - there is a heavily traveled path around it. There were 30 cars there on Christmas eve. All of the trails are open and outside displays and interpretive signs can be seen just like normal.

Very enjoyable hiking with interesting historic displays. Beach access and lots of picnic areas.

Although its hot this time of year, this park is people friendly as well as dog friendly. This park has great breeze most of the time. Water bottle fill station is very handy & doggie bags if youre caught without yours. My dog Cookie, gives this park 5 ...!

Disappointed that the walk up was far and up hill. Wish it was more handicap accessible. Maybe offer a golf cart ride up the hill.

This is one of the best in the area. Currently (December 2019) portions of the historical path are under construction, but almost all of the park remains open including the gorgeous walking trails. Seems like every time we go, and take a different turn, we wind up somewhere else - usually on the water. Very dog friendly, very child friendly (so long as you dont let them run on the large rocks). The rangers are helpful and always ready to answer a question. Amenities (bathrooms, water fountain, even a shoe brush implement) are clean and modern. The exhibits are small, as befits a smaller park, but very well done. One visit, we watched a group of very excited youngsters learning to shoot a bow and arrow - not sure if it was part of a special occasion or just something the park offers, but it was great to see history mixed in with the excitement of these children.And the history is accurate! The parks various presentations make no secret of the betrayal of friendly natives, their enslavement, or the forced marches. At the same time, they acknowledge the incredible exploration and fortitude of De Soto and his troops. There are terrific maps of their march, not just in the local area but all the way North and then West, as well as a pretty good small exhibition about artifacts and archaeology.So far, this is our favorite park.

Nice shaded short hike by the water. Provides historical facts as you navigate through

Such a beautiful historic place to visit. I went to visit here as a kid. So glad to see all the improvements.

Beautiful park. Awesome nature trails, they have benches, picnic areas. It is a dog friendly place.

Lovely park with a beautiful trail, all very well maintained. Historically significant site, great place to learn about Florida (and European) history. A reminder that this area was already colonized and civilized well before DeSoto, DeLeon, and Columbus.Bring your doggo for a dip in the water!

Museum was closed but the outside had some pretty interactive sites . They were also under construction building more huts.

Fishing fishing fish... Interspersed with an excellent opportunity to witness Florida’s wildlife at its epicenter. My family, & I, are lucky enough to have witnessed a dolphin pod feeding, while on the trails. It lasted for more than an hours time. Splashing, jumping, twirling, there must have been upwards of twenty dolphins. We decided to fish off the point facing the skyway bridge, across Tampa bay from the memorial. Most exciting about this moment in time, I felt the dolphin were actually pushing the smaller fish closer to the shoreline, where my fishing line was located. The beautiful animals knew my hope that day, to catch a prehistoric mammoth, a fish worthy of Jules Verne novels, a tale to tell for the remainder of our existence. A 20 inch trout, puffer fish, and blue crab, all bellowed over yonder, to my bait, and line.By the conclusion of this review, my trout will morph into a Goliath Grouper, 6 foot long, with teeth that could tear a vehicle apart. Transcending past fishing tales, and instituting myself into the novels Mr. Verne has created, meanwhile jumping from his submarine, atop Hemingway’s Pilar, thus creating my tale.I joke in earnest, I believe humor should be used as much as possible these days.The journey through Desoto memorial, was breathtaking.Aside from the fishing, and dolphin show. The area is located close enough to the Anna Maria beaches, downtown Bradenton area, and everything in between to not cause a hassle to travellers. The foliage is interspersed with Florida history, placards, representations of Florida’s emerging natural beauty, the scenery of our world, history.Religious artifacts, & statues, stand taller than a New York high rise.At the very least, that’s how they seem to me... Please, give us the opportunity to amaze you, and come see our very own Desoto memorial park.

I love this park! Its right on the water, and it has numerous paths to wander. Along the paths are cutouts of native people who once lived here and plaques that explains what you are seeing. The natural vegetation is very interesting. Since this is a national park, it has a nice visitors center with displays and a gift shop. Theres no charge to get in the park. They have various presentations on certain days.

I visited with my dog. It was a wonderful experience despite the rain and closed boardwalk. Dog friendly and lots to see in this small park. There was no entrance fee and it was not crowded. I found the pet parking area helpful as I was able to go inside the visitor center quickly while my dog waited outside.

A delightful place. Very informative. Short trails for strolling and learning about DeSoto nature. Interesting 20 min. Film. A small sandy beach. Free!

Beautiful. Lots of space youre able to enjoy three surroundings. Pets are welcome but you would never know because its clean on respected.

What a beautiful and clean memorial and park!! They are dog friendly and even have a beach area where they can swim. Cant wait to bring my pup out there!!

Love walking the trails and watching the beautiful sunsets

Beautiful area for the entire family. Gorgeous sunsets. Nice walking path. The parking up close closes early so make sure you do not park in there if you plan on staying to watch the sunset. You will get locked in.

The park is lovely and the staff was terrific - they told my daughter about being a junior ranger, gave her a fun book to work through while we enjoyed the site, and swore her in.

Really beautiful and well maintained park. The rangers are very friendly and had a lot of knowledge to share. Loved the real demonstrations and the fact that children are allowed to touch and explore the replicas. There are many beautiful spots to grab a seat on a bench or have a meal at a picnic table. Definitely worth checking it out.

Beautiful way to spend time with your family! We love been there

HIDDEN JEM!! This park is FILLED with history and beauty. There are native replicas, reenactments, ruins, water access, an education center (which is also part of the Nation Jr Park Ranger program,) and a few interactive education trails.Theres ample free parking, and they allow dogs through the entire park. Theres also a shaded picnic area in the front, and many throughout the trails.My kids (and puppy) love coming here to do their school work!

A beautiful park. Loved the new boardwalk. A very nice picnic area as well.

Love this walk. Sometimes the mosquitoes are bad, but thats nature. Mosq never stop us from enjoying the walk and water ️

Wonderful crean and organized well planned

Its gorgeous here! The water is amazing. Just make sure to wear water shoes if you decide to jump in. There are tons of seashells everywhere so keep your feet safe. There are shells all along the beach that you can fine. If youre lucky enough itll be a fully solid one. I would definitely come back right after high tide, as early as possible.They have a small visitor center. Which has a lot of learning experiences. You can grab mail the Spanish used to wear. Which I wish they would have more Native Stuff than the Spanish.. how they were on this land first and what not.(Which sorry if anyone is going to get pissy with this, but whatever. I grew up in the Everglades with the Seminoles and the Miccosukees who would tell me horror stories about the Spanish coming in and the Vikings)If you love nature and you love nature trails this is the place for you.

Nice place to go for a walk and see a variety of scenery from wooded area to coast line and historically important to the discovery of our country and good trade during the era when the Spanish first came here

Great place to take your dog for an afternoon stroll, take time off and clear your mind from a busy life, or even a romantic stroll with someone that takes your breath away.

What a relaxing place to learn about De Soto..there us plenty of history here to learn. And the sea breezes are always moving..

Great trails and nature. Must walk if you seek a little wilderness in Bradenton.

Historical place is open to the public and free.The on-site exhibits are fun to see and experience. The short documentary is very informative. While the national memorial park building is a bit run down, all of the facilities seem to work properly. Park rangers are very knowledgable and friendly. Enjoyed the stay.There are short trails around the area.

What an amazing park! It’s very beautiful. Great place to go to learn some history or collect amazing shells or see amazing trees that you may not find at a lot of other places. Simply gorgeous. For more info and pictures, please visit Em’s National Park Adventures page on FB

Was so neat at low tide along the beach. Came at high tide and the water was all the way up to the tree line, came again at low tide and about 20 feet of land all the way around was uncovered. We walked along and found crabs, snails, and even live starfish. So fun to hold and observe. It was a very neat park and I would visit here again.

Great place, very beautiful!

Great clear trails, dog friendly with doggie bag stations, lots of benches throughout to rest or just enjoy the view, secure trash, beautiful views !!

A very inviting tranquil place on the western most edge of Bradenton.Walk along the 1 mile trail where Hernandez DeSoto in the 16th century set foot in this area.You will even see native Indians (cardboard cut outs) along the way.A little Hokey?What do you think?See pictures..Parking Good,Scenery Good,Staff Good,Fresh Air Good.Informative Good.FREE...A Good Day Indeed.

Cool place to check out.Went there today, Nov. 9th. It was a fantastic day. Highly recommend this walk.

Our Ranger was phenomenal, taking her time with our son and explaining all the trees names, helping him with the activities in the booklet. The short video was great! The best part was that everything was free to use (helmet, chest plates etc). We did donate to the treasure box. Our family had fun on the trail and we will be back in the future.

A nice nature walk in old Florida!

Beautiful area, nice Vista of the landing site, and great reconstructions of the campsite and a Calusa hut which has amazing murals inside. Must see if visiting Bradenton just for the history alone. Sadly I wasnt able to go in the campsite as it was being worked on and couldnt go down the nature trail due to construction.

Beautiful, quiet, by the water. Great trails with information plaques and things along the path. Great for dogs.

The movie was very informative about desoto and the campaign. The location was beautiful. We did not spend a lot of time here, but there are trails that we could have taken. Inside the have armor that can be tried on, which was super interesting.

Beautiful trails and the view is gorgeous!!

Beautiful park. Short walking trail with a lot of shade, you can even dip your feet in the water. Picnic tables, restrooms and water fountains are available.

DeSoto National Memorial Park is a beautiful small park... It has a marking at the spot where it is believed that DeSoto and his Spaniard army landed... Has several markers on the DeSoto trails, where the Spanish had to fight mother nature as well as the Native American tribes who populated the region... Beautiful cross, about 30 ft in height, commemorates the 12 Spanish Priests that came ashore with DeSoto... Boardwalk is under construction... Gorgeous ocean view... The fort has 2-3; living quarters, a small outdoors chapel, supply room, a kitchen/dining area... No fee park. However, donate if you can...Bring water and mosquito spray... Good family park...

Nice historical park. Great displays, trails, and gift shop. Come out and experience history!

It is a special feeling to walk literally in the footsteps of history. Small but interesting visitor center and interpretive signage along the nature walk. Calming water views.

Nice little walking trails with lots of benches along the trail to sit and watch the boats on the river. Facilities are still closed though.

This is a public park/nature trail with a few displays. Its a very nice trail. See what the natural habitat looks like. Contemplate the impact of Spaniards meeting the native peoples. This place is very nicely laid out with a very walkable trail and nice displays. Multiple access points to the coast and ample parking. For a free experience, this is a very highly recommended place.Oh, if you go up the road you might find cars parked to the side. This is an early entrance. Keep driving forward and youll see the main parking loop.

We went there on a hot summer day. We had our shorts and flip flops on since it’s a pretty park facing the water(we figured). Little did I know what I was about to encounter later. It’s the snake! Oh scratch that, they’re snakes! We are on our way making a circle following the map and just about the time we hit between point 11 and point 12, almost finished, we saw not one but two snakes waving across the trail. Ha! I didn’t know they are not venomous by then. It is definitely some thrilling experience! Love it.

Its a nice stroll along the water.

The history here is interesting. The park has a beautiful area where you can come for a picnic. There are trails though the trees and even a little beach. There are buildings to give the feel of what the fort looked like when the settlers were there. Its was a cute place.

Small but interesting with some nice views. Short paths currently under repair. Easy to find parking spaces which is free. Great place to spend 30-45 minutes.