De Soto National Memorial, Historical memorial park at Tampa Bay, United States.

De Soto National Memorial covers 26.84 acres where the Manatee River meets Tampa Bay, with 3,000 feet of coastline and about 80 percent mangrove swamp. A visitor center holds 16th-century armor, weapons and artifacts, and a theater shows the film Hernando de Soto in America. Outside, a nature trail crosses coastal terrain resembling what the conquistadors found.

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto landed here in May 1539 with roughly 600 soldiers, launching a four-year journey of exploration through southeastern North America. This arrival fundamentally changed the trajectory of the region and its inhabitants.

From December through April, costumed interpreters run Camp Uzita, a living history camp named for the Timucuan town of Uzita, and the season closes with a re-enactment of De Soto's landing on the Tampa Bay beaches. The memorial's stated mission is to preserve this controversial story and interpret its meaning in American history.

Admission is free. The visitor center holds armor, 16th-century weapons and period artifacts, and a theater shows the film Hernando de Soto in America. Camp Uzita, a living history camp, runs from December through April and closes with a re-enactment of the landing on Tampa Bay beaches. Trails, guided walks, fishing, bird watching and picnicking are also available.

The memorial displays original weapons and armor from the 1500s, giving visitors a tangible sense of what the soldiers carried and wore. About 80 percent of the grounds consists of protected mangrove wetlands that serve as home to birds and other wildlife.