BRADENTON, Fla. – As the holiday honoring the 15th century explorer Christopher Columbus approaches, why not do a little exploring of your own? Chart a course in your car or boat to De Soto National Memorial, which lies on the Manatee River at its confluence with the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay.

“It’s a great little place,” says National Park Service Southeast Regional Director (and former historical re-enactor at De Soto) David Vela with a smile. “Today, it’s surrounded by development, which presents a challenge,” he notes, but the circumstance works to the advantage of this park which, in the midst of a paved, built, and artificially lit environment, offers natural beaches and coastal woodlands. Once there, you can follow trails to the edge of the water and into a forest of mangrove trees, or join a Ranger-led guided walk to make your own journey of discovery.

Yes, of discovery. The trails here thread across land that has been traversed by surveyors and visitors and is already plotted on maps, but Americans of 2009 can “discover” this park every bit as much as Spanish conquistadores “discovered” lands on which Native Americans had already established sophisticated societies. When you visit De Soto, you’re sure to find, as Columbus did in the New World, something that’s new and exciting to you. It might be a snowy egret or a gumbo-limbo tree. It might be an arquebus—a firearm of the 1500s—in action during the memorial’s December-to-April living history programs. Perhaps it will be an aspect of the Native American cultures that the conquistadores encountered. You can enjoy Florida’s mild fall and winter temperatures with a variety of concerts, films, and holiday outdoor events. Coming soon, rangers will lead park visitors around the native waterways in guided kayak tours.

Hernando de Soto, the leader of a 16th century Spanish expedition and the namesake of the park, sailed into Tampa Bay intent on capturing the riches of La Florida. His army was alternately welcomed and opposed by Native American tribes throughout what is now the southeastern United States in a four year, 4,000- mile odyssey of intrigue, warfare, disease, and discovery. De Soto National Memorial commemorates that odyssey and offers you a unique opportunity to experience history firsthand. Follow in the footsteps of early European explorers and Native American people to discover the park’s riches—the sights of the plants and animals that live here, the fun you’ll have, and the memories you’ll take away.

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Each week, National Park Getaways help people find new places to reconnect with nature, history, family, and friends. To see previous getaways visit www.nps.gov/getaways.