Open daily year-round from dawn to dusk, De Soto National Memorial Park offers indoor and outdoor activities appropriate for all ages, including native mask painting. An exhibit of period-specific armor, helmets and weapons can be found in the Visitor Center. View a film that highlights the experiences of the De Soto Expedition with Native American Indians, or spend time in the bookstore, where items detailing the historic encounters can be purchased. Outdoors, visitors walk along nature trails that go through mangroves and other ecosystems, or catch glimpses of seasonal bird migrations. There is no overnight camping at the park, which closes at times of pending hurricanes.
De Soto National Memorial Park
8300 Desoto Memorial Hwy.
Bradenton, FL 34209
941-792-0458
nps.gov
To learn about the Calusa tribe, whose name means "fierce people," families can pay a visit to the Mound Key Archaeological State Park in Estero, which is open daily year-round. The Calusa tribe was not agricultural in nature, but hunted and gathered along the coast of Southwest Florida. The Calusas also created islands, including Mound Key, or "Calos," which they considered the center of their kingdom, using materials such as shells, fish and animal bones and pottery artifacts. Hundreds of such shell islands give insight into their culture. Nature lovers will delight in the birds, dolphins and manatees that can be spotted from the 125-acre archaeological island. The island is accessible only by boat and has no facilities.
Mound Key Archaeological State Park
3800 Corkscrew Rd.
Estero, FL 33928
239-992-0311
stateparks.com
South Florida's Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum in Clewiston depicts the culture, artifacts and history of the Seminole Indians, the first Floridians. In Seminole, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki means "a place to learn," and through the exhibits, five-screen film, guided tours, child-centric activities and living village, visitors to the Big Cypress Reservation will gain much knowledge about how this Indian tribe lived in Florida. The re-creation of ceremonial grounds shows a traditional place where tribe members gathered for political and religious events. The venue is open daily year-round, with varied schedules during the holidays.
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
HC-61, Box 21-A
Clewiston, FL 33440
877-902-1113
ahtahthiki.com
Located on Terra Ceia Island in Palmetto, Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Site is the first Native American location to become a state archaeological site. Along with the surrounding 10-acre property, the mound was donated to the state of Florida by Karl and Madira Bickel, two people who fought to preserve such mounds. At least three periods of Indian cultures are evident in the flat-topped, 20-foot-high ceremonial mound, which is made up of sand, shell fragments and village debris, including pottery. Archaeologists and historians believe that the mound is the village of Ucita, discussed in stories by De Soto's party. The site is open daily, year round.
Madira Bickel Mound State Archeological Site
3708 Patten Ave.
Ellenton, FL 34222
941-723-4536
stateparks.com
