De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton, Florida

While in Bradenton, I took the afternoon to go explore the De Soto National Memorial. This memorial commemorates the 1539 landing of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. De Soto is often remembered for "discovering" the Mississippi River, but he also explored all around the Gulf Coast and inland in the name of Spain as he sought gold, land, and to convert or conquer the native people. This was a great hike as I was able to walk through a mangrove forest with the pups and they could swim in the waters of the Manatee River while we looked out over Tampa Bay. This was a wonderful local attraction.